ChatGPT’s grip on AI chatbot traffic is slipping fast. The OpenAI service dropped from 78% to 54% of web visits in just one year, while Google’s Gemini jumped from 7% to 27%.
This shift shows Google’s strategy is working. While everyone was watching ChatGPT make headlines, Google quietly built Gemini into its search engine and other products that billions already use.
The Quiet Takeover
The traffic data comes from Similarweb and only counts website visits, not mobile apps or business API usage. But it reveals how quickly things change in AI. ChatGPT had the field mostly to itself when it launched, but now faces serious competition.
Google’s advantage is obvious – they don’t need people to visit a separate website. Gemini appears right in Google Search, Gmail, and other services people already use daily. ChatGPT still requires a separate trip to OpenAI’s website.
The numbers also don’t include ChatGPT’s mobile app downloads or the millions of businesses using OpenAI’s technology behind the scenes. But web traffic often signals where casual users go first.
Other AI chatbots are also growing. Claude, Perplexity, and Microsoft’s Copilot are all grabbing small but increasing slices of the market.
Expect this competition to heat up. Google will likely integrate Gemini even deeper into Android phones and Chrome. Meanwhile, OpenAI is working on making ChatGPT available in more places beyond their website.
