Microsoft’s Bing overtook Yahoo! as the number two search engine in the United States and worldwide on Thursday (4th June) according to our StatCounter Global Stats data. Bing grabbed market share from Google.

“It remains to be seen if Bing falls away after the initial novelty and promotion but at first sight it looks like Microsoft is on to a winner,” commented Aodhan Cullen, CEO, StatCounter. “Steve Ballmer is quoted as saying that he wanted Microsoft to become the second biggest search engine within five years. Following the breakdown in talks to acquire Yahoo! at a cost of $40bn it looks as if he may have just achieved that with Bing much sooner and a lot cheaper than anticipated.”

Our analysis finds that in the US Bing leapfrogged Yahoo to take second place on 16.28%. Yahoo! has 10.22%. Google still commands the US search engine market with 71.47%.

Globally Bing at 5.62% has taken a narrow lead over Yahoo! (5.13%). Google worldwide retains 87.62% of the market.

StatCounter Global Stats, a free online service which captures market share battles of search engines, browsers and operating systems including mobile, was launched in March this year.

The StatCounter Global Stats research data is based on four billion pageloads per month. Other regional and country breakdowns can be viewed at: http://gs.statcounter.com

Full press release available here.

UPDATE 11 June 2009:
While Bing has fallen back to third place behind Google and Yahoo! it is winning market share for Microsoft against its two main rivals in the US and worldwide according to our latest analysis.

We analyzed search engine market share two weeks before and after the formal launch of Bing on May 28th (14th May to the 27th May and the 28th May to 10th June). For the US market it found:
Google decreased from 78.68% to 77.94% (-0.74%)
Yahoo decreased from 11.46% to 10.76% (-0.7%)
Microsoft (Bing, MSN Search and Live Search) increased from 7.4% to 9% (+1.6%)
(See here and here)

“It is too early to say what the long term result will be but this is a creditable performance by Bing,” commented Aodhan Cullen, CEO StatCounter. “It remains to be seen what happens to Bing after user curiosity and the reported $100m advertising budget runs out.”

Worldwide, comparing the two weeks before and after the Bing launch, StatCounter reports a similar trend with Microsoft taking market share.
Google decreased from 89.81% to 89.69% (-0.12%)
Yahoo decreased from 5.34% to 5.1% (-0.24%)
Microsoft (Bing, MSN Search and Live Search) increased from 3.08% to 3.5% (+0.42%)
(See here and here)

Full press release available here.

Mozilla Firefox 3 overtook Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 6 for the first time in February in the Internet Browser Wars according to monthly data from StatCounter Global Stats – our new free analysis tool.

Internet Explorer 7 continues to lead globally with 41% market share. However, Firefox 3 is now in second place with 24% replacing IE 6.

Click here to view full size graph.

“Since its launch less than a year ago, Firefox 3 has attained nearly one quarter of the global market,” commented Aodhan Cullen, CEO and founder, StatCounter. “IE 7 is consistently holding about 40% of the global market but IE 6 has fallen from 28% in July last to 22% in February this year.”**

The growth in usage of Firefox 3 can be partly attributed to users upgrading to the new version – Firefox 2 market share has fallen from 16% to 3% in the period.

Microsoft’s combined IE 7 and IE 6 market share has fallen from 68% in July last year to 63% now. IE 8 has gained a toehold in the market of just over 1%. Firefox 3 and 2 has grown from 25% in July last to 27% in February 2009.

** Source: Figures based on monthly StatCounter Global Stats analysis.

StatCounter is delighted to announce the launch of our new free Global Stats tool. The tool records market share of Search Engines, Browsers and Operating Systems including mobile.

You can use StatCounter Global Stats to monitor issues such as:

• how Google’s new browser Chrome is doing against Microsoft Internet Explorer
• how the iPhone is succeeding against traditional market leader Nokia in the mobile browser market – see iPhone Takes Global Lead in Mobile Browser Wars press release

Click here to access StatCounter Global Stats!

The analysis is currently based on four billion pageloads per month and is updated approximately five times per day.

Users can:

• Create and customize charts
• Download graphs
• Access the raw data
• Sign up for alerts

“This is probably the most comprehensive global web analysis you can get and certainly for free,” commented former Gartner senior executive, Oisin Byrne who now heads independent tech research company, iReach. “StatCounter is shaking up the web research market by being able to provide such comprehensive statistics at no cost to users.”

There is no charge for use of the data or charts but users must reference StatCounter as the source.

