Brave reports record month for Browser and Search
When it comes to the market share of browsers on the desktop, things may appear static. There is Google Chrome at the top with an almost monopolistic lead over every other browser.
Statcounter sees Chrome at about 65 percent of the desktop market. Only three other browsers have a market share above 5 percent. Edge sits at 14 percent, Safari at 8 percent and Firefox at about 6 percent. The only other browser that Statcounter tracks is Opera, which is at about 3%
Market share has not changed all that much in the past 12 months. Google Chrome dropped less than 1 percent in that time, and the only movement saw Edge going up and Safari going down a bit.
Smaller browsers that may have a dedicated base of users are not listed. This makes it difficult to determine whether they are doing well or not.
Brave's record quarter
Brave CEO Brendan Eich publishes Brave browser and search stats on X regularly. Judging by the numbers, Brave's usage is going up. According to Eich, Brave saw the "biggest growth month on record" in May 2024.
Here are the stats for the browser:
- Monthly active users rose from 73.55M to 78.95M.
- Daily active users rose from 27.46M to 28.64M.
- Mean daily active users rose from 26.1M to 27.27M.
Eich notes that Brave Browser did particularly well in Latin America in regards to new user acquisitions. The browser managed to get to the top of the Google Play Store in some countries as well, which also helped according to Eich.
Last year, Eich reported 56.22M monthly active users and 22.13M daily active users for Brave Browser.
While usage is still relatively low when compared to the top 5 browsers on the desktop, it is clear that Brave Browser is increasing significantly.
Brave Search stats improved as well:
- Monthly search queries rose form 818.67M to 843.02M.
- 7-day mean rose from 26.31M to 28.05M.
- 28-day mean rose from 26.30 to 27.25M.
One year ago, Eich reported 617.3M monthly search queries and peaks of 19.46M and 19.8M respectively.
Closing Words
It is clear that Brave is doing something right. While it is difficult to compare the company's momentum with others, as others are not publishing usage data, it is fair to say that more and more users are taking note of Brave Browser and Search, and sticking with these products.
It is too early to say if Google's decision to migrate the extensions system of the Chrome browser to a newer version will have an impact on usage numbers. While it may persuade some users to give other browsers a try, once they realize that one or multiple of their favorite extensions stop working, it seems unlikely that this will result in a major shift away from Chrome.
What about you? Do you use Brave Browser or Search, or do you favor another browser?
thanks for sharing
This is a good example of why picking team Google leads to a win. Use the secure and privacy protecting Google Chromium engine, use the vast selection of extensions available in the Google Web Store, comply with Google web standards and you will prosper.
Refuse Google, don’t use Chromium, don’t use the Web Store, don’t comply with Google and face the consequences.
On the Desktop: Librewolf is my primary, Brave is #2
On Android: Vivaldi is the only browser I use (for now)
I like Brave. It does lots of things right. Will offer to check Wayback machine on some sites, shows stats that focus on privacy (something FF should have done long ago as self-advertising), brave shields always keeping user informed (like a partner), new private window that integrates TOR, entered search business (something FF should have done long ago), incorporates AI chatbox, “installs” a website…
It focuses on really helpful user-oriented features, making them easily accessible. It outs privacy front and center, in a way FF does not. Reminds me of the older Opera browser in terms of user features without the frivolity.
I keep tracking it and it keeps impressing. I don’t think it’ll replace Librewolf on my Desktop but it could replace Vivaldi on Android.
I do feel that if I had to choose between Brave or FF (directly), I might choose Brave. FF is too directly dependent on Google (and feeds them access). Brave has somehow found a way to exist without Google.
“Brave has somehow found a way to exist without Google”
If you ignore the fact is uses Google Chromium, Google extension store, Google safe browsing, Google push messaging, Google search as one the defaults in the drop down box, Google Play for the Android version, then yes it has found a way to exist without Google.
Not bad for a Chrome reskin.
Well, it is a chrome, but without google spyware, and built in proper adblocker.
Devs should update the ui. Its quite ugly.
Brave Search is a good tool but I also use Disroot’s Search:
https://search.disroot.org/
Both Brave and Disroot’s Search engines also make available a Tor Hidden Service (.onion) if you run Tor and need it.
Cheers!
I never heard/read about this https://search.disroot.org/ search engine. Does anybody know how to save it is?
Very interesting comment John G. Thanks for commenting! :]
@Mike Williams
:)
That’s good, I’ll bet Brave will pick up a significant number of users as Chrome implements Manifest v3. From my experience helping other people with their laptops, Brave pretty much works as a drop-in replacement for Chrome, with no real learning curve. Having excellent built-in ad blocking is a big differentiator.
