Chrome reaches 66.3% market share as Safari grows to 15.1% in Q3 2025

Cloudflare released its Browser Market Share Report for Q3 2025 on November 11, 2025, revealing that Chrome has increased its dominance to 66.282% of global web traffic as measured in July 2025, according to the company's analysis of traffic metadata from more than 25 million Internet properties.

Safari claimed 15.135% of the market during the same period, while Microsoft Edge held 7.492% and Firefox maintained 3.764%. Samsung Internet captured 2.423% of browser usage, followed by Opera at 1.520% and Brave at 1.083%. The data represents a continuation of trends observed in Q1 2025, when Chrome held 63.409%, suggesting the browser gained nearly three percentage points over two quarters.

The methodology employed by Cloudflare differs from traditional market research approaches through its position as a first-party observer of web traffic. The company analyzes user-agent headers and client-hints from websites using its network, which spans more than 200 cities in over 100 countries. According to the report, more than 10% of all websites connect through Cloudflare's reverse proxy, including 17% of the Fortune 1000 companies.

Regional variations in browser preferences emerged from the Australian market data, where Chrome's share decreased to 56.824% in September 2025. Safari showed stronger regional performance with 24.848% of Australian traffic, while Edge commanded 9.058% in that market. This pattern aligns with previous quarterly findings showing Safari's elevated adoption in Australia correlating with higher iPhone and Mac device penetration compared to global averages.

Operating system-specific data revealed distinct usage patterns across platforms. On iOS devices, Safari dominated with 77.797% market share in July 2025, while Chrome held 19.125%. Brave captured 0.647% of iOS traffic, followed by DuckDuckGo at 0.584%, Firefox at 0.503%, and QQ Browser at 0.392%. Edge claimed 0.356% on Apple's mobile platform, with Aloha Browser, Yandex Browser, and UC Browser each securing less than 0.2% of iOS traffic.

The United States iOS market showed even stronger Safari concentration at 81.113% in September 2025, with Chrome trailing at 15.699%. DuckDuckGo achieved 1.250% in the U.S. iOS segment, while Brave reached 0.801%. The privacy-focused browser positioning suggests growing consumer attention to data protection features, though adoption remains limited compared to established platforms.

Mobile browsing patterns incorporating in-app browsers presented a substantially different competitive landscape. When Cloudflare analyzed Australian mobile traffic including browsers embedded within applications, Safari's share dropped to 31.189% in September 2025, while Chrome fell to 27.659%. Mobile Safari UI/WKWebView—the rendering engine used by apps to display web content—accounted for 13.250% of traffic, highlighting how social media and communication platforms mediate substantial portions of mobile web access.

Facebook's in-app browser captured 9.344% of Australian mobile traffic, with Instagram's browser adding 5.216%. Chrome Mobile WebView held 5.180%, while Samsung Internet claimed 4.853%. TikTok's embedded browser reached 0.935% of mobile traffic, demonstrating how social platforms increasingly control user access to external web content without requiring users to switch to standalone browsers.

The report documented several browsers making their debut in Cloudflare's tracking methodology during Q1 2025. VivoBrowser, associated with Vivo smartphones popular in Asian markets, achieved 0.230% global market share by July 2025, placing it among the top 15 browsers tracked. Mint Browser, HiBrowser, Hola Browser, Tenta Browser, and Whale all appeared in the updated tracking system, though most captured less than 0.1% of global traffic.

Emerging privacy-focused browsers showed modest but measurable adoption. Brave secured 1.083% of global traffic, representing growth from the 0.826% share documented in Q4 2024. DuckDuckGo reached 0.232% globally, though this remained below the 0.213% observed in the previous quarter's data. The privacy browser segment faces challenges competing against established platforms that benefit from default installation on devices and integration with operating system features.

Cloudflare's methodology incorporates several exclusions to maintain data quality. Chromium-based browsers are not counted separately due to their shared codebase with Chrome and other derivatives. WebView implementations—including Chrome Mobile WebView and Mobile Safari UI/WKWebView—are excluded from standard statistics despite representing significant traffic volumes, though they appear in supplementary in-app browser analysis.

The analysis considers only traffic from websites that used Cloudflare services throughout the entire reporting period to prevent bias from sample composition changes. Operating system categories encompass iOS, Android, Desktop systems including Windows, MacOSX, Linux, and ChromeOS, plus mobile platforms like WebOS, WindowsPhone, Blackberry, SmartTV, gaming consoles including Nintendo, Xbox, and Playstation, along with Kindle devices.

