Here’s Why Firefox Has Lost Nearly 50 Million Users Since 2018

According to Firefox’s Public Data Report, Mozilla’s desktop browser has seen a decline of nearly 50 million in its userbase since 2018. An article over at Its FOSS discusses why users are moving away from the only popular alternative to Chromium-based browsers.

Firefox userbase decline

As per the official stats, the reported number of Firefox’s monthly active users was about 244 million at the end of 2018, which declined to 198 million at the end of Q2 2021 marking a massive decline of 46 million.

Below are some of the reasons why most users appear to be moving away to Chromium-based web browsers or Chrome.

  • Google Chrome is the default web browser on Android
  • Microsoft Edge as the default web browser for Windows
  • Google.com recommending users to install Google Chrome
  • Some web services are exclusive to Chrome-based browsers

As the source points out, here’s why this decline is something to worry about:

Mozilla’s Firefox is the only viable competitor to Chromium-based browsers. If Firefox disappears, users won’t have a choice to select a different browser engine.

So, eventually, if the declining trend continues, users like us may just be forced to switch to other browsers by adapting to new workflows.

In other words, we will be losing out on a lot of good things (forcefully) just because all the competition prefers using Chromium as its base or engage in anti-competitive activities.

Looks like Mozilla needs to give this situation some serious attention, don’t you think?

P.S. - Like our news? Support the site with a coffee/beer. Or shop with our Amazon link. We use affiliate links when possible--thank you for supporting independent media.