In August 2026, the monthly active user base of the Yandex with Alice AI application grew by 31% year-on-year and by 12% compared to June. Downloads for the Yandex Browser increased by 5%, while the Yandex with Alice AI app saw a 2.4% rise in downloads.
Conversely, foreign browsers experienced a decline in popularity. Google Chrome downloads dropped by 3%, and Opera saw a 19% decrease. As of October 1, 2026, the Yandex Browser is active on more than 95 million devices.
The shift is attributed to the revocation of foreign SSL certificates for Russian websites. Many foreign browsers faced access issues, whereas Yandex Browser supports the National Certification Authority certificates and the GOST TLS protocol.
Starting March 1, 2027, the Ministry of Digital Development will introduce ten types of security certificates with strict classification. Users of Apple devices often switch to Android or native banking apps when facing certificate-related access issues.