Browser identification relies on user-agent strings supplemented by client-hints, a newer web standard that provides more detailed device and browser information. Starting in Q1 2024, Cloudflare incorporated client-hints parsing alongside its proprietary user-agent analysis to enhance accuracy. The company notes that unlike methodologies vulnerable to ad blockers or tracking prevention, Cloudflare observes direct requests to websites where it operates as first-party infrastructure.

The implications for web developers and marketing professionals extend beyond simple market share numbers. Chrome's continued growth above 66% reinforces the importance of optimizing for the Blink rendering engine and V8 JavaScript implementation. However, Safari's substantial share—particularly the 77.797% iOS dominance—means WebKit compatibility remains critical for reaching mobile audiences.

The rise of in-app browsers poses measurement and optimization challenges for digital marketers. When nearly half of mobile web traffic in markets like Australia flows through social media platforms' embedded browsers rather than standalone browser applications, traditional browser-based targeting and measurement approaches may capture incomplete pictures of user behavior. These embedded browsers often lack full feature sets of their standalone counterparts and may implement different privacy controls or tracking prevention mechanisms.

Regional browser preferences create additional complexity for global marketing campaigns. The Australian market's higher Safari and Edge adoption compared to global averages suggests device ecosystem differences that correlate with browser choice. Markets with strong Samsung device presence show elevated Samsung Internet usage, while regions with significant Huawei smartphone adoption see higher Huawei Browser traffic.

Privacy-focused browsers like Brave and DuckDuckGo, despite modest overall market shares, represent early adopter audiences that may influence broader privacy expectations over time. Safari's introduction of Advanced Fingerprinting Protection becoming default in Safari 26 reflects how privacy features pioneered in niche browsers eventually appear in mainstream platforms, affecting measurement capabilities across larger user bases.

The quarterly reporting cadence established by Cloudflare provides marketing professionals with regular snapshots of browser market evolution. The next report, expected in early 2026 covering Q4 2025 data, will reveal whether Chrome's upward trajectory continues or stabilizes, and whether privacy browsers maintain growth momentum amid increasing competition and platform restrictions.

Browser market dynamics intersect with broader technology industry trends including regulatory pressure on dominant platforms, privacy legislation implementation, and artificial intelligence integration into search and browsing experiences. As browsers evolve from simple web rendering engines into platforms for AI-powered search, payment systems, identity verification, and application distribution, market share measurements capture not just browsing preferences but fundamental shifts in how users access and interact with online content.

Timeline

• July 2025: Chrome reaches 66.282% global market share, Safari holds 15.135% according to Cloudflare Q3 data
• September 2025: United States iOS market shows Safari at 81.113%, Chrome at 15.699% in regional breakdown
• September 2025: Australian mobile data including in-app browsers reveals Safari at 31.189%, Facebook browser at 9.344%
• November 11, 2025: Cloudflare Data Insights Team publishes Q3 2025 Browser Market Share Report
• Q4 2024: Chrome dominated browser market with 64.7% share
• Q1 2025: Chrome maintained dominance at 63.4% while Safari held 17.5%
• Q2 2024: Chrome held 65.2% market share with Safari at 15.8%
• September 2025: Safari 26 tracking changes announced affecting marketing measurement

Summary

Who: Cloudflare's Data Insights Team released the analysis, examining browser usage across approximately 25 million Internet properties that utilize Cloudflare's network infrastructure spanning more than 200 cities in over 100 countries.

What: Chrome secured 66.282% of global browser market share in Q3 2025, with Safari holding 15.135%, Edge at 7.492%, and Firefox at 3.764%. The report revealed significant differences between standalone browser usage and in-app browser traffic, particularly on mobile platforms where social media applications' embedded browsers control substantial portions of web access.

When: The data covers July through September 2025, with the report published November 11, 2025. Measurements represent traffic patterns from the third quarter of calendar year 2025.

Where: Global analysis includes regional breakdowns for countries like Australia and the United States, plus operating system-specific data for iOS, Android, and Desktop platforms. Regional variations showed Chrome at 56.824% in Australia versus 66.282% globally, while Safari reached 24.848% in Australia compared to 15.135% worldwide.

Why: The report matters for marketing professionals optimizing websites and campaigns across browser platforms, understanding regional usage patterns, and tracking the growth of privacy-focused alternatives. Browser market share influences web development priorities, compatibility testing strategies, and digital advertising measurement approaches as in-app browsers and privacy features reshape how users access online content.