macOS X struggled to reach 3% market share in the early 2000s. John Siracusa wrote in one of Ars Technica’s first reviews of OS X that it “shows tremendous promise, which is a nice way of saying that the 10.0 release is not quite ready for prime time.” 

Four years later, Siracusa wrote, “Out of the gate, macOS X was a technical curiosity with few applications, and a performance dog. A scant four years later [it’s] a powerhouse that combines the best Unix has to offer with a feature-rich, user-friendly interface.”

Those reviews and OS X’s overall trajectory are uncannily similar to Google’s ChromeOS, with another Ars article claiming ChromeOS’s first release would “strike many users as crude” with a caveat that “Google has time on its side, and the company can afford to release cloud clients that start out awkward and immature, and let them develop as the user-facing part of a still-evolving cloud.” Which is exactly what has happened.

ChromeOS, like macOS X, has come a long way since its rocky first release. So far, in fact, that IDC reported in 2020 that it had surpassed Apple’s operating system in market share. It’s a great time to jump on the bandwagon.

What is ChromeOS?

ChromeOS is a lightweight Linux-based operating system created by Google. Its defining characteristics are low hardware requirements and an emphasis on cloud-based apps and computing. 

When using a Chromebook or Chromebox, you download and run apps from the Chrome Web Store, Google Play Store, and, if you’re feeling adventurous, from a small pool of Linux software. 

At a glance, ChromeOS looks like a minimalist take on Windows. There’s a taskbar along the bottom of the screen that has a circle icon on the left side that acts almost identically to a Start button and a system tray on the right side for WiFi, volume, Bluetooth, and other system settings. In the middle of the taskbar you can pin favorited apps.

One of the biggest differences between ChromeOS and Windows, however, is that you cannot download the install files (aside from ChromeOS Flex—more on that below). The base version of ChromeOS comes pre-installed on Chromeboxes and Chromebook computers, but you cannot run the base version on your own hardware.

If you’re looking for a minimalist computer–one built for web browsing, word processing, and streaming media–Chromebooks and Chromeboxes have a lot going for them. They’re not full-blown thin clients running an entire operating system in the cloud, but they have a significantly smaller footprint than a fresh install of Windows 11 or macOS X.

If you want to manage a fleet of ChromeOS devices, you’ll need to upgrade to one of the higher tiers for the ability to preconfigure new computers and update existing ones from a cloud-based console. 

ChromeOS Enterprise

You can upgrade any hardware that ships with ChromeOS pre-installed to the Enterprise tier, which adds device management tools to your domain. Making the switch allows systems administrators to set up or update settings from the cloud-based Google Admin Console and push those settings out to individual devices or in bulk to groups of devices organized under a single Google Workspace domain. 

You can, for example, force all of your ChromeOS devices to download and install specific apps, block certain websites, or disable Bluetooth or USB access, among dozens of other productivity and security settings. 

The Enterprise version also unlocks detailed reports and logs for tracking app installs, software updates, and error data across all of your enrolled ChromeOS devices. 

ChromeOS Education

Although it’s mostly similar to the Enterprise upgrade, the ChromeOS Education upgrade adds a few integrations built specifically for Workspace for Education domains. Settings like allowing or disallowing parents to add Family Link supervised accounts or using Locked Mode with Google forms to prevent cheating during quizzes and tests. 

Systems administrators can group ChromeOS devices by classroom, school, or even district to build out unique and tailored experiences for specific use cases and contexts. There might be, for instance, one set of policies for student computers and a very different set of policies for a school’s digital signage screens.

ChromeOS Kiosk & Signage

As the simplest paid upgrade of the three, ChromeOS Kiosk & Signage lets you configure any device in your domain to launch a specific app when it first boots up, without a user login. Once it’s running, the app will be locked down and displayed in fullscreen. 