MV3 adblockers are, so I doubt that will cause any chape in marketshare, but they are improving adblocker, they are working on action operators :remove, :remove-class and(), :remove-attr(), and they have a branch ‘next’ to let parse rules with has-text, which means they are also working on procedural filters… just uBlock parity so more compatibility with uBlock lists.
So Brave users will benefit from any improvement.
Also iOS is getting custom adblock rules, but I hope finally iOS users will get the real Chromium release and not skinned webkit browser, which has limited capabilities in the adblocking part.
I still test MV3 adblockers even if I don’t even use uBlock (just use it to know if Brave is missing something, but Brave does all the job, and I fix any incompatibility myself) and I must say MV3 is perfectly okay, might need more time to be polished but ABP works good, Adguard offers the features and uBlock doesn’t have custom rules but supports most rules from MV2 as well.
So I that’s why I don’t believe MV3 will make a big difference, and Brave doesn’t show the power of the adblocker (like blocking extensions ads or trackers) or add features that will match uBlock parity, but you can only get by modifying files (Brave made it easy to modify their files that you can add your own JS scriptlets and such, but you have to set it up manually, on every update they release). If Brave worked to showcase the benefits of the native adblocker, then maybe it would make a difference for sure.
I did switch from Edge to Brave this year. However I use Brave Search only on mobile, on Desktop I switched from Google to DuckDuckGo.
I am trying to De-Googlify myself (except for YouTube). Anybody knows good replacement got Google Maps both on mobile and desktop? Mapquest and Transit apps on Android suck.
On mobile there’s a nice GPS app called “Magic Earth”. It uses openstreetmaps and works pretty well, although sometimes there’s stuff it just can’t find. It does have traffic updates, so that’s one of its key values. If you are willing to occasionally look up an address in a web browser and then copy it over to Magic Earth, then it is nearly perfect. And it has a lot of nice features that are missing in Google Maps, like the ability to control the sound volume of the navigator lady’s voice. Lots of nice configuration options you likely would not have seen before.
On the desktop I usually am able to get by with the Apple Maps widget that DuckDuckGo uses for their maps. I almost never need more than that. It’s about the only Apple thing I’ve ever used, but I’m a fan.
@boris
Just so you know, DDG uses Bing as the main source for their search engine. They use and pay for the Bing API, that means all of your searches not only have a cost, but also share information with Microsoft. Although DDG masks some of the IP, Microsoft knows what country and what ISP was used.
This is the difference with Brave, it is an independent indexer which doesn’t relay on Bing anymore.
There funny thing is Brave just implemented in Nightly showing a banner when you make a search in DDG as default provider saying “Brave Search doesn’t track you, your queries, or your clicks. And (unlike DDG) it’s not just Bing on disguise.” because it is true, some people think those type of messages are annoying, but I think they are always interesting and if you can click them and they don’t appear anymore then no harm done.
But yeah DDG uses Bing API so, while I find Bing good, I just use Bing because it offers more options and they aren’t getting any money for my searches, while they would if you use DDG, Qwant, Ecosia, Swisscows adn half the “alternative” search engines.
” DDG uses Bing as the main source for their search engine. They use and pay for the Bing API, that means all of your searches not only have a cost, but also share information with Microsoft. ”
@Anonymous-Post on 6-6. 2024 2:18 am
I’m surprised that M$ hasn’t already bought out DDG, Assist efforts to cut-in on Google’s dominant market share.
I forgot to mention, “Here WeGo” maps may also be another option.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.here.app.maps
It was really good, however they re-wrote it a few years ago they made a pigs ear of it – which is why the ratings have been hammered. I’m not sure if it’s better now though.
For finding businesses you’re stuck with Google Maps. For general navigation that uses OpenStreetMap (OSM), you could try Organic Maps.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.organicmaps
They only have a small team, however it’s free and open-source and works completely offline. I import GPX tracks into it to use for offline bicycle touring.
It’s also available on FDroid:
https://github.com/organicmaps/organicmaps
I decided to switch to Bing Maps on Desktop (through the browser, not as separate app), but you are right for finding businesses and public transport I am stuck on Google Maps on Android.
Unfortunately like all other search engines brave search results are 80% propaganda. They could’ve chosen to stand apart, become a bastion of truth, facts and knowledge but the lust for money is just too great. On the other hand would most people use such a search engine, I doubt it. Drama makes the world go round. The denziens who’ve been here since the golden age of search know what I mean.
>”Unfortunately like all other search engines brave search results are 80% propaganda. They could’ve chosen to stand apart, become a bastion of truth, facts and knowledge but the lust for money is just too great.”
Brave search has something called Goggles where you can get search results that are more slanted toward your political leanings or field of interest, such as rust programming. They have goggles where all the copycat sites are removed, or where all the stupid pinterest posts are removed from search results. And you can create your own. I think with goggles you can break free from some of the internet search echo chambers. I don’t really use it much because I use SearX more, but SearX has a similar ability to tailor your results.
