In early January 2026, new data from digital analytics firm Similarweb revealed a major shift in the global generative AI assistant landscape. The Global AI Tracker by Google reveals that the Gemini platform1 of the company has grown greatly in share of direct web traffic, whereas OpenAI’s ChatGPT only has a smaller share compared to the previous year. The trend demonstrates changes in user behavior, the role of integrating global AI players amidst competition and rivalries among the best AI platforms. It is necessary for *verticals* like business, development, and content strategy to be aware of these dynamics in order to make the most out of the AI platforms for customer engagement, brand experiences, and their technology road maps.
Overview: The Latest Traffic Share Data from Similarweb
According to Similarweb’s tracker snapshot for early 2026:
- ChatGPT accounted for roughly 64–64.5% of worldwide traffic share among generative AI chatbot websites.
- Google Gemini’s share rose to approximately 21–21.5%.
- Smaller platforms like DeepSeek (≈3.7%) and Grok (≈3.4%) also hold modest portions of market attention.
This shift reflects notable redistribution compared with the previous year, when ChatGPT’s share hovered near 86–87% and Gemini’s was just over 5%.
Why This Shift Matters
Traffic share data like this functions as a barometer of user engagement and platform momentum, especially where direct web visits are measured. It’s important to understand its context:
- Traffic share measures direct visits to web portals, not API usage or embedded AI experiences in apps, operating systems, or search engines.
- Tools might still be widely used behind the scenes through integrations that trackers don’t capture.
- Nonetheless, changes in web traffic reveal real shifts in user preferences and platform visibility.
Because of this, the data shows relative strength in consumer attention toward different AI platforms, even if total usage across all touchpoints remains much broader.
ChatGPT: Still Market Leader, But Losing Ground
Despite its decline in traffic share, ChatGPT continues to lead the AI chatbot space, serving hundreds of millions of users worldwide. However, recent trends signal a flattening growth trajectory, with daily visits dropping significantly over recent weeks.
A Similarweb analysis shows:
- ChatGPT’s average daily visits decreased by about 22% over a six-week period — from approximately 203 million to 158 million.
- During the same period, Gemini’s traffic remained broadly stable (≈55–60 million daily visits), narrowing the usage gap.
Industry experts note that this doesn’t indicate a collapse of user interest — but rather a maturation and diversification of where users interact with AI tools.
Why ChatGPT’s Relative Share Is Declining
Several factors contribute to this shift:
- Market Maturity: ChatGPT’s early explosive growth naturally slowed as the market matured.
- Expanded Competition: Users now have more high-quality alternatives — including Google Gemini and niche platforms.
- Ecosystem Constraints: ChatGPT primarily operates as a standalone web or app experience, limiting passive exposure compared to platforms integrated into widely used systems.
Despite these changes, ChatGPT remains deeply used, especially among developers, researchers, and content creators using it for conversational AI, coding assistance, and language tasks.
Google Gemini: A Rising Challenger
Gemini’s growth is more than just a numbers trend — it reflects strategic deployment and product design that leverage Google’s broader ecosystem.
Key Drivers of Gemini’s Gains
1. Deep Ecosystem Integration
Unlike traditional standalone tools, Gemini is woven into multiple Google products:
- Google Search — AI enhancements and assistant features
- Android OS — system-level access
- Google Workspace — productivity tools
- Chrome and other consumer apps
This omnipresent integration exposes users to Gemini in everyday contexts — from search assistance to document summarization — without requiring explicit visits to a dedicated web portal.
2. Feature Expansion
Gemini’s evolving capabilities — particularly in multimodal reasoning and enhanced model performance — have increased its relevance across creative, analytical, and productivity use cases. Newer versions of Gemini have expanded support for text, images, and complex tasks, broadening appeal.
3. Stable Engagement Patterns
Unlike ChatGPT’s declining web visits, Gemini has maintained relatively steady traffic, indicating consistent interest or habitual usage among audiences engaging with Google products.
