Hot Take Chrome increases its overwhelming market share, now over 70%

[Parkinsond]

The gap between Chrome and its closest competitor, Microsoft Edge, is immense, with Edge holding just 11.8% (+0.01 points over the previous month). Apple's Safari is third with 6.34% (+1.04 points); Firefox has 4.94% (-0.36 points); and Opera is fifth with a modest 2.06% market share (-0.13 points).

Spoiler

Things look similar on the mobile side of the market, with Google Chrome having 69.15% (+1.92 points) and Safari being second with 20.32% (-2.2 points). Samsung Internet is third with 3.33% (-0.17 points). As for Microsoft Edge, its mobile share is only 0.59% (+0.06 points).

Chrome increases its overwhelming market share, now over 70%

No matter how hard other browsers try, people stubbornly do not want to leave Chrome, and its market share is now above 70%.

www.neowin.net

 

[Marko :)]

And it will keep growing because Chrome doesn't have an alternative. As much as I like Firefox and prefer it on my PC, Mozilla sucks at leading the development of their core product. Their marketing strategy? Non-existent!

Back in 2000s and 2010s, everyone knew what Firefox was. Ask teens today what Firefox is and not a single one will know the answer. This is also the reason why Chrome has over 70% marketshare.

The only reason why Edge has 11,8% is Microsoft's aggressive and shady marketing tactics that force users to use Edge (except in the EU).

 

[Parkinsond]

The only reason why Edge has 11,8% is Microsoft's aggressive and shady marketing tactics that force users to use Edge (except in the EU).

I may consider Edge a better version of Chrome, but its repeatedly annoying notifications and the messy start page undermine its use experience.
I have installed Edge days ago (the first time I do so) and installed Vivaldi.

Someone on Reddit replied to post about being able to uninstall Edge without changing the region to EU "don't be a moron and install Chrome after uninstalling Edge"

 

[Marko :)]

I hate Edge from the bottom of my heart. Not because it's Chrome (heck, I even like Chrome more), but because it's literal spyware on hardware level, bloated with thing no one really needs, and because of Microsoft shady practices to fool and gain users.

I would never even consider using it.

 

[Divergent]

The dominance of Chrome isn't just about people choosing it in a free market of browsers, it's a direct result of the power of defaults and deep ecosystem integration. As an example, Android is perfect, Chrome is the default browser on billions of devices, so for many users, it's the path of least resistance.

Another tactic known as "self-preferencing," is where a company uses its dominant position in one market (search) to give its own products an advantage in another market (browsers). This isn't a new phenomenon, it's a modern version of the strategy that led to significant antitrust cases against Microsoft in the late 90s for bundling Internet Explorer with Windows.

The choice for users comes down to this, opt for a different browser and forgo the convenience of a unified ecosystem.

 

[Parkinsond]

it's a direct result of the power of defaults and deep ecosystem integration

Edge is the default browser of Windows (the dominant PC OS); however, it is far behind the expected marketshare.
People prefer Chrome over Edge for simplicity.

 

[stonjean633]

Android Mobile and Chromebooks are increasing and so is the Chrome market.

 

[Divergent]

Edge is the default browser of Windows (the dominant PC OS); however, it is far behind the expected marketshare.
People prefer Chrome over Edge for simplicity.

Ecosystem lock-in is the real reason for Chrome's dominance. If the choice were purely based on features, Edge would be a much stronger competitor. The fact that it isn't, despite its technical merits and default status on Windows, shows the immense power of Google's cross-platform mobile and web service ecosystem.

 

[Parkinsond]

Ecosystem lock-in is the real reason for Chrome's dominance

MS will regret later for allowing Edge uninstall

 

[cartaphilus]

So a question by a jaded old man.

How how come this is not being called a Monopoly? Do you all remember late 90s and how microsoft was sued for including Internet Explorer as part of the Operating System and it's been called monopoly for doing so? Ok color me stupid but how is Google and Safari not considered a monopoly? Especially Safar?

 

[Parkinsond]

So a question by a jaded old man.

How how come this is not being called a Monopoly? Do you all remember late 90s and how microsoft was sued for including Internet Explorer as part of the Operating System and it's been called monopoly for doing so? Ok color me stupid but how is Google and Safari not considered a monopoly? Especially Safar?

For Safari? yes; it is the sole browser for Mac OS as far as I know.
But regarding Windows? There are several alternatives to Chrome, which does not come preinstalled.

