Must Read: Mint 15: Today's best Linux desktop (Review)

Topic: Browser

StatCounter: Chrome overtakes Firefox globally

Summary: Chrome has managed to overtake Firefox as the world's second most used browser, beating predictions with a month to spare.

Zack Whittaker

By for Between the Lines |

As predicted, while Chrome could have overtaken Firefox by 2012, Google managed it with a month to spare.

According to web analytics firm StatCounter, Chrome took 25.69 percent of the worldwide market, up from 4.66 percent in November 2009, compared to Firefox's share of 25.23 percent.

Microsoft's Internet Explorer remains the most used browser. But the battle of the titans begins once again: Microsoft versus Google in the browser marketshare space.

(Source: StatCounter)

The United States paints a slightly different picture, however.

Internet Explorer continues to retain a hefty share of the marketshare at just over 50 percent, slight up year on year. While Firefox retains second place with a share down from 27 percent to 20 percent, Chrome saw a dramatic rise from just shy of 11 percent to 17.3 percent.

Little change for Safari, as it holds onto its 10.7 percent share of the U.S. market.

The European markets show a reluctance to carry on using Firefox, with Chrome at the forefront of many Mozilla defectors. While Internet Explorer leads the market still with a near 43 percent of the UK market, Chrome holds second place at 24.8 percent, while Firefox drops down to 20.5 percent.

As per an antitrust settlement with the European Union, Microsoft began issuing a Windows Update fix to give users in the UK, Belgium and France a free choice of browser. European markets were hit hard with the 'browser ballot', where users of Windows were forced by European legislators to give users the choice of browser.

Internet Explorer 6, once the most popular web browser in the world, still retains a 1.3 user share in the U.S. With it being bundled as part of Windows XP, the world's most popular operating system to date, this marriage gave Microsoft the lead in the browser share space.

But October's marketshare statistics from rival firm NetMarketShare shows that Internet Explorer is barely above the 50 percent mark.

Sister site CNET reports that Net Applications shows Chrome is still within "striking distance" of overtaking Firefox, with March 2012 set as the mark should the rate continue.

Related:

Topics: Browser, Google, Microsoft

Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily email newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it.

Talkback

64 comments
Log in or register to join the discussion

  • RE: StatCounter: Chrome overtakes Firefox globally

    Firefox was betrayed by Google/Chrome...

    With IE9/IE10 ( safest and fastest), Windows users (not including XP users) do not need any third party brower. People who are aware of the Google's evil intentions, will hardly use Chrome. They already started shoving in ads in chrome.
    owlnet
    Reply Vote

    • RE: StatCounter: Chrome overtakes Firefox globally

      @owlnet Everything about your statement is absurd. True, IE9/10 are the safest and fastest versions of IE to date... but they're still significantly behind other browsers.

      And accusing Google of being a big scary company without stating that Microsoft does the exact same stuff is incredibly biased of you.

      People should use whatever web browser they're comfortable with. But people should also take the time to understand their web browsers, especially their limitations and vulnerabilities. Jumping on a bandwagon or being a giant clueless fanboy is a terrible way to approach software selection.
      Webstravaganza
      Reply Vote

    • RE: StatCounter: Chrome overtakes Firefox globally

      @owlnet

      Sorry, have not seen any ads using Chrome. Only ads seen are the ads listed on the web sites.
      daikon
      Reply Vote

    • So use Chromium

      @owlnet - look at the code and build it yourself if you don't believe that there's no ads, no background data tracking being provided to Google.

      You may say that's an unfair answer, because the average user won't do that ... but the average user isn't concerned about the issues you're raising either.

      Frankly, I use both, Chromium and Chrome - and I've never seen ads in Chrome, nor have i seen any illicit connections being established to Google servers (or ANY servers not referenced in the HTML returned from the site).

      "Evil intentions" ... that's droll, in the context of suggesting people trust MS instead.
      daboochmeister
      Reply Vote

    • RE: StatCounter: Chrome overtakes Firefox globally

      [i]With IE9/IE10 ( safest and fastest), Windows users (not including XP users) do not need any third party brower.[/i]

      Who are you to say what people need or don't need? The days of using Microsoft IE exclusively as a browser are gone. You cannot turn back the clock, fanbui.
      ScorpioBlue
      Reply Vote

    • RE: StatCounter: Chrome overtakes Firefox globally

      @owlnet

      Alll i have to say to that is, LMFAO!
      Scarface Claw
      Reply Vote

    • RE: StatCounter: Chrome overtakes Firefox globally

      @owlnet LMAO :D Your fanboism is really showing.
      MrElectrifyer
      Reply Vote