Broader AI Assistant Trends Beyond ChatGPT and Gemini
While ChatGPT and Gemini dominate the headlines, several other platforms are gaining traction, albeit from a smaller base:
- DeepSeek remains one of the larger niche platforms with around 3.7% share.
- Grok — linked with Elon Musk’s X ecosystem — has also improved usage metrics.
- Specialized tools like Perplexity, Claude, and Microsoft Copilot maintain presence in research, coding, and enterprise segments.
These shifts reflect broader evolution in the AI space, where use cases are diversifying and users are no longer using only one platform for all needs.
Interpreting Traffic Share: What It Does — and Doesn’t — Tell Us
Traffic share should be interpreted carefully:
What It Does Show
- Relative user engagement with web portals
- Trends in direct visits, which can indicate curiosity, preference, or brand affinity
- Competitive momentum between platforms
What It Doesn’t Show
- API usage — many AI interactions happen in embedded contexts across apps and services
- Integration-driven engagement — e.g., Android or Workspace interactions aren’t fully captured
- Distribution through indirect channels such as voice assistants or device-level experiences
Because of these limitations, web traffic share is a partial snapshot, not a complete metric of total usage.
Strategic Implications for Businesses and Developers
The current traffic share trends have real implications for organizations building with or around generative AI:
1. Don’t Rely on a Single Platform
With multiple AI assistants gaining traction, companies should consider multi-platform strategies to ensure broad visibility and reach.
2. Leverage Ecosystem Integrations
Platforms embedded in dominant ecosystems (like Google’s) can drive passive usage, making them powerful channels for brand discovery and engagement.
3. Use Analytics for Context
Internal analytics remain the most reliable indicator of how users engage with AI tools — especially where integration obscures direct web traffic data reported by third-party trackers.
4. Optimize for Specific Use Cases
Different AI systems excel at different tasks, and aligning use cases (e.g., research vs creative content generation) can improve outcomes regardless of platform share.
Real-World Examples and Trends
Several contemporary developments underscore these shifts:
- Gemini’s traffic growth has mirrored enhancements following its model updates in late 2025, leading to a 28 % increase on the web in December alone.
- ChatGPT’s web traffic declines in early 2026 have coincided with broader strategic shifts at OpenAI, prompting internal resource focus on improvement and differentiation.
- Other platforms, such as Perplexity and Claude continue to attract niche usage, particularly in research and productivity workflows.
These patterns suggest the AI space is transitioning from exploratory phase to practical utility — where distribution and context matter as much as raw performance.
FAQs: AI Traffic Share Trends
Q1: Is ChatGPT still the most used AI assistant?
Yes. ChatGPT remains the largest in terms of global web traffic share, even though its portion has declined compared to previous years.
Q2: Why is Gemini gaining share?
Gemini’s integration into Google’s ecosystem and its widening feature set have boosted usage, making the platform more accessible across search, Android, and productivity tools.
Q3: Does web traffic capture all AI usage?
No. It only captures direct visits to chatbot websites and doesn’t include API calls or embedded usage in apps and OS features.
Q4: Are other AI platforms growing too?
Yes. DeepSeek, Grok, Perplexity, Claude, and Copilot all hold smaller but growing positions in the market.
Q5: What should businesses do with this data?
Use it for strategic planning, but prioritize internal analytics and multi-platform engagement rather than solely relying on third-party traffic share metrics.
Conclusion
As per the most recent traffic data from Similarweb, 2026 is characterized by a vibrant and competitive AI assistants market where Google Gemini is gradually taking over while ChatGPT is losing ground in terms of web traffic share compared to a year ago. Although ChatGPT is still number one, Gemini’s rise reveals the significance of integrating ecosystems and having multiple-user engagement strategies. For companies and developers that are in this market, it is going to be crucial for them to use flexible, context-sensitive methods in AI integration, analytics, and platform recognition for their long-term success to be assured.
If you want, I can also perform a comparative performance analysis of AI assistants based on mobile application usage, API integration patterns, and trends in enterprise versus consumer engagement.