Aloha Browser says its EU users jumped 250% in March 2024 after the DMA came into effect; Vivaldi, Ecosia, Brave, DuckDuckGo, and Opera also saw user growth
Independent browser companies in the European Union are seeing a spike in users in the first month after EU legislation forced Alphabet's Google …
Context & Ripple Effects
The DMA's browser changes had already put EU users in front of a choice among popular browsers on iOS, a new default-browser selection process that made switching more visible. This report is the first early read on whether that access change translated into user acquisition for smaller browser and search brands.
The results also extend a longer policy dispute: DuckDuckGo and other search rivals had pressed EU lawmakers to address Google's distribution advantages. Later reports of Opera's European iOS user growth suggest the initial post-DMA lift was not limited to one browser.
First-order effects
- Aloha says its EU user base rose 250% in March, while Vivaldi, Ecosia, Brave, DuckDuckGo, and Opera also reported growth as the DMA took effect.
- Independent browsers gained a newly prominent opportunity to compete for users at the point where defaults and browser choices are set, rather than relying solely on users to seek them out.
Second-order effects
- Google faces a more contested EU browser-distribution environment, while smaller rivals must convert the initial visibility into retained usage rather than one-time installs.
- Browser and search challengers have a stronger basis to invest in EU acquisition and product differentiation; Brave's later growth in users and annualized revenue illustrates how a larger audience can support a broader business model, though it does not establish DMA causation.
Third-order effects
- If elevated switching persists, default placement and choice-screen design could become a more durable competitive variable in European browsers and search, reducing the advantage of incumbent distribution.
- The episode makes enforcement quality central: rules that formally create choice will be judged by whether challengers can sustain share after the initial selection moment.
The trend: EU platform regulation is shifting browser competition from incumbent default distribution toward contestable user-choice surfaces.