@Anonymous this is because when they started they used Bing API and they still use Google to mix results when not many results show up.
If you want to help with Brave Search, you need to use Brave on desktop and enable Web Discovery Project in brave://settings/search.
This way you can use any other search engine and that way unbias Brave Search results. It’s not Brave’s fault what is showing in Brave Search, this means they are not forcing and changing results to their liking only because they don’t agree with them.
I use Yandex, Mojeek and Bing and whatever finds my results and as long as I am using Brave Search in a normal window, I know my searches are ‘fixing’ Brave search with my bias, and I know this because I have noticed a difference in ranking of pages I visit or pages that didn’t appear before and now they do, sites that were censored not even in the 3rd page, appearing now in 1st page.
So, help and enable WDP if you agree with Brave terms and then people can stop making excuses about Brave Search results.
Also Brave offers goggles a way to easily use other people’s list and create lists that will filter sites so you only search in sites you want (it needs github to add a goggles list). It’s a great idea, but I doubt many use it, they need to implement something so people use goggles more, maybe integrate them better with normal search queries and stuff.
WDP is what people need to enable, since you don’t even need to use Brave Search to fix Brave Search. Of course you need to read about it and understand how it works, especially for sites that are not ‘supported’ as SERP like Bing, Google, and all that.
@Anonymous
Yes, unfortunately their search is a blatant ministry of truth just like the others, trying to steer you in certain directions. I currently use Mojeek which gives unbiased results. StartPage is Google and DuckDuckGo is Bing, you are getting all the same censorship there even if they should be more private. But I want unbiased results, so I am not using either of them, or Brave Search.
@Iron Heart
And did you have Web Discovery Project enable in your Brave Browser (desktop only) so Brave Search gets ‘fixed’ by your bias?
Everyone, even Brendan Eich has repeatedly say if you think Brave Search are biased to one direction you don’t agree (it’s obvious why it displays US mainstream media outlets as first sources) then use WDP and help improve it.
I don’t like Brave at all, it’s not really better than most of the rest. Imho Firefox with all the right config settings and the right uBlock Origin filters gives equal (if not better) privacy with less nagging. As for searching, I fully agree with you: the situation can of course change anytime, but right now, by far the best recommendation is to use Mojeek.
Benn using Brave since day 1. The search isn’t so good, especially if you want to choose articles from the last X days only, so I often have to use the evil Google.
“For a small private company in a mature market, that’s a pretty big gain in a short period of time.”
Seconded. I’m rather pleased with the Brave news. I don’t expect it to overtake Chrome’s market share, but there is always room for improvement. :-)
So it passed from <1% global to 1% global. Nice. Cryptominers and IronShill will be happy.
@bravechurch
Firefox users being big mouthed again despite having like 3% global market share which is still on the decline. Brave doesn’t have the luxury to still live off of a past where your browser was the only acceptable alternative to shitty Internet Explorer, like Firefox. Brave has entered a mature market and yet it has decent growth, soon enough its market share and the market share of Firefox will meet, Brave on the way up and Firefox on the way down.
Even if I were a shill for Brave (I am just a user, but hey) my effort would absolutely pale in comparison to the campaigns the Firefox users are running everywhere, whenever there is news about some other browser you can bet that some idiot in the comment section will post uSe fIrEfOX aNd DRoP bROwsEr XYZ. As if anybody had asked or cares, evidently nobody does because otherwise we would see some significant Firefox growth stats by now.
The cryptocurrency BAT can’t be mined, only Proof of Work (POW) coins can be mined you absolute genius, shows clearly how much you know about the subject at hand.
“soon enough its market share and the market share of Firefox will meet”
lmao. Keep dreaming.
Didn’t you say the same shit last year? Two more weeks guys! This time for sure!
Wall of text. First word: “Firefox”.
As expected.
I didn’t read btw. Enjoy your crypto malware.
I gave up on Brave when they forced Leo into the browser. Yes, it can be disabled along with the crypto bits however having an unproven & untrusted LLM model pushed onto the system without the ability to remove wasn’t brilliant.
That being said, I actually don’t have a problem with people using Brave depending on individual use cases and threat models. Much better option than using Chrome by a long shot.
Brave would no longer be my first choice, but definately not bottom of the list either…
>”Cryptominers and IronShill will be happy.”
Or people who aren’t toadies for Google’s surveillance dragnet.
Very interesting news about Brave. Thanks for the article! :]
– Monthly active users rose to 78.95M
– Last year, Eich reported 56.22M monthly active users
For a small private company in a mature market, that’s a pretty big gain in a short period of time.