12-01-2026Google Gemini usage rises while ChatGPT declines
There is fierce competition among AI providers to attract the most users, and the fact that AI or artificial intelligence is here to stay is no longer news to most people. You see it more and more often, not only on websites, but also on YouTube, Facebook, and almost all other social media. In texts, videos that have been created or subtitled or set to music with it. And in social media posts that also use these methods of content creation.
New figures from Similarweb show that Google Gemini is rapidly gaining ground in the market for generative AI chatbots, while ChatGPT is losing market share. The data shows how user behavior is changing and what this means for content creation, search behavior, and online visibility.
ChatGPT remains the market leader, but growth is flattening
According to Similarweb's Global AI Tracker (January 2026), ChatGPT remains the largest provider, accounting for 64.5% of all global visits to AI chatbot websites. However, this is a significant decline from the previous year, when ChatGPT accounted for about 86% of traffic.
During the same period, Google Gemini experienced explosive growth, increasing its market share from 5% to 21.5%. In the last 12 weeks, visits to Gemini have risen by as much as 49%, while ChatGPT has lost 22% of its traffic during the same period.
Important to note: Similarweb only measures direct website visits. Usage via apps, APIs, integrated assistants, or integrations (e.g., in browsers or software) is not taken into account.
Why Gemini is growing so fast
Gemini's growth can be explained in part by its strong integration into the Google ecosystem. Consider, for example:
•Android devices
•Google Workspace (Docs, Gmail, Sheets)
•Close link to Google Search
This means that users have little hesitation in trying Gemini, especially if they already use Google services on a daily basis.
Other AI tools remain small in comparison:
• DeepSeek: 3.7%
•Grok: 3.4%
•Perplexity and Claude: both around 2%
AI tools specifically designed for creating written content are experiencing a general decline, with the following providers all losing traffic to their websites and tools. Providers such as Jasper, Writesonic, and Rytr have all lost traffic, with declines of up to 16%. This suggests that users are increasingly opting for all-in-one AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Gemini rather than individual text generation tools.
Specialized AI tools, such as those for generating music, videos, or images, will also face a somewhat uncertain future in light of this news. If people increasingly choose to use one general-purpose tool instead of several for different tasks, this could also mean a general decline for them in the future.
What does this mean for search traffic?
Interestingly, traditional search engines are hardly seeing any decline. Similarweb sees only a 1% to 3% decline in search traffic on an annual basis.
However, the Q&A landscape is shifting:
Reddit: +12%
Quora: –53%
This suggests that users are asking their questions differently and looking for answers in other places without search collapsing overall. Reddit is a social media website that is structured somewhat differently than many others. It is more inviting to read questions and answers from users. And written content takes a prominent place, rather than just images and other media as on other social media sites.
For example, a user who asks which water bottles are best for sports will mainly find written answers from real people who, ideally, have no ulterior motives.
Instead of the answer to the same question from ChatGPT:
Why this is relevant for website operators
For entrepreneurs and marketers, these figures show where users' attention is focused. This has an impact on:
• Online visibility
• Brand mentions in AI responses
• Traffic and referrals from AI platforms
Important: Consider this a snapshot. Much of AI usage takes place outside the web, for example via apps or integrated functions. Your own website analytics therefore remain the best benchmark. We recommend continuing to focus on writing and creating the best content that your users want to see. And try to drive traffic to your website in as many ways as possible. Relying on a single source of traffic has not been the most sensible approach for quite some time, as the situation can change overnight. So try out several things and find out where your target audience spends most of their time.
Traffic to your website remains an important success factor for everyone, whether you run a web shop, offer software, or maintain an entertaining hobby blog. Without traffic to your website, the purpose of a website is often lost.
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