Should I buy a Windows laptop or a Chromebook?
A Chromebook is cheaper, faster on modest hardware, far harder to infect and almost maintenance-free — as long as everything you do runs in a browser. The specific things that do not, and the expiry date on the box that nobody mentions.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 25 min
- Read
- 6 min
Short answer
Buy a Chromebook if your computing is a browser, email, documents, video calls and streaming — it will be cheaper, boot in seconds, need no antivirus, and stay fast for years. Buy Windows if you need specific installed software, a particular accessory with Windows-only drivers, serious offline work, or games. Before buying any Chromebook, check its automatic update expiry date, which is published per model and is the date it stops receiving security updates.
The two machines answer different questions. Windows is a general-purpose computer that runs anything, at the cost of needing maintenance, security software and enough hardware to carry a large operating system. ChromeOS is a machine built around a browser, with the operating system managed for you, updates applied automatically, and a design that makes most malware structurally difficult. For a great many households the honest answer is that everything they do already happens in a browser tab, and they are buying and maintaining a general-purpose computer to run one. The cases where that is not true are real and specific, and they are what this decision turns on.
Step by step
- List what you actually run, not what you might.Write down every program you have opened in the last month. If the list is a browser, an email program and perhaps a photo viewer, a Chromebook covers it. If it contains a specific application — accounts software, a scanner suite, a music production tool, a game — check whether it exists on the web before going further.
- Check the named exceptions.The things that genuinely rule out ChromeOS: full desktop Microsoft Office with macros and advanced features, Adobe's desktop applications, most PC games, accounting and tax software distributed as Windows programs, specialist hardware with Windows-only drivers, and any workplace system requiring a Windows client or a VPN client.
- Check the update expiry date before buying.Every Chromebook has a published automatic update expiry date, after which it stops receiving security and feature updates. Google has extended this considerably for recent models, and it remains model-specific and finite. It is on Google's support pages by model, and buying a machine two years from its date is buying a two-year computer.
- Understand what happens offline.Google's own applications work offline once set up for it, and files sync when you reconnect. Many web applications do not. If you regularly work on a train, in a caravan or somewhere without a connection, test this specifically rather than assuming — it is the most common source of disappointment.
- Weigh the security difference honestly.ChromeOS is meaningfully harder to compromise: verified boot, an operating system the user cannot modify, automatic updates that cannot be deferred, and each tab sandboxed. It does not protect against phishing, scams or a weak Google account password, which is where most people actually come to grief — and the account matters more on a Chromebook because everything is in it.
- Consider Android apps and Linux, and do not over-rely on them.Most Chromebooks run Android apps, and many can run Linux applications. Both work and both are compromises: Android apps are designed for touchscreens and can be awkward with a keyboard, and Linux support varies by model. Treat them as a bonus rather than as the reason to buy.
- Think about who is using it.For a child, for an older relative who wants email and video calls without maintenance, or for a second machine for the kitchen table, ChromeOS is often the better answer precisely because there is so much less to go wrong and nothing to maintain. The catalogue's guides on setting up a device for a child or an older relative apply to either.
- Compare the actual money over the lifetime.The Chromebook saving is not just the purchase price — no antivirus subscription, no office suite licence if the free web versions suffice, and less need to replace it because it slowed down. Against that, cheap Chromebooks have poor screens and keyboards, and buying the cheapest one available is how people conclude the platform is bad.
Common mistakes
- Buying the cheapest Chromebook on the shelf — The very cheapest models have dim screens, poor keyboards and minimal memory, and they are what gives the platform its reputation. A mid-range Chromebook is a genuinely good machine; the cheapest one is a compromise you will feel daily.
- Not checking the update expiry date — It is the single most important number on a Chromebook and it is not on the box or in most listings. A heavily discounted model is sometimes discounted because it is near its date.
- Assuming it cannot do office documents — Word, Excel and PowerPoint all run in a browser and handle ordinary documents perfectly well, and Google's own suite is free. What does not work is heavy macros, complex formatting and specialist add-ins — a real limit for some jobs and irrelevant for most people.
If it doesn't work
You need Windows software occasionally
Cause: One application blocking an otherwise clean decision — Fix: Check for a web version first — most mainstream software now has one. Failing that, remote access to another Windows machine covers occasional use, and a cheap second-hand Windows laptop for that one job is often cheaper than buying a full Windows machine for everything.
The Chromebook feels slow
Cause: A very cheap model, or too many tabs — Fix: Entry-level Chromebooks have genuinely limited memory. Four gigabytes is workable for light use and eight is where the platform feels good, which is the same conversation as with any computer.
A printer or scanner will not work
Cause: ChromeOS relies on standard protocols rather than manufacturer drivers — Fix: Most current network printers work without any driver. Older USB-only models and all-in-one scanning features are where it fails, and there is no driver to install. Check the model before buying if you have a printer you intend to keep.
Everything is in Google's ecosystem and you would rather it were not
Cause: The platform is built around a Google account — Fix: That is a real cost. Microsoft's and other web applications work fine in the browser, but the machine itself is signed into Google and managed by it. If that is objectionable, it is a reason to choose Windows.
The school issued a Chromebook and you want a second machine
Cause: Different requirements at home — Fix: A managed school Chromebook is locked down and enrolled, and does not become a personal machine when the child leaves. Buy separately rather than expecting to repurpose it.
The update expiry date has passed
Cause: The model reached its end of support — Fix: It keeps working and stops receiving security updates, which is a genuine reason to retire it from anything involving accounts. The catalogue's guides on end of support and on keeping old technology working cover the options.
Questions people ask
Can a Chromebook run Microsoft Office?
The web versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook run in the browser and are free with a Microsoft account, handling everyday documents fine. The full desktop applications do not run at all. If you depend on advanced Excel features, macros or specific add-ins, that is a Windows requirement.
Do I need antivirus on a Chromebook?
No, and there is very little available because the design makes traditional malware difficult — verified boot, a read-only operating system and sandboxed tabs. What you still need is judgement about phishing and a properly secured Google account, because that account is the machine.
What happens to my files if the Chromebook is lost or breaks?
Almost everything is in Google Drive, so signing into another Chromebook restores your working environment in minutes. That is one of the platform's genuine strengths, and it is also a reason to think about the account's password and two-factor rather carefully.
Is a Chromebook good for a child at school?
It is what most UK schools using digital devices have standardised on, so compatibility with schoolwork is usually excellent, and the maintenance burden on the household is close to zero. The catalogue's guides on setting up a device for a child and on parental controls apply, and both platforms support them.