Firefox may have just scored a small but notable win.

According to the latest figures from Statcounter, Firefox edged past Safari in worldwide desktop browser market share during June 2026. The tracker estimates Firefox finished the month with 5.32% of the market, while Safari came in slightly behind at 5.27%. Chrome remains far ahead of everyone else with more than 71% market share, followed by Microsoft Edge in second place.

The gap between Firefox and Safari is tiny, but it’s still interesting considering how long Apple’s browser has generally stayed ahead on desktop.

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It’s worth keeping in mind that these numbers come from a single analytics provider. Statcounter collects data from websites that use its tracking code, so its reports are best viewed as estimates rather than a perfect picture of the browser market. Different analytics firms can produce slightly different results depending on how and where they collect their data.

Even so, the change doesn’t come completely out of nowhere.

Privacy has become a much bigger selling point over the past few years, especially as browsers continue adding more AI features and cloud-powered services. Firefox has long positioned itself as a privacy-focused alternative to browsers backed by big tech companies, and that message may still be resonating with some users looking for a different option.

At the same time, Mozilla isn’t avoiding AI altogether. Instead, the company has been taking a more measured approach by adding AI features while giving users the option to turn them off. We recently covered how Mozilla’s new nonprofit structure also reinforces that approach, with user choice remaining a key part of its AI plans.

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The Statcounter numbers also arrive just weeks after reports claimed Firefox was losing millions of users. Those claims spread quickly online, but Mozilla pushed back and disputed the conclusions behind them. If you missed that story, we’ve already broken down the situation here.

Whether Firefox can stay ahead of Safari is another question. A difference of just a few hundredths of a percentage point could disappear next month. Still, if Statcounter’s data reflects a broader trend, it suggests that Firefox continues to attract desktop users despite the growing competition and changing browser landscape.

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Dwayne Cubbins
2776 Posts

I cover fast-moving stories across apps, online platforms, and everyday tech — phones, wearables, consoles, and whatever else people are fighting with this week. Bugs, rollouts, scams, policy enforcement, and the occasional internet-culture rabbit hole are all fair game. My goal is simple — make confusing tech news readable. When I'm not working, I'm working out or chilling with my dog. Got a tip? You can find me on X @dcubbins.