Quick verdict
- Best for everyday use: Chrome (ecosystem) or Edge (Windows-integrated); both Chromium-based.
- Best for privacy: Brave — blocks ads/trackers by default, Tor integration available, open-source.[5]
- Best open-source: Firefox (MPL-2.0) or Tor Browser — both use Gecko, fully auditable.
- Mobile iOS/macOS: Safari leads on battery efficiency and ITP tracking protection.[3]
Full comparison table
Market share figures: StatCounter GlobalStats, April 2026.[*] Desktop and mobile shares are tracked separately; figures may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
| Browser | Engine | Desktop Share | Mobile Share | Privacy defaults | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Chrome | Blink / V8 | 65.3%[1] | 65.8%[1] | Telemetry on by default; no built-in ad/tracker blocking; Privacy Sandbox replacing FLoC | Proprietary (Chromium: BSD/Apache open-source) |
| Mozilla Firefox | Gecko / SpiderMonkey | 6.7%[2] | 3.2%[2] | Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP) on by default; optional Total Cookie Protection; no telemetry for private browsing | MPL-2.0 (open-source) |
| Apple Safari | WebKit / JavaScriptCore | 9.0%[3] | 24.1%[3] | Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) blocks cross-site tracking by default; no extension-based ad blocking built-in | Proprietary (WebKit: LGPL/BSD open-source) |
| Microsoft Edge | Blink / V8 | 11.0%[4] | 1.2%[4] | Tracking prevention (Basic/Balanced/Strict); telemetry on by default; built-in Bing AI Copilot | Proprietary (Chromium core: BSD/Apache) |
| Brave | Blink / V8 | 1.2%[5] | 0.8%[5] | Aggressive ad/tracker blocking by default (Shields); fingerprinting protection; Tor integration in Private Window | MPL-2.0 (open-source) |
| Opera | Blink / V8 | 2.8%[6] | 1.9%[6] | Built-in ad blocker (off by default on desktop); free VPN proxy included; tracker blocking available | Proprietary |
| Vivaldi | Blink / V8 | 0.3%[7] | 0.1%[7] | Built-in ad/tracker blocking; no telemetry sent; sync encrypted end-to-end | Proprietary (Chromium core: BSD/Apache) |
| DuckDuckGo Browser | WebKit (iOS/macOS) / Blink (Android) | < 0.1%[8] | 0.2%[8] | Aggressive tracker blocking and email protection built-in; Fire button erases all session data; no search history retained | Proprietary |
| Samsung Internet | Blink / V8 | < 0.1%[9] | 2.5%[9] | Built-in tracker blocker (Smart Anti-Tracking); content blockers via extensions; Samsung Knox security integration on Galaxy devices | Proprietary |
| Tor Browser | Gecko / SpiderMonkey | < 0.1%[10] | < 0.1%[10] | Traffic routed through Tor network (3 relays); no telemetry; JavaScript restricted by default; most aggressive fingerprinting protection of any mainstream browser | MPL-2.0 + GPL (open-source) |
How we evaluate browsers
Our full methodology covers all nine measured attributes, source tiers, recency policy, COI disclosure, and the correction process.
Read the methodologySources
- Google Chrome (Google LLC). Chrome releases blog (opens in new tab); Google Chrome privacy whitepaper (opens in new tab); StatCounter browser market share Apr 2026 (opens in new tab) Accessed May 2026.
- Mozilla Firefox (Mozilla Foundation). Firefox release notes (opens in new tab); Firefox privacy notice (opens in new tab); StatCounter browser market share Apr 2026 (opens in new tab) Accessed May 2026.
- Apple Safari (Apple Inc.). Safari release notes (opens in new tab); Apple Safari privacy features (opens in new tab); StatCounter browser market share Apr 2026 (opens in new tab) Accessed May 2026.
- Microsoft Edge (Microsoft Corp.). Edge stable release notes (opens in new tab); Microsoft Edge privacy policy (opens in new tab); StatCounter browser market share Apr 2026 (opens in new tab) Accessed May 2026.
- Brave (Brave Software Inc.). Brave GitHub releases (opens in new tab); Brave privacy features (opens in new tab); StatCounter browser market share Apr 2026 (opens in new tab) Accessed May 2026.
- Opera (Opera Software AS). Opera changelog (opens in new tab); StatCounter browser market share Apr 2026 (opens in new tab) Accessed May 2026.
- Vivaldi (Vivaldi Technologies). Vivaldi blog changelog (opens in new tab); Vivaldi privacy policy (opens in new tab) Accessed May 2026.
- DuckDuckGo Browser (DuckDuckGo Inc.). DuckDuckGo app page (opens in new tab); DuckDuckGo privacy blog (opens in new tab) Accessed May 2026.
- Samsung Internet (Samsung Electronics). Samsung Internet GitHub (opens in new tab); StatCounter browser market share Apr 2026 (opens in new tab) Accessed May 2026.
- Tor Browser (Tor Project (non-profit)). Tor Browser download (opens in new tab); Tor project blog releases (opens in new tab) Accessed May 2026.
- * StatCounter Global Stats. “Browser Market Share Worldwide — April 2026.” StatCounter, May 2026. gs.statcounter.com/browser-market-share/ (opens in new tab). Accessed May 2026.