Timeline of web browsers

This is a timeline of web browsers from the early 1990s to the present. Prior to browsers, many technologies and systems existed for information viewing and transmission. For an in depth history of earlier web browsers see the web browser article.

Graphical timeline

1993–2015

The following table chronicles the major release dates since 1993 for the more popular web browsers.

1993	Lynx
Jan
Feb
Mar	2.0*
Apr
May
Jun
Jul	2.0.10
Aug	2.0.11
Sep
Oct
Nov	2.0.12
Dec	2.1
1994	Lynx	Mosaic Netscape	Opera
Jan
Feb	2.2
Mar
Apr
May	2.3
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct		0.9*
Nov			1.0β*
Dec		1.0
1995	Lynx	Netscape	Opera	IE
Jan
Feb
Mar		1.1
Apr			1.0
May
Jun	2.4
Jul
Aug		1.22		1.0*
Sep
Oct
Nov				2.0
Dec
1996	Lynx	Netscape	Opera	IE	Mac IE
Jan					2.0B*
Feb
Mar		2.0
Apr			2.0		2.0
May	2.5
Jun
Jul
Aug		3.0		3.0	2.1
Sep	2.6
Oct
Nov
Dec			2.10
1997	Lynx	Netscape	Opera	IE	Mac IE
Jan					3.0
Feb	2.7
Mar
Apr
May
Jun		4.0
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct				4.0
Nov
Dec			3.0
1998	Lynx	Netscape	Opera	IE	Mac IE
Jan					4.0
Feb
Mar	2.8
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct	2.8.1	4.5
Nov			3.5
Dec
1999	Lynx	Netscape	Opera	IE	Mac IE	Mozilla
Jan					4.5
Feb
Mar				5.0		M3*
Apr
May
Jun	2.8.2
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
2000	Lynx	Netscape	Opera	IE	Mac IE	Mozilla
Jan
Feb
Mar					5.0†
Apr	2.8.3
May
Jun			4.0
Jul				5.5
Aug				5.6
Sep
Oct
Nov		6.0
Dec			5.0			0.6
2001	Lynx	Netscape	Opera	IE		Mozilla
Jan						0.7
Feb						0.8
Mar
Apr
May						0.9
Jun
Jul	2.8.4
Aug		6.1
Sep
Oct		6.2		6.0
Nov			6.0
Dec
2002	Lynx	Netscape	Opera	IE	Chimera	Mozilla	Phoenix
Jan
Feb					0.1*
Mar
Apr					0.2
May
Jun						1.0
Jul					0.4
Aug		7.0 (& 4.8)				1.1
Sep				6.0 SP1	0.5		0.1*
Oct							0.4
Nov					0.6	1.2
Dec							0.5
2003	Lynx	Netscape	Opera	IE	Camino	Mozilla	Firebird	Safari	MyIE2
Jan			7.0
Feb
Mar					0.7	1.3
Apr			7.1
May							0.6
Jun		7.1				1.4		1.0*
Jul
Aug
Sep			7.2
Oct						1.5	0.7
Nov
Dec									.9*
2004	Lynx	Netscape	Opera	IE	Camino	Mozilla	Firefox	Safari	Maxthon
Jan						1.6
Feb	2.8.5						0.8
Mar
Apr
May			7.5
Jun					0.8	1.7	0.9
Jul
Aug		7.2		6.0 SP2
Sep							0.10 (PR)		1.0*
Oct
Nov							1.0
Dec
2005	Lynx	Netscape	Opera	IE	Camino	Mozilla SeaMonkey	Firefox	Safari	Maxthon	Lunascape
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr			8.0					2.0
May		8.0
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep			8.5			SM 1.0α*			1.5	3.0 (JPN)*
Oct
Nov							1.5
Dec
2006	Lynx	Netscape	Opera	IE	Camino	Mozilla SeaMonkey	Firefox	Safari	Maxthon	Lunascape
Jan		8.1				SM 1.0
Feb					1.0
Mar										3 Lite/3 Pocket (JPN)
Apr						M. 1.7.13†
May
Jun			9.0
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct	2.8.6			7.0			2.0
Nov										4.0*
Dec			9.1
2007	Lynx	Netscape	Opera	IE	Camino	SeaMonkey	Firefox	Safari	Maxthon	Lunascape	NetSurf
Jan						1.1
Feb
Mar
Apr			9.2
May									1.6		1.0*
Jun					1.5			3.0
