Opera Reports 66% Android Growth in UK and 40% in US Year Over Year for Q2

Opera reported that its Android monthly active users increased by 66% in the UK and 40% in the US year over year in the second quarter of 2026, according to the company.

Opera attributes this growth to features not available out of the box in Chrome, such as a free unlimited VPN, a built-in ad blocker, and integrated AI tools.

The company notes that momentum in Europe has continued following the EU's Digital Markets Act, with gains in both new user acquisition and retention. Opera has not provided specific user numbers, only reporting the growth percentages compared to the previous year.

Growth Numbers and What Opera Offers Beyond Chrome

According to Opera's Q2 2026 report:

UK Android monthly active users: 66% year-over-year growth

US Android monthly active users: 40% year-over-year growth

European growth: continued after DMA implementation

Retention: also improved, not just new user acquisition

The growth numbers suggest that a meaningful segment of Android users are looking beyond the pre-installed Chrome browser and evaluating alternatives.

Opera credits its growth to features that come pre-installed rather than requiring extensions or additional apps:

Free unlimited VPN

Built-in ad blocker

Built-in AI tools including Aria and other integrations

Football hub for tracking World Cup stats and match details

Cross-device syncing with Opera desktop

Chrome on Android does not include a VPN, an ad blocker, or a football hub as native features. Users seeking those capabilities on Chrome typically need to install separate apps or extensions, which is not straightforward on mobile.

DMA-Driven Growth in Europe and Chrome’s Response

The EU's Digital Markets Act has altered how default browsers are managed on Android devices in Europe. Now, when users set up a new Android device, they see a screen offering a choice of browsers rather than Chrome being set as the default automatically. This change has given a boost to browsers like Opera, Firefox, DuckDuckGo…