Ten years ago we had just escaped the trauma of the IE6 monoculture. In 2026 we are looking at a strangely similar landscape. Chromium and Blink own over 70% of the desktop market and over 65% when mobile is included. Safari and WebKit effectively monopolize iOS, while Firefox and Gecko have dropped to around 3% (youngju.dev, 2026).
The latest blow to WebKit came from Microsoft. A research prototype of Edge built with Apple's BrowserEngineKit framework scored 49.27 versus Safari's 38.3 on Speedometer 3.1, a 28.6% gap. It also outperformed Safari by 13.1% on JetStream 3 and by 2.1% on MotionMark 1.3.1. The numbers are preliminary, but they illustrate a 17-year cost to consumers (MacRumors, 2026).
Why does WebKit matter?
Apple requires all browsers on iOS to use WebKit, the engine that powers Safari. That means Chrome, Firefox, and Edge on iPhone are effectively reskinned Safari instances. The EU's Digital Markets Act theoretically changed that in March 2024, requiring Apple to allow alternative engines through BrowserEngineKit, yet more than two years later no browser maker has shipped an alternative engine on iOS (MacRumors, 2026).
The three-engine world
In 2013 there were five major browser engines. In 2026 there are only three left: Apple's WebKit, Google's Blink, and Mozilla's Gecko. Gecko is the only remaining independent browser engine, and it powers Firefox. This concentration increasingly risks hard-coding a single company's technical assumptions into the future of the web (Mozilla, 2026).
| Engine | Owner | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Blink | 70%+ desktop | |
| WebKit | Apple | iOS monopoly |
| Gecko | Mozilla | ~3% desktop |
Why hasn't anyone shipped an alternative engine on iOS?
Companies cite technical barriers and the requirement to publish any such browser as an entirely separate app from their existing WebKit-based version. The combination of regulatory uncertainty, development costs, and distribution complexity has proven sufficient to deter shipping so far. Open Web Advocacy called on the European Commission to open a specification proceeding instructing Apple precisely how it must remove barriers (MacRumors, 2026).
If a small number of vertically integrated companies completely control browser engines, then competition, transparency, and user choice on the open web will be much harder to achieve.
— Mozilla
What could change the picture?
Ladybird 1.0, good enough for everyday users, would be the first new major engine in 25 years. Servo is being revived as a standard engine for automotive and embedded. And if the EU DMA model spreads to other regions, it widens the cracks in the iOS WebKit lock-in. For developers, the smallest practice for keeping the web diverse is to open pages in Safari and Firefox, and try the Ladybird alpha too (youngju.dev, 2026).
Sources and further reading
- MacRumors — Apple's WebKit Rules Reportedly Cost iOS Users Almost 30% Browser Performance
- Mozilla — Competition, Innovation, and the Future of the Web
- youngju.dev — Browser Engines 2026: A Deep Dive
- The Ad Blocker Crackdown Backfires. Again.
- The Self-Hosting Boom: Why Everyone Is Building Their Own Stack
- The Browser Engine Wars: WebKit Loses Its Last Friend
Bottom line
Ladybird 1.0, good enough for everyday users, would be the first new major engine in 25 years. Servo is being revived as a standard engine for automotive and embedded. And if the EU DMA model spreads to other regions, it widens the cracks in the iOS WebKit lock-in. For developers, the smallest practice for keeping the web diverse is to open pages in Safari and Firefox, and try the Ladybird alpha too (youngju.dev, 2026).
What we still don't know
This is a fast-moving story. We update the post as new facts land — and we'll flag it when we do.
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