For the First Time, Chrome overtakes Internet Explorer Globally

Internet Explorer is still the world’s top browser, but for a day over the weekend, it feels to second place.

According to Stat Counter, which analyzes browser market share worldwide, Chrome was the most-used browser globally on March 18, just edging out Internet Explorer for top billing. The browser was put over the top by strong usage in India, Russia, and Brazil, Stat Counter said.

But unfortunately for Chrome, it was a short-lived victory: by March 19, Internet Explorer was back on top.

“While it is only one day, this is a milestone,” StatCounter CEO Aodhan Cullen said in a statement yesterday. “Whether Chrome can take the lead in the browser wars in the long term remains to be seen, however the trend towards Chrome usage at weekends is undeniable. At weekends, when people are free to choose what browser to use, many of them are selecting Chrome in preference to Internet Explorer.”

StatCounter’s findings on weekend usage compared to weekday usage are rather interesting. As it indicates that people might be using Internet Explorer on their work machines, but when home on weekends and on their own computers, they’re running Google’s browser, as CNET stated.

According to StatCounter, back in January, Chrome’s global daily market share stood at around 28 %, compared to roughly 38 % for Internet Explorer. Since then, Chrome’s market share has been steadily increasing to around 32 %, while Internet Explorer’s has declined.

StatCounter’s data is based on its analysis of three million Web sites. All told, the company analyzes 15 billion page views each month, including 4 billion in the U.S.