Press Queries to:
Kerri Crowley/Ronnie Simpson (Simpson Financial & Technology PR)

Hi folks,

As many of you requested, here are updated browser usage stats. We’ve broken the stats down into Global, US and UK figures. These stats are based on a total sample for the period of over 450 million page views globally. All daily stats are based on the relevant GMT 24 hour periods.

Global Stats – Browser Usage
	IE	Firefox	Safari	Chrome	Other
Sep 01	66.92%	25.26%	2.99%	n/a	4.84%
change	-	-	-	-	-
Sep 02*	67.58%	24.36%	2.91%	n/a	5.06%
change	0.66%	(0.90%)	(0.08%)	n/a	0.22%
Sep 03	67.81%	23.54%	2.70%	1.11%	4.87%
change	0.23%	(0.82%)	(0.21%)	1.11%	(0.19%)
Sep 04	68.59%	23.20%	2.56%	1.16%	4.51%
change	0.78%	(0.34%)	(0.14%)	0.05%	(0.36%)
Sep 05	68.44%	23.22%	2.56%	1.12%	4.66%
change	(0.15%)	0.02%	0.00%	(0.04%)	0.15%
Sep 06	65.46%	25.43%	2.81%	1.16%	5.14%
change	(2.98%)	2.21%	0.25%	0.04%	0.48%
Sep 07	63.15%	26.69%	3.02%	1.18%	5.96%
change	(2.31%)	1.26%	0.21%	0.02%	0.82%
Sep 08	65.89%	24.46%	2.69%	1.10%	5.86%
change	2.74%	(2.23%)	(0.33%)	(0.08%)	(0.10%)
Sep 09	66.27%	24.17%	2.66%	1.07%	5.83%
change	0.38%	(0.29%)	(0.03%)	(0.03%)	(0.03%)
Sep 10	66.28%	24.31%	2.62%	1.05%	5.75%
change	0.01%	0.14%	(0.04%)	(0.02%)	(0.08%)
Sep 11	66.67%	23.95%	2.59%	1.02%	5.77%
change	0.39%	(0.36%)	(0.03%)	(0.03%)	0.02%
Total Change	(0.25%)	(1.31%)	(0.40%)	1.02%	0.93%

*The Chrome browser was launched late in the day GMT time on Sept 2nd so the first full day of tracking for Chrome is Sept 3rd.

Other – this includes numerous browsers including Konqueror, Opera, Playstation, Blackberry, Iphone, Seamonkey etc.

US Stats – Browser Usage
	IE	Firefox	Safari	Chrome	Other
Sep 01	61.88%	28.02%	5.77%	N/A	4.32%
change	-	-	-	-	-
Sep 02*	64.92%	25.81%	5.31%	N/A	3.86%
change	3.04%	(2.21%)	(0.46%)	n/a	(0.46%)
Sep 03	64.84%	24.94%	5.31%	0.98%	3.90%
change	(0.08%)	(0.87%)	0.00%	0.98%	0.04%
Sep 04	66.48%	23.92%	4.88%	1.13%	3.57%
change	1.64%	(1.02%)	(0.43%)	0.15%	(0.33%)
Sep 05	65.85%	24.44%	5.07%	1.08%	3.55%
change	(0.63%)	0.52%	0.19%	(0.05%)	(0.02%)
Sep 06	62.74%	26.51%	5.66%	1.05%	4.05%
change	(3.11%)	2.07%	0.59%	(0.03%)	0.50%
Sep 07	60.64%	28.00%	6.26%	1.07%	4.04%
change	(2.10%)	1.49%	0.60%	0.02%	(0.01%)
Sep 08	63.17%	26.42%	5.57%	1.02%	3.84%
change	2.53%	(1.58%)	(0.69%)	(0.05%)	(0.20%)
Sep 09	64.46%	25.49%	5.33%	0.99%	3.73%
change	1.29%	(0.93%)	(0.24%)	(0.03%)	(0.11%)
Sep 10	63.94%	25.99%	5.29%	1.03%	3.74%
change	(0.52%)	0.50%	(0.04%)	0.04%	0.01%
Sep 11	66.32%	24.07%	4.99%	0.96%	3.65%
change	2.38%	(1.92%)	(0.30%)	(0.07%)	(0.09%)
Total Change	4.44%	(3.95%)	(0.78%)	0.96%	(0.67%)

*The Chrome browser was launched late in the day GMT time on Sept 2nd so the first full day of tracking for Chrome is Sept 3rd.

Other – this includes numerous browsers including Konqueror, Opera, Playstation, Blackberry, Iphone, Seamonkey etc.

