About five years ago I wrote an article similar to this one but over time things change. More importantly than the changes is that you all write to me. I am often asked something similar to, “What is your favorite browser?” or “What is the most popular browser today?” So today I thought we would look at a few statistics about browsers.
I used other resources in the past but this time I have found “The Statistics Portal” (statista.com) which seems to provide a bit more information.
I will start off by saying that my preferred browser, at this point in time, is Google Chrome. It is clean, fast and does exactly what I expect the browser I to do. It has been written that it does “hog” the system’s resources. So if you notice other apps slowing down when you are online, using Chrome, you may want to consider another browser with which to surf. Read below for other choices.
Chrome has all the buttons and bells that any of the others have. Possibly more. Extensions for Chrome are numerous. I counted today and found out that I use 26 extensions. There were 27 but I saw one that was there that I never use, so easily deleted it. I have written about extensions before but I a quick definition is an extension is a plug-in (like a “mini” app) that extends the functionality of a web browser. For instance, I use one named, “Grammarly for Chrome”, which checks my grammar when I am writing online. It helps when I write this column on the website.
But back to global popularity as of August 2018. I have only included the top five spots. In parenthesis, I have included the rank and percentage for the U.S. alone. There are several others with smaller percentages. Keep in mind that these percentages include all the various operating systems for the browser combined. For instance, Chrome is available for Windows, iOS, Android, Chromebooks and others. Safari and Firefox are also available for most all platforms too. I also combined all versions of the same software. So if Microsoft has 7 versions of MSIE available and people are using them, they are all included in the count. (Market share held by leading internet browsers in the United States from January 2015 to April 2018.)
1) Chrome [chrome.com], 56.34% (#1, 48.55%)
2) Safari [Apple’s default browser, apple.com/safari], 13.73% (#2, 31.07%)
3) Firefox [mozilla.com], 3.38% (#4, 5.78%)
4) UC Browser (developed in China), 2.9% (not on US list)
5) Microsoft (Windows’ default browser, including Internet Explorer and Edge), 4.02% (#3, 9.62%)
Comparing around the globe to the United States alone does have some variance due to several factors. First, Chrome is still number one everywhere. However, in the US Apple’s Safari has a higher percentage. I believe the reason is that they are more popular here and people here can afford them more than in many other locations in the world. Also, note the UC Browser. It was created in China and is used almost exclusively there where there are more people.
Other than those differences the pattern seems apparent. Chrome wins decisively and Apple’s Safari is in second place.
