Google Chrome Logs 260 Million Hours to Lead Naver in Korea

Google Chrome logged 260 million hours of mobile usage in South Korea in September, extending its lead over local portal Naver for the fifth consecutive month.

Chrome held the top spot after outpacing Naver’s 240 million hours during the month, according to mobile app analytics firm Wiseapp Retail.

Breakdown of Mobile Browser Usage

Samsung Internet took third place with 130 million hours. Together, the top three applications generated 630 million hours, accounting for about 80 percent of total usage time among the country’s 10 most-used search and browser apps.

Google’s search app came fourth with 87 million hours, followed by Brave with 38 million hours and Daum with 23 million hours.

Whale recorded 5.7 million hours, while Nate and Firefox each logged 3.5 million hours. Microsoft Edge rounded out the top 10 with 1.8 million hours.

Shifting Consumer Gateways

For brands and digital retailers in South Korea, the continued shift away from Naver’s integrated ecosystem toward Chrome reshapes consumer discovery pathways. Naver built its commercial engine by bundling search results directly with its own shopping comparison engine, smart stores, and payment rails. When shoppers conduct queries directly in a web browser rather than inside Naver’s walled garden, default search engine settings and standard web indexing dilute that proprietary checkout loop.

Google’s expanding footprint also splits consumer attention between dedicated mobile apps and direct web links. Retailers that previously focused technical resources exclusively on Naver SEO and proprietary storefronts now face higher ad spending requirements to capture high-intent buyers across multiple independent search feeds.

Consolidation in Korea’s Smartphone Base

Chrome first overtook Naver in monthly South Korean usage time in May. The transition follows years of Naver holding an undisputed grip over domestic web navigation, supported by localized content directories and dedicated shopping integrations.

Wiseapp Retail based the September findings on mobile tracking data drawn from a panel representing 51.39 million smartphone users nationwide. That sample pool reflects 36.7 million Android device owners alongside 14.69 million iOS users across South Korea.

The Next Benchmark for Domestic Portals

Attention turns to whether Naver can arrest the engagement gap in fourth-quarter figures as domestic e-commerce traffic peaks during seasonal retail sales. With total usage across the top three players holding at 630 million hours, the immediate battle centers on whether Naver’s retail integrations can recover lost ground against Chrome’s default presence across South Korea’s 36.7 million Android handsets.