UK Stats – Browser Usage
	IE	Firefox	Safari	Chrome	Other
Sep 01	68.33%	22.77%	4.09%	N/A	4.80%
change	-	-	-	-	-
Sep 02*	67.95%	23.13%	3.96%	N/A	4.79%
change	(0.38%)	0.36%	(0.13%)	n/a	(0.01%)
Sep 03	70.02%	21.34%	3.26%	1.12%	4.26%
change	2.07%	(1.79%)	(0.70%)	1.12%	(0.53%)
Sep 04	69.22%	21.91%	3.31%	1.27%	4.28%
change	(0.80%)	0.57%	0.05%	0.15%	0.02%
Sep 05	69.33%	21.81%	3.18%	1.10%	4.59%
change	0.11%	(0.10%)	(0.13%)	(0.17%)	0.31%
Sep 06	67.73%	22.91%	3.41%	1.15%	4.79%
change	(1.60%)	1.10%	0.23%	0.05%	0.20%
Sep 07	67.83%	23.11%	3.31%	1.16%	4.59%
change	0.10%	0.20%	(0.10%)	0.01%	(0.20%)
Sep 08	69.04%	22.20%	3.32%	0.99%	4.44%
change	1.21%	(0.91%)	0.01%	(0.17%)	(0.15%)
Sep 09	69.34%	21.83%	3.23%	0.89%	4.71%
change	0.30%	(0.37%)	(0.09%)	(0.10%)	0.27%
Sep 10	69.14%	21.92%	3.19%	1.02%	4.73%
change	(0.20%)	0.09%	(0.04%)	0.13%	0.02%
Sep 11	68.71%	22.41%	3.16%	1.01%	4.73%
change	(0.43%)	0.49%	(0.03%)	(0.01%)	0.00%
Total Change	0.38%	(0.36%)	(0.93%)	1.01%	(0.07%)

*The Chrome browser was launched late in the day GMT time on Sept 2nd so the first full day of tracking for Chrome is Sept 3rd.

Other – this includes numerous browsers including Konqueror, Opera, Playstation, Blackberry, Iphone, Seamonkey etc.

Hi folks,

Here are the Global Browser Market Share stats for the last few days.

Looking at these numbers we can begin to identify which browsers are losing market share to Chrome.

	IE	FireFox	Safari	Chrome	Other
Aug 28	68.17%	24.66%	2.83%	N/A	4.33%
Aug 29	67.81%	24.78%	2.84%	N/A	4.57%
Aug 30	65.41%	26.38%	3.04%	N/A	5.17%
Aug 31	64.49%	26.91%	3.06%	N/A	5.56%
Sep 01	66.92%	25.26%	2.99%	N/A	4.84%
Sep 02*	67.58%	24.36%	2.91%	N/A	5.06%
Sep 03	67.81%	23.54%	2.70%	1.11%	4.87%
Sep 04	70.87%	21.26%	2.48%	1.15%	4.25%

The below table outlines the changes in market share over the period:

	IE	FireFox	Safari	Chrome	Other
Aug 28	-	-	-	-	-
Aug 29	(0.36%)	+0.12%	+0.01%	N/A	+0.24%
Aug 30	(2.40%)	+1.60%	+0.20%	N/A	+0.60%
Aug 31	(0.92%)	+0.53%	+0.02%	N/A	+0.39%
Sep 01	+2.43%	(1.65%)	(0.07%)	N/A	(0.72%)
Sep 02*	+0.66%	(0.90%)	(0.08%)	N/A	+0.22%
Sep 03	+0.23%	(0.82%)	(0.21%)	+1.11%	(0.19%)
Sep 04	+3.06%	(2.28%)	(0.22%)	+0.04%	(0.62%)

*The Chrome browser was launched late in the day GMT time on Sept 2nd so the first full day of tracking for Chrome is Sept 3rd.

This information is based on a total sample for the period of over 250 million page views globally. All daily stats are based on 24 hour periods, bar the stats for today, September 4th, which are based on a 12 hour sample to 12noon GMT.

Update September 5, 2008, 4.30pm GMT
Further to several requests from journalists, the latest stats for Global Browser Market Share (up to 3pm GMT today) are available for download here:
Excel Version (.xls)
PDF Version (.pdf)

According to research conducted by us here at StatCounter, Google’s new browser, Chrome, has taken 1% of the global browser market within a day of launch.

Google’s unusual step of publicising the Chrome browser on its notoriously clutter-free homepage is an indication of the plans that Google has for this browser…

“This is a phenomenal performance,” commented Aodhan Cullen, “this is war on Microsoft but the big loser could be Firefox.”

