Chrome Dev is one or two versions ahead of stable, usually updated at least once a week, and it’s used to test out more comprehensive changes to the browser that may or may not make it into the general release afterward. Now we’re getting into the deep end on the pool. Newer features include tweaks to the rendering engine for speed or accuracy, adjustments to the user interface, new options in the Flags menu, and so on. So when the stable version of Chrome was on 50, Chrome Beta was on 51. It’s generally one version release ahead of stable. Google updates Beta approximately once a week, with major updates coming every six weeks.

The Beta channel is an earlier version of the software meant for testing out new features before they come to the much wider audience in the Stable build. It’s the last to get new features, but if you want a safe and stable browsing experience with no surprises, this one is for you. The stable version has had the most extensive testing of the lot, and is what Google wants most people to use.

It’s the one that most people use, the one that Google links to when you search for “download Chrome” in Edge or Internet Explorer. If you don’t see any of these identifiers after your version number, you’re running the stable version of chrome.