Mozilla’s Firefox 4 browser has surpassedfive million downloadsin under 24 hours, more than doubling the number of downloads than Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9 in its first day.

Last week, Microsoft announced that it hadregistered 2.35 million downloadsof its newest browser in its first day on the market, an impressive figure considering the browser has been largely reviled over the past decade.

Choosing not to issue statements, Mozilla set up a download tracker on its website, allowing Firefox fans to view at-a-glance how well Firefox 4 was performing after it was publicly released for download less than 24 hours ago.

Mozilla’s Glowdownload counter stood at 5 million downloads at the time of writing, with Europe and North America accounting for the vast majority of downloads:

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Firefox 4 launched on all major desktop platforms, in over 80 languages. It features “dramatic speed and performance advancements”, App Tabs and Panorama, making it easier and more efficient to navigate the Web. It delivers privacy and security features like Do Not Track and Content Security Policy to give users control over their personal data and protect them online.

Firefox also incorporates Firefox Sync, powerful add-ons and extensions, as well as supporting modern Web technologies, including HTML5.

If you haven’t already downloaded the browser, you can do so here. If you are a Chrome user and want a fast browser, Firefox 4 might surprise you.

Story byMatt Brian

Matt is the former News Editor for The Next Web. You can follow him on Twitter, subscribe to his updates on Facebook and catch up with him(show all)Matt is the former News Editor for The Next Web. You can follow him onTwitter, subscribe to his updates onFacebookand catch up with him onGoogle+.

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