Jul									2.0
Aug											1.1
Sep
Oct		9.0
Nov
Dec
2008	Lynx	Netscape	Opera	IE	Camino	SeaMonkey	Firefox	Safari	Maxthon	Lunascape	NetSurf	Iron
Jan
Feb		9.0.0.6†
Mar								3.1			1.2
Apr					1.6
May
Jun			9.5				3.0
Jul
Aug		Chrome
Sep		0.2.149.27*								5.0 Alpha (JPN)		0.2.155*
Oct			9.6
Nov
Dec		1.0							2.5			1.0
2009	Lynx	Chrome	Opera	IE	Camino	SeaMonkey	Firefox	Safari	Maxthon	Lunascape	NetSurf	Iron
Jan
Feb
Mar				8.0
Apr											2.0
May		2.0									2.1	2.0
Jun							3.5	4.0
Jul	2.8.7
Aug
Sep		3.0	10.0							5.1.5		3.0
Oct						2.0
Nov			10.10		2.0
Dec										6.0
2010	Lynx	Chrome	Opera	IE	Camino	SeaMonkey	Firefox	Safari	Maxthon	Lunascape	NetSurf	Iron
Jan		4.0					3.6					4.0
Feb
Mar			10.50
Apr										6.1.1	2.5
May		5.0
Jun								4.1, 5.0				5.0
Jul			10.60							6.2
Aug									3.0	6.3
Sep		6.0									2.6	6.0
Oct		7.0										7.0
Nov
Dec		8.0	11.0									8.0
2011	Lynx	Chrome	Opera	IE	Camino	SeaMonkey	Firefox	Safari	Maxthon	Lunascape	NetSurf	Iron
Jan										6.4.1
Feb		9.0										9.0
Mar		10.0		9.0			4.0					10.0
Apr		11.0	11.10								2.7
May										6.5		11.0
June		12.0	11.50			2.1	5.0		3.1
July						2.2		5.1				12.0
Aug		13.0					6.0					13.0
Sep		14.0				2.4	7.0				2.8	14.0
Oct		15.0							3.2
Nov					2.1	2.5	8.0					15.0
Dec		16.0	11.60			2.6	9.0		3.3
2012	Lynx	Chrome	Opera	IE	Camino	SeaMonkey	Firefox	Safari	Maxthon	Lunascape	NetSurf	Iron
Jan						2.7	10.0
Feb		17.0
Mar		18.0			2.1.2†	2.8	11.0
Apr						2.9	12.0			6.7.0	2.9	18.0
May		19.0										19.0
June			12.00			2.10	13.0		3.4
July		20.0				2.11	14.0	6.0				20.0
Aug		21.0				2.12	15.0					21.0
Sep		22.0								6.8.0
Oct				10.0		2.13	16.0					22.0
Nov		23.0	12.10			2.14	17.0		3.5			23.0
Dec									4.0
2013	Lynx	Chrome	Opera	IE		SeaMonkey	Firefox	Safari	Maxthon	Lunascape	NetSurf	Iron
Jan		24.0				2.15	18.0					24.0
Feb		25.0				2.16	19.0			6.8.2
Mar		26.0										25.0
Apr			12.15			2.17	20.0				3.0	26.0
May		27.0					21.0			6.8.4		27.0
June							22.0		4.1
July		28.0	15.0			2.19						28.0
Aug		29.0				2.20	23.0			6.8.8
Sep			16.0			2.21	24.0					29.0
Oct		30.0	17.0	11.0		2.22	25.0	7.0				30.0
Nov		31.0	18.0						4.2
Dec						2.23	26.0			6.8.10		31.0
2014	Lynx	Chrome	Opera	IE		SeaMonkey	Firefox	Safari	Maxthon	Lunascape	NetSurf	Iron
Jan		32.0	19.0									32.0
Feb	2.8.8	33.0				2.24	27.0		4.3
Mar			20.0			2.25	28.0					33.0
Apr		34.0					29.0		4.4		3.1	34.0
May		35.0	21.0			2.26
June			22.0				30.0					35.0
July		36.0	23.0				31.0			6.9.1
Aug		37.0						7.0.6			3.2	36.0
Sep			24.0				32.0	7.1				37.0
Oct		38.0	25.0			2.30	33.0	8.0		6.9.2		38.0
Nov		39.0								6.9.3
Dec			26.0	11.0.15			34.0					39.0
2015	Lynx	Chrome	Opera	IE		SeaMonkey	Firefox	Safari	Maxthon	Lunascape	NetSurf	Iron
Jan		40.0				2.32	35.0

• * Initial release
• † No subsequent releases are planned

External links

• Eric A. Meyer's take on a browser timeline
• Fresh-browsers.com major web browsers history
• Google Chrome team's The Evolution of the Web