You think about the alternative of Chromium-based browsers only name that comes to mind is Firefox. It is also the default browser choice for many Linux users. But it is losing users year after year. So much so that it has lost 40 million users since 2018.
That figure comes from Firefox’s own Public Data Report and is highlighted in a Reddit thread by u/nixcraft (via itsfoss). At the end of 2018, the reported active monthly users of the Firefox desktop client were about 244 million, but in Q2 2021 that number dropped to 198 million users. Â
There are many reasons behind this losing user base. Firstly, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Safari are the default browsers for Android, Windows and, Apple devices. Many people just don’t bother installing another browser other than the included one. The maker of these browsers constantly reminding you to use their browser. If you try to access Google search engine from other browsers than Chrome it will tell you to install Google Chrome for a better user experience. The same thing goes for Microsoft too.
Firefox themself should also be blamed for this. They have constantly broken the user experience with major overhauls. And there is also a lack of significant performance improvements in recent years. Many websites are best optimized for Google’s web browser means faster load times in Chrome.
Firefox is the only viable alternative to Chromium-based browsers. If Firefox disappears, users won’t have a choice to select a different browser engine. And I don’t have to explain how bad is a monopoly. But Firefox isn’t closing tomorrow. But if Firefox wants to keep its user base then they need to catch up with Google Chrome in terms of performance.