Generative AI Market Share: ChatGPT Retains Lead as Gemini Surges
New data indicates that while ChatGPT remains the dominant force in the generative artificial intelligence (AI) market, Google's Gemini is rapidly closing the gap, more than doubling its web traffic share over the past year. As of today, Similarweb data reveals ChatGPT commands 72.3% of generative AI traffic share. However, Gemini has solidified its position in second place, now holding a significant 13.7% share, marking the first time any AI platform other than ChatGPT has exceeded 10% of total gen-AI web traffic within the last year. This surge highlights a palpable shift in the competitive landscape that's been developing for some time.
A Year of Shifting Dynamics in AI Traffic
The artificial intelligence race, kicked off by OpenAI's ChatGPT in late 2022, has seen intense competition, with Google, Meta, Microsoft, and others vying for market share. One year ago, ChatGPT held an imposing 86.6% of generative AI traffic share. At that point, Gemini, while in the second spot, accounted for a modest 5.6% of the total traffic. Things certainly got interesting, didn't they?
The period saw some volatility. DeepSeek, for instance, experienced a sudden surge in late 2024, briefly surpassing Gemini with 6.1% traffic share six months ago. Gemini's share was 5.9% then, indicating steady, albeit slower, growth. But DeepSeek's momentum wasn't sustained; its traffic share dropped to 3.9% three months ago, falling behind Gemini once more. In contrast, Gemini has demonstrated remarkably consistent growth, claiming 8.6% of generative AI traffic share three months ago and then 12.9% two months later. Simultaneously, ChatGPT's share dipped to 74.1%, illustrating the ongoing erosion of its initial dominance. Gemini stands out as the sole AI platform to achieve growth across every data period tracked by Similarweb, a testament to its consistent upward trajectory.
Gemini's Growth Drivers: Ecosystem and User Focus
Gemini's impressive climb isn't just a matter of numbers; there are clear strategic factors at play. Google's AI blog, updated on 2025-11-12, credits increased user adoption to the December 2024 release of Gemini 2.0. This updated model brought significant improvements in multimodal capabilities, such as enhanced image and video processing, alongside deeper integration with Google's extensive ecosystem, including Search and Android. This strategic embeddedness appears to be a major differentiator.Indeed, Similarweb data from 2025-10-22 indicated a substantial 70% increase in unique visitors for Gemini in September 2025. Further analysis by Similarweb on 2025-11-12 suggests Gemini's strong performance in mobile accessibility, especially for casual users seeking voice queries. This contrasts with more desktop-heavy tools like Claude, often preferred by "power users." Google's reports further specify stronger Gemini adoption in Android-centric regions like India and Southeast Asia, suggesting that regional device integration plays a crucial role in its accelerating growth. Meanwhile, OpenAI continues to enhance ChatGPT with advanced reasoning in GPT-4o models and enterprise integrations, but these haven't stemmed its relative share dip.
Broader Competitive Landscape and User Trends
The generative AI market is clearly experiencing dynamic shifts. While ChatGPT maintains absolute scale, notably reaching 6 billion visits in October 2025, its relative market share is undoubtedly under pressure. Similarweb data from 2025-11-10 highlights a rising overlap in user bases, with 14.3% of users engaging with both Google and ChatGPT in October 2025, up from 10.0% in January. This suggests users are increasingly employing multiple AI tools, a trend that benefits strong challengers like Gemini. Broader industry projections align, with the gen-AI market expected to exceed $100 billion by 2026, and Google well-positioned to capitalize through its ecosystem advantages. While other competitors like Anthropic's Claude and Perplexity also see varying degrees of growth, Gemini's consistent momentum firmly establishes it as the primary challenger to ChatGPT's market leadership. The AI race is far from over; it seems to be just getting started.