Apple’s Safari is now the second most popular browser on the market, with more than 1 billion users, although it still comes in a distant second to Google Chrome.
Safari is the default browser on all Macs, iPhones, and iPads. Its default status, especially on Apple’s mobile devices, have helped drive it to second place, passing both Firefox and Microsoft Edge, according to Atlas VPN.
Despite Safari’s gains, Google’s Chrome is still the undisputed 800-lb gorilla in the browser market. Chrome currently has more than 3.3 billion users.
Interestingly, compared to last year, Microsoft Edge has come in third place, surpassing Firefox with 212 million users. In contrast, Firefox has slipped below the 200 million threshold, coming in at 179 million.
Many users are growing increasingly concerned with the reach of Google’s Chrome. Not only does Chrome itself dominate the market, but many other browsers are also based on Chrome. Microsoft Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, Opera, and others all use the same rendering engine as Chrome. Some users fear this gives Google a dangerous amount of influence over the development of the internet and see Firefox as the last best hope for a free internet.