Microsoft Edge Now Has More Users than Firefox!

[Corrine]

Although the percentage is small, there are now more users of Microsoft Edge than Firefox. From New Microsoft Edge grew 1,300% this year, overtaking Firefox:
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The new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge browser has grown by over 1,300% in the past 12 months, while the Firefox browser is slowly losing its market share.

In January 2020, Microsoft released the first stable version of the new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge browser and announced that they would slowly release it to Windows 10 users. Unless users created special Windows Registry values, the new Edge would replace Microsoft Edge Legacy when installed.

As the new Microsoft Edge uses the same engine as Google Chrome, the browser quickly grew in popularity as it provides excellent performance, features. and can use all of Chrome's existing extensions.

More info at the source.

 

[x BlueRobot]

I'm not surprised, Firefox's market share has been getting chipped away for a number of years now.

 

[A Guy]

I've not used FF for many years. I do have Pale Moon installed, but rarely use it. I am a Vivaldi user, but use Edge second after that

A Guy

 

[Corday]

I wonder if that's based on the choice of a default browser. I've seen many users leave what MS gives them as a default, but regularly use another browser.

 

[Digerati]

I wonder if that's based on the choice of a default browser.

No doubt, if another browser was the Windows 10 default browser, the new Edge would have a smaller share (or no share) of the market.

But I think it is significant to note too that if the new Edge did not perform well or meet users' expectations, the vast majority of users would quickly dump it - just as they (including me) did when the abysmal (is that being too nice?) old Edge came bundled with W10 when it was first released. It is not like changing defaults is hard. In fact, when you install just about any alternative browser, it prompts you to change defaults.

The reason the new Edge is taking over the market is because it is that good. Plain and simple. Even many Microsoft haters like Edge. Of course they still have things to complain about it - but then no browser is perfect, and no browser will ever suit everyone.

I personally think, from a strategic business move, teaming up with Google/Chromium (and ensuring Chrome extensions work in Edge) was one of the wisest decisions Microsoft has ever made. And it is not just Microsoft taking Chromium, forking off Edge and running with that. It is that Microsoft and Google have formed a partnership to thwart the bad guys on all fronts related to browser security. That's a win for everybody - except the bad guys.

 

[x BlueRobot]

Most - if not all - of the popular browsers are based on the Chromium engine. Most of the performance is likely from the V8 JS engine which Chromium uses, especially since everyone is practically writing JS-based SPAs (singe page applications) these days.

 

[Digerati]

Most - if not all - of the popular browsers are based on the Chromium engine.

Well, most are, for sure. But Pale Moon is a fork of FF. Then there's SeaMonkey and of course, FF itself. There are others but I personally would not consider them "popular".

 

[Corday]

Most - if not all - of the popular browsers are based on the Chromium engine. Most of the performance is likely from the V8 JS engine which Chromium uses, especially since everyone is practically writing JS-based SPAs (singe page applications) these days.

Vivaldi was developed using an open source platform (Chrome based) by the original Opera gang.

 

[x BlueRobot]

But Pale Moon is a fork of FF

Pale Moon was originally a fork of FF, however, since then it has become its own "entity" now; they even have separate browser engines to each other. Pale Moon has Goanna, whereas, FF is still using Gecko.

 

[Digerati]

Pale Moon was originally a fork of FF, however, since then it has become its own "entity" now; they even have separate browser engines to each other. Pale Moon has Goanna, whereas, FF is still using Gecko.

Right. My point was it is not based on Chromium.