      • RE: StatCounter: Chrome overtakes Firefox globally

        @MrElectrifyer Everybody's fanboism is showing.
        CobraA1
        Reply Vote

    • RE: StatCounter: Chrome overtakes Firefox globally

      @owlnet <br>Yes, with IE9/IE10 or even IE6/IE7/IE8, IE is the first, the safest and the most used browser to *download another browser.*
      My web destinations for using IE:
      > www.mozilla.com
      > www.google.com/chrome
      After that, haven't seen IE and I don't miss it.
      LinuxUser&XPGamerGraphic
      Reply Vote

    • RE: StatCounter: Chrome overtakes Firefox globally

      @owlnet
      You are so right. What a tragedy for the world! There are hundreds of millions of people using Google spyware for a browser. Most don't even realise it. And most of the nerds that write these blogs pretend it is not a danger.

      Whether it is Chrome, Android, Gmail, or any other app or service, Google lures people in with "free" temptations, and then makes $billions from the knowledge they steal.
      jorjitop
      Reply Vote

  • Firefox is still the best choice

    And that honestly has little to do with quality. IE is one big, evil corporation's move to control your Internet experience, and Chrome is another, less big but even more evil, corporation's similar play.<br><br>FireFox is a not-for-profit charitable organization's move to foster a free, open, standards-based Internet for all. It is the only major browser that you can actually feel good about using. Thus, I'll stick with FireFox as long as they keep improving it.
    x I'm tc
    Reply Vote

    • RE: StatCounter: Chrome overtakes Firefox globally

      @jdakula I use chrome because I like it best. Starts faster, feels faster, sandboxed, simple and clean user interface. I don't use stuff because of a cause I choose the stuff that works best for me. Chrome just fits. I tried FF with my family and they didn't like it. They preferred IE but when I tried Chrome on them they had no problem, no complaints. Now if FF or IE ends up doing a better job later on, I'll switch.
      DevGuy_z
      Reply Vote

      • RE: StatCounter: Chrome overtakes Firefox globally

        @DevGuy_z
        That's your choice. I personally find that FF is a lot faster starting up, and when there are only a small number of tabs open it runs faster, too. As far as security is concerned, I've never gotten a virus or Trojan in the 20 years I've been using PCs, so that's not really a concern of mine. I am pretty sure antivirus software is actually some kind of scam.

        However, I try to consider the ethical implications of my actions. Sometimes, like when I use a credit card, I am aware that my decisions are hurting others, but the benefit to me is simply too great to give it up. With the browser, FireFox has always served me well and is "plenty good." So I will stick with it.
        x I'm tc
        Reply Vote

    • RE: StatCounter: Chrome overtakes Firefox globally

      @jdakula

      I'm still using firefox. The stability issues have almost made we switch over to Chrome, but I really prefer the Firefox interface. I wish it was as fast as Chrome but I'm glad that they are still able to compete with the big boys.
      Dodgson1832
      Reply Vote

      • RE: StatCounter: Chrome overtakes Firefox globally

        @Dodgson1832
        It is interesting that people cite stability issues with FireFox as a reason to use alternative browsers. I have had Chrome crash on me a few times in just the very little amount of time I have spent using it. I have had only one FireFox crash that I can remember since 4.0 was released.
        x I'm tc
        Reply Vote

    • RE: StatCounter: Chrome overtakes Firefox globally

      @jdakula Isn't Firefox a spin off of the Seamonkey project?

      Build identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.9.1.19) Gecko/20110420 SeaMonkey/2.0.14
      paulfx1
      Reply Vote

      • Not Exactly

        @paulfx1 - Firefox and the Thunderbird email client were spun off from the Mozilla Suite, because most users don't need or want all the apps that were bundled in the Suite. Later, when Mozilla decided to stop developing the Suite, an independent group The SeaMonkey Project was created to keep the (former) Mozilla Suite going.
        Greenknight_z
        Reply Vote

    • RE: StatCounter: Chrome overtakes Firefox globally

      @jdakula

      +1
      ScorpioBlue
      Reply Vote

    • RE: StatCounter: Chrome overtakes Firefox globally

      @jdakula
      I agree. Just about any browser is good enough for anyone these days, so I don't see why I would ditch a browser from an organization that focuses its efforts on the users and use one from a corporation that only wants to make profits.

      If people just don't care, then one day we may get back to the point where there's no alternative to a browser made by a big corporation that couldn't care less about free and open standards.
      luke_sg
      Reply Vote

      • RE: StatCounter: Chrome overtakes Firefox globally

        @luke_sg You make it sound as though making a profit is a bad thing. Keep in mind that *someone* has to make a little money in all this or the "free and open web" will cease to exist.
        neverhome
        Reply Vote
CNET Join | Log In | Privacy | Cookies Close