Chrome Set to Surpass Firefox in Market Share

Google's Chrome is on the brink of replacing Firefox as the second-most-popular browser, according to one Web statistics firm.

Data provided by StatCounter, an Irish company that tracks browser usage using the free analytics tools it offers websites, shows that Chrome will pass Firefox to take the No. 2 spot no later than December.

As of Wednesday, Chrome's global average user share for September was 23.6%, while Firefox's stood at 26.8%. IE, meanwhile, was at 41.7%. The climb of Chrome during 2011 has been astonishing: It has gained eight percentage point since January 2011, representing a 50% increase.

Chrome may pass Firefox as the world's second-most-popular browser by the end of the year. (Data: StatCounter.)

During that same period, Firefox has dropped almost 4% points, a decline of about 13%, while IE has also fallen four points, a 9% dip.

If the trends established thus far this year continue, Chrome will come close to matching Firefox's usage share in November, then pass its rival in December, when Chrome will account for approximately 26.6% of all browsers and Firefox will have a 25.3% share.

[via StatCounter