As a standalone, self-service upgrade, Kiosk & Signage can remotely manage up to 75 devices, with more available if you talk to the ChromeOS sales team. However, the ability to set up devices as kiosks or digital signage also comes bundled with all Enterprise and Education upgrades. So the only time you’d sign up for the standalone Kiosk & Signage upgrade is when you’re absolutely certain that you don’t need to remotely manage non-signage ChromeOS devices.

ChromeOS Flex

Although the Flex version of ChromeOS has a similar UI to the other versions on this list, and even shares the same prefix, there are fundamental differences under the hood. Instead of coming pre-installed on a Chromebook or Chromebox, you can install Flex on most laptops or desktops released in the past decade. All you have to do is visit the ChromeOS Flex page, follow the instructions to create a bootable USB drive, plug it into your computer, and run the setup files. 

While you can upgrade a Flex install to the Enterprise or Education versions of ChromeOS, there are limitations. Flex cannot automatically update firmware in the background like Chromebooks and Chromeboxes do. It also cannot recognize fingerprint readers, Apple’s Thunderbolt ports, or other hardware inputs not present on certified ChromeOS devices. Lastly, Flex cannot access the Google Play Store or install Android apps–only those from the Chrome Web Store. 

Is ChromeOS free?

ChromeOS comes pre-installed on Chromebooks and Chromeboxes at no extra cost. All operating system updates automatically downloaded and installed in the background are also free for 10 years. The Flex version of ChromeOS is 100% free as well, including regular and automatic updates.

Enterprise, Education, and Kiosk & Signage versions of ChromeOS are paid upgrades. 

ChromeOS Enterprise licensing

As of this writing, Enterprise costs $50 per device per year, but that number can change depending on your region, your current Workspace subscription, or if you need to manage more than 75 devices. Google does offer a 30-day trial of ChromeOS Enterprise if you want to try before you buy.

ChromeOS Education licensing

The Education upgrade is more complex. There are four tiers available, ranging in cost from free to $5 per student per year. You can upgrade to some of those tiers from your Google Admin Console (under Billing > Get more services) or sign up for a free trial. Other tiers and trials are only available through official resellers.

Another important thing to note is that some ChromeOS Education upgrades require that you purchase enough licenses to cover your entire student body. You cannot use this upgrade for a specific group of classrooms and exclude the rest of your school.

Is a ChromeOS paid upgrade worth it?

Higher tiers of Google’s operating system are almost entirely focused on remotely securing and configuring lower-end hardware running cloud apps. So if you don’t need to manage devices in bulk, or you do but the devices need high-performance specs, ChromeOS probably isn’t for you.

Where ChromeOS shines is in the simplicity of its admin settings. Creating user groups and setting up default permissions for individuals in those groups is much simpler than (admittedly more advanced) platforms like Microsoft’s Intune, which tend to accommodate more granular controls and customizations.

While the most popular use case for Chromebooks and Chromeboxes are inexpensive minimalist computers for knowledge workers and students, digital signage also aligns nicely with ChromeOS’s strengths. You can completely eliminate the need to configure media players in person by scheduling when the hardware boots up each day, choosing the app it opens on boot, and troubleshooting occasional issues via remote desktop from anywhere in the world.

An enterprise operating system for enterprise digital signage software

ChromeOS Enterprise is an easy and affordable way to set employees up with secure desktop environments that are a piece of cake to manage remotely. That makes it cost-effective way to power digital signage, with managed hardware locked down to a single signage player app. But it lacks the built-in features to create a full-blown company TV channel with automated visitor announcements, playlist scheduling, consolidated app notifications, and live video broadcasts. To do all of that, you’ll need to add dedicated digital signage software like ScreenCloud to your ChromeOS device.

Our player apps are built to work on the hardware you already own, whether it’s a Google Chromecast or a Chromebox. If you’re considering making the switch to ChromeOS, signup for a free 14-day trial of ScreenCloud today and follow our setup guide for ChromeOS to see how you like it.