Independent website analytics company StatCounter has just reported that Google Chrome has overtaken Microsoft’s Internet Explorer as the most popular browser online, for the first time over the span of an entire calendar month. Chrome first exceeded IE for one full day back in March, and the new numbers regarding its month on top came in on May 21st.
Source: StatCounter Global Stats – Browser Market Share
In May, StatCounter logged data from roughly 15 billion pageviews, which revealed that Chrome comprised 32.43% of the worldwide browser market, as compared to 32.12% for IE and 25.55% for Firefox. StatCounter CEO Aodhan Cullen states, “While attention has recently been focused on the battle between Chrome and IE, not-for-profit Mozilla’s Firefox with its loyal membership base should not be underestimated.” Mozilla’s presence likely helped cut into IE user ship, putting Chrome in the lead.
Cullen adds, “The browser wars are back with a vengeance – This time there are three major players competing for the top spot but, ultimately, the real winner will be the end user who can look forward to more choice and innovation as a result of this increased competition.”
Interestingly, in the US and the UK, Internet Explorer is still the top browser, though it should be noted that Chrome has in only four years taken the top spot globally.