Google's Chrome browser is now used for just over 20 per cent of global Web surfing, according to Internet analytics company StatCounter. Microsoft's Internet Explorer, meanwhile, is in decline.
In June 2009, Chrome was used for just 2.8 per cent of the world's Web surfing, so the latest figures indicate an impressive rise in usage. Over the same period, IE saw a decline in global surfing share from 59 per cent to 49 per cent.
In the UK, Chrome is now almost neck and neck with Firefox, with the two browsers being used for 21.1 and 21.7 per cent of all British browsing respectively.
StatCounter counts page impressions, judging a browser's popularity based on how much actual Web surfing is done with it. NetMarketShare, on the other hand, counts how many people are using each browser.
NetMarketShare reckons Chrome is the browser of choice for 13.1 per cent of total Web users, and also suggests IE's popularity is on the wane, with 53.7 per cent of surfers using it in June this year, compared to 60.5 per cent in August 2010.
Taken together, the figures mean a minority of surfers use Chrome but that minority is doing a whole lot of browsing. In short, the figures suggest that Chrome is the favoured software among power users or, as we prefer to call them, massive dorks.
Internet Explorer is still the most popular browser by some distance, although this is largely because it comes pre-installed on new PCs, and most people will never bother to download a different one.
What's your favourite browser? Do you like to pretend that, when you fire it up, you're climbing inside it like a Megazord and doing battle with other browsers? No? Just us? Alright then. Prepare to defend your favourites in the comments section below, or on our Facebook wall.
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Comments 13
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HeDe Tech 4 July, 2011 17:52
I love both Firefox and Chrome and I use both of them , some times the Internet Explore . Some ppl just use one of them but I get bored of it so I change them copl times in a month . I like Opera to but its quick in begin and then it gets slow , I don't know if its just happens to me or everyone got same problem .
Anonymous 4 July, 2011 17:54
Yeah? Well why don't you tell someone who cares, pal?
Sandy Carson 4 July, 2011 20:12
Chrome, simply because I use Google Products a lot. HeDe Tech, It is to do with memory consumption or network traffic (try the cool turbo feature)!
jagman9310 4 July, 2011 21:21
Firefox is king and always will be. Internet Explorer is rubbish and always will be. Chrome is OK, but might get better.
HeDe Tech 4 July, 2011 22:21
Sandy Carson : I know what u mean but I see it just like a computer when u use it for long time it gets slow and u format it then its all fast and now :D .
anonymous 5 July, 2011 00:14
It's weird that how as soon as I read this, I found a cookie from StatCounter on my PC xD
Dean Shepherd 5 July, 2011 00:28
Hell I only keep I.E on the machine now to download Chrome....AND if thee VERY VERY rare occasion of something not loading pops up...otherwise...Internet....explorer? hmmmm never heard of it..lol
Anonymous 5 July, 2011 08:02
Chrome will catch up firefox from the current situation.
Chorme is faster than firefox but firefox has more add-ons and more compatible than chrome.
But I still like IE and IE based browser like Avant browser, maxthon more than these two browsers.
The CPU and memory usage is not a problem for me. so I care more about the speed and compatibility.
EvilJoe39 5 July, 2011 09:25
IE 9 all the way for me. Never really got on with firefox but appreciate the spell checkers in all other browsers
Grier78 5 July, 2011 10:23
At home I use chrome, but am stuck with IE 7 at work
anonymous 5 July, 2011 13:22
I'm a massive dork cos I use Chrome at home and in work, I use it because the interface is clean, its fast, I love the syncing with my Google account oh and I have a Nexus S so it all Google for me. I've tried using Opera and Firefox but I'm not keen on the UI as I find them too busy now. I like Internet Explorer 9 a lot but I always go back to Chrome for the whole Google Eco system.
Anonymous 6 July, 2011 06:47
Some of there x percentage on IE's 49% comes from Internet Explorer Active X Control which is used by some legacy software, eg. company software, research tool. this software use the active x control rather than browser to monitor some of the network activity(Company related research and activity)..
But in terms of daily use, there are some that don't know chrome, firefox, opera or other browser and don't care much about all non-IE browsers.
Anonymous 6 July, 2011 09:19
IE9 is great, chrome does some quirky things in places with javascript which can make it a pain for developers. Firefox is good for debuging sites with all its plugins, but for plain browsing IE is the way forward, stable, im not worried about memory either(not that i have ever had a problem with it in the past). but saves me having to clog my home machine up with all the other unwanted browsers. Safari and Opera are not even worth mentioning unless you are stuck with an iphone.