While Google may have the Internet Explorer market share in its sights, the fact that many Firefox users are more “mobile” as far as browser use is concerned, may impact on the current Firefox market share.

Note: The StatCounter analysis was conducted today, Wednesday, 03 September 2008, and was based on a sample of 18.5 million page views globally. The analysis identified that Internet Explorer holds 70% of the global browser market followed by Firefox with 22%.

Hi folks,

Following on from your suggestions, we have been keeping an eye on the usage stats for the new search engine Cuil. Unfortunately, we have been watching a quick decline rather than a steep ascent to success!

Despite an impressive start, stats for Cuil have been falling steadily. It’s unfortunate that the engine couldn’t capitalise on the initial interest it generated following widespread media coverage, and it remains to be seen if and how Cuil plans to tempt many disgruntled users back to the site as the index improves. It looks like the folks at Cuil have some tough work ahead of them.

In the meantime, please find below the latest stats for Cuil – these figures show the % of searches performed using Cuil relative to the total number of searches performed.

	Globally	US	UK
Jul 29	0.10% (1 in 1,000)	0.11% (1 in 1,000)	0.19% (1 in 500)
Jul 30	0.11%	0.12%	0.19%
Jul 31	0.08%	0.09%	0.10%
Aug 01	0.06%	0.07%	0.10%
Aug 02	0.05%	0.07%	0.09%
Aug 03	0.04%	0.04%	0.08%
Aug 04	0.03%	0.04%	0.06%
Aug 05	0.03% (3 in 10,000)	0.04% (1 in 2,500)	0.05% (1 in 2,000)
Aug 06	0.03%	0.03%	0.05%
Aug 07	0.02%	0.03%	0.01%
Aug 08	0.02%	0.02%	0.01%
Aug 09	0.02%	0.03%	0.01%
Aug 10	0.01%	0.02%	0.01%

Note: This information is based on a total sample for the period of over 365 million page views globally.

According to research conducted this week by us here at StatCounter, the new search engine Cuil is one to watch.

Cuil, launched on Monday July 28th, could be a significant rival to Google. After just one day, Cuil accounted for 1 in every 1000 searches done on Tuesday.

Aodhan Cullen, CEO and founder of StatCounter said, “This is phenomenal when you consider that Altavista, a search engine founded in 1995, accounted for just 6 in 10,000 searches.”

Cullen continued, “We monitor over 100 search engines and Cuil was in the top ten in US, UK and Ireland. When you consider that over 90 other search engines (e.g. go, excite, alltheweb.com, lycos) combined accounted for just 1.54% of searches on Tuesday – Cuil with its 0.1% share on the market inside 24 hours is doing extremely well.”

On Tuesday Cuil accounted for:

• 1 in 1,000 searches globally and in the US
• 1 in 500 searches in the UK
• 1 in every 400 searches in Ireland

Note: This information is based on a sample of over 25 million page views globally.

Press queries to StatCounter PR Agency:
Mary O’Brien/Jacinta Ryan – Simpson FTPR

UPDATE – 3 August 2008
Thanks for all the comments and interest so far folks!

It does appear that Cuil is having some “teething troubles”, but hopefully they will manage to work these out soon. It’s a brand new search engine – let’s give it a chance!

Some of you have mentioned how the high traffic that Cuil has received is as a result of an impressive PR and marketing campaign. We agree! Regardless of the reason, however, we believe that interest in Cuil has been unexpectedly high. Of course, we have to wait and see how the engine performs in the future, but the stats so far have been interesting anyway. Without initial stats, how could we compare how Cuil fares in the weeks and months ahead?

In our opinion, and for a variety of reasons, Cuil remains “one to watch” – whether we will be watching a meteoric rise or a slow descent remains to be seen… Further to some of your suggestions, though, we would be delighted to update you with more stats on how Cuil is doing in the coming weeks – we’ll keep you posted!

According to analysis conducted by us here at StatCounter, the Mozilla Firefox Guinness Book of Records attempt has been a major success in encouraging users to download Firefox 3.

Usage of Firefox 3 more than doubled between June 16th and 18th from 7.8% to 18.9%. Trend graphs are available here.

“The Firefox folks have certainly earned themselves a pint of Guinness,” commented Aodhan Cullen, CEO, StatCounter. “This is a major success in encouraging users to upgrade in a short period.”

We also found that the Guinness promotion seems to be having a generally positive effect on Firefox market share. The overall Firefox share of the browser market increased from 34.9% to 36% over the two day period while Internet Explorer fell slightly from 56.3% to 55.4%.

The StatCounter analysis was based on a sample of 55 million page views globally including 20 million US page views.