Most Popular Web Browsers 1993 - 2020

In this data visualization I go back to the first graphical web browser, Mosaic. Before Mosaic most users browsed the web either with a text based web browser such as Lynx or using Nexus which had a graphical interface, which was easier to use.

1993
Mosaic
First graphical web browser

1994
Netscape Navigator
Launched at $49 with a 90 day trial

1995
Internet Explorer
Launched as free add-on to Windows 95

1996
Opera
Launched to the public as trialware

1997
Netscape held 70% of the market but IE being free was gaining fast
1998
This forced Netscape to became freeware
1998
Microsoft was taken to court for violating antitrust laws
America Online acquired Netscape for $4.2 billion

2000
Microsoft was found guilty and decided to split IE from Windows

2001
IE was the official winner of the first browser war

2002
Firefox Beta
Originally called Phoenix, then Firebird

2003
Safari 1.0
released by Apple

2004
Firefox 1.0
finally released to the public

2005
Free Opera
Opera browser becomes freeware

2006
IE 7.0
Microsoft reintegrates IE into Windows

2008
Netscape Ends
Netscape Navigator is discontinued

2008
Chrome 1.0
Google releases Chrome

2009
Mobile Web
Mobile browsers started gaining market share

2010
Firefox 3.6
Firefox introduces Personas theme engine

2011
IE 9
Introduced new interface

2012
Chrome overtakes IE

2013
IE 11
Final version of IE

2014
Opera 19
Introduced Workspaces feature

2015
Edge
Replaced IE

2016
Opera 40
Free VPN & battery saver mode

2017
Firefox 55
Included VR capability

2018
Opera 50
Anti-Bitcoin mining tool

2019
Firefox 70
Dark Mode & Tracker Blocker

What is your favorite browser?

[acertaincheese]

"Microsoft was taken to court for violating antitrust laws"
>Internet explorer skyrockets

[FrozenBusChannel]

Huge respect to the 0.37% that kept using *Mosaic*

[atyne_mar]

Opera is so underrated. I've used it since beginning, then I switched to Chrome when it became popular, mostly because of plugins and synchronization, and when Opera GX came out I switched back to Opera.

[savvasaam]

I have been using opera for what feels like 10 years now, its so weird to learn that its quite unpopular

[TheWAYF]

The fact that Edge still hasn't overtaken IE by the end of the timeline, despite being designed to make IE redundant, is absolutely priceless.

[irtouk]

I’m surprised Internet Explorer didn’t get stuck at 98%

[Aneeq]

Opera GX user. Surprised it wasn't on the board. Maybe it gained more traction through out 2021, because I constantly see YouTubers and streamers, as well as my friends using it now.

[edm]

Mosaic: "I used to rule the world you know."

Chrome: "Ok grandpa."

[timmyreobed]

One must wonder how the suits at AOL felt about Netscape rapidly collapsing after they spent $4.2 billion on it.

[josh_phinney]

Love the video. PS. What is the music??

[jacksonm.]

Jees! I had no idea that Opera was that old! Never heard of it till the 2000s. My favourite browser is Waterfox. I installed it on my gaming rig years ago. I believe it was meant to be Firefox for higher performing machines. It had a bunch of extra metrics and goodies.

[phos]

67.43% is also the amount of RAM Google Chrome will use

[delafontainedoes]

I love how Opera has been in the race since the beginning and is STILL fighting to get out there. Part of me uses it out of sheer awe lmao.

[rrad]

I like Firefox for the plug-in blockers. Without those, many websites are just unreadable. I also like that Firefox on mobile offers the same experience as on the desktop. Edge "promises" to block stuff, but I still get inundated with pop-ups and advertisements, many, at times deliver malware.

[Chacem]

have switched between browsers but when windows 7 came out i started using firefox for all of my browser stuff

[JosephDalrymple]

There's been a running joke for a while in the Developer community that the Market Share of Opera consists solely of the developers that write it. 😂

[blackcitadel]

Opera: "I've been here since the dawn of times. I witnessed the battle of the ancients, their glory and their ruin..."

[sanzharedu]

I have just been using Firefox for personal stuff and Chrome for work stuff for the past 10 years. Both are awesome browsers. Having two distinct apps is a simple way to separate the two aspects of life completely.

[ToadzDaBite]

I use opera, not even GX either. I like how it keeps my tabs open with I close the app and how many tabs I can have open at once.

[gio_ozz]

Mosaic: I started this all and this the respect I get?