Microsoft Edge Already Owns Almost 14% of the Browser Market. Google Chrome Reigns But Loses Ground

It’s no secret that Google Chrome is the king of desktop browsers. The search engine company’s alternative began its rise shortly after Google launched it in 2008. A year later, it reached Apple’s Safari, and in 2011, it overtook Mozilla Firefox. Shortly after, it did the same to Microsoft’s now-defunct Internet Explorer.

Since then, we’ve witnessed Google Chrome become the most preferred option for users. However, the rankings have recently been shaken up. In the last few months, we’ve seen some more than interesting changes in statistics that, for a long time, seemed to be stagnant.

Microsoft’s Browser Gains Ground

Microsoft Edge, formerly “Project Spartan,” first appeared on Windows 10 in 2015. In 2020, the browser abandoned its proprietary engine and started a new path based on Chromium. This was one of the fundamental changes that helped it become more popular among users.

Microsoft’s bet seemed to pay off. By March 2021, Edge had 8.01% of the browser market share. But the picture continued to slowly improve. By May 2023, the browser had 9.94% of the market. Months later, we witnessed a milestone: It overtook Safari as the second most-used browser.

When Edge replaced the browser developed by Apple, it did so with an 11.9% market share. Months have passed, and the browser closed in July with 13.75%. Chrome still leads with an overwhelming 64.7% of the market, and Safari is third with 9.1%.

Although subtly, Chrome has been losing ground since April of this year. In that month, it held 65.6% of the market; in May, 64.8%; and in June, 64.6%. This data from Statista doesn’t suggest that Edge will overtake Chrome in the short term. Still, it’s interesting to see how these alternatives evolve.

Despite being known for its high RAM consumption, Chrome has consolidated its position due to its compatibility, features, and overall performance. On the other hand, Edge is a robust alternative integrated with Microsoft services, especially those related to AI, such as Copilot+.

This article was written by Javier Marquez and originally published in Spanish on Xataka.

Images | Microsoft | Google

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