 

[Divergent]

So a question by a jaded old man.

How how come this is not being called a Monopoly? Do you all remember late 90s and how microsoft was sued for including Internet Explorer as part of the Operating System and it's been called monopoly for doing so? Ok color me stupid but how is Google and Safari not considered a monopoly? Especially Safar?

In a landmark antitrust lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, a federal court ruled in August 2024 that Google illegally maintained its monopoly in the general search and search advertising markets.

The core of the case focused on Google's practice of paying billions of dollars annually to companies like Apple, Android device manufacturers, and browser developers to ensure Google was the exclusive, default search engine on their platforms.

The DOJ successfully argued, and the court agreed, that these exclusionary agreements unfairly stifled competition by preventing rival search engines from gaining the necessary scale and data to effectively compete.

As of September 2025, the case has progressed to the remedies phase, where the court is now determining the specific penalties and structural changes that will be imposed on Google to curb its anti-competitive behavior, with a final decision expected in late 2025 or early 2026.

 

[KnownStormChaser]

Still holding firm with Firefox over here. I tried switching to Brave or Vivaldi, but I could not make it permanent. Firefox just works better for me, plus they still have proper ad blockers, unlike Chrome and their MV3 crap.

 

[Parkinsond]

Firefox just works better for me, plus they still have proper ad blockers, unlike Chrome and their MV3 crap

I use Vivaldi with no single extension, just its built-in adblocker/

 

[piquiteco]

I hate Edge from the bottom of my heart. Not because it's Chrome (heck, I even like Chrome more), but because it's literal spyware on hardware level, bloated with thing no one really needs, and because of Microsoft shady practices to fool and gain users.

+1 I also don't like EDGE very much precisely because it's bloated, full of useless stuff. It should be as minimalist as possible, focusing only on EDGE's performance and browser privacy. Perhaps by doing so, it could compete directly with Chrome. I was using EDGE frequently about 15 days ago, but since I switched my search engine to DuckDuckGo, I kept getting pop-ups telling me to switch to Bing and keep EDGE as my default browser, claiming that it's more secure. Seriously, now I wonder: what is Microsoft trying to do, force EDGE down users' throats? This is monopoly, I know it's true, everyone knows it, it's not going to happen, and why not? Because Chrome's monopoly is already solidified and it is already a predominant browser. If Microsoft continues with these tactics with EDGE, it will never be able to compete with Chrome, let alone gain a significant share of the browser market.

 

[Parkinsond]

I also don't like EDGE very much precisely because it's bloated, full of useless stuff

This is relative, and according to individual needs.
For example, Vivaldi has e-mail client, calendar, and feeds reader which may be considered bloatware by users not requiring such features; personally I consider all, except calendar, bloatware.

I switched my search engine to DuckDuckGo

Give Ecosia a try; it is a refined Google search.

I kept getting pop-ups telling me to switch to Bing and keep EDGE as my default browser, claiming that it's more secure

That what really sucks about Edge; reminding me of the unexpected messages popping up from every corner of Yandex browser, which is even worse compared to Edge in this regard, inspite of being a very powerful browser.

 

[Miravi]

I feel like I'm in a difficult position choosing my ideal browser these days. All the primary options have become bloated to a degree. Even Firefox is now bundling a CPU-intensive local LLM. Also, web developers generally favor Chromium. Chrome's experience still feels pretty simple and clean, and yet I've held on to the hope of enjoying an alternative. Edge is fast and can feel well-integrated, but its defects are obvious.

 

[Sorrento]

I dislike Edge to the degree its just about uninstalled apart from a few bits, there were many promises when Edge was released as a download as to how many modules had been removed as regards to Chrome, they actually made a chart about it - Now I feel its a monstrosity & bloated & a pain to use. for some time years ago the Chrome browser was an additional install on so many programs & now most people think its the only one there is. My main browser still is FF or Wolf with Brave as my secondary I have no issues with either.

 

[Divergent]

The best browser is the one that fits your workflow and privacy standards. Don't feel pressured by marketing pop-ups. Configure your chosen tool, add essential security layers like uBlock Origin and a good DNS resolver, and have a pleasant browsing experience.

 

[Marko :)]

MS will regret later for allowing Edge uninstall

If EU didn't demand this, that would never happen and we'd all still be stuck with Edge as default without ability to change.