ChatGPT Leads 2025 AI Market as User Numbers Reach Record Highs

The latest data from Similarweb and the Global AI Tracker shows a dramatic shift in the generative artificial intelligence (AI) sector. As of May 2025, OpenAI’s ChatGPT has established itself as the clear leader in user adoption, accounting for approximately 80% of all generative AI website traffic. This amounts to 5.5 billion visits in just one month, far outpacing every other major AI model combined.

ChatGPT’s lead is not only large—it is overwhelming. Its total traffic is greater than the combined totals for Google’s Gemini, DeepSeek, Grok, Perplexity, and Claude, and then doubled. This level of usage suggests that ChatGPT is no longer just one of several competing AI models; it has become the default conversational AI assistant for users worldwide.

The data further shows that ChatGPT reached over 500 million weekly active users by late March 2025. On mobile, the app has averaged more than 250 million monthly active users since late 2024. While OpenAI’s partnership with Microsoft contributed to its growth, the scale of adoption points to something deeper. ChatGPT has succeeded not just because it was early to the market, but because it met a fundamental demand for a reliable, easy-to-use AI assistant.

Despite a short dip in user traffic in early 2025, ChatGPT quickly recovered, achieving new record highs. This resilience is notable in a rapidly changing technology sector where competitors regularly introduce new models and features.

One of the most notable competitors is DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup. DeepSeek experienced a dramatic rise, with monthly users jumping from 33.7 million in January to 436 million visits in May—a 13-fold increase in just five months. DeepSeek managed this surge even while using less advanced Nvidia H800 chips due to export controls. The company’s operational costs are significantly lower than those of OpenAI, with input tokens costing just $0.55 compared to OpenAI’s $15. Most of DeepSeek’s growth comes from China, India, and Indonesia, which together account for over half of its users. This points to a regional divide, with DeepSeek building its presence in markets that Western AI companies have not fully reached.

Google, despite its resources and integration into billions of devices, lags behind ChatGPT and even trails DeepSeek in user adoption. In May 2025, Google’s Gemini AI platform recorded 527.7 million visits. While this is a sizable figure, it is modest when compared to ChatGPT’s numbers. Gemini’s traffic has shown signs of growth, but it remains unclear whether it can close the gap.

Anthropic’s Claude, backed by significant investments and seen as technically advanced in several benchmarks, has also failed to achieve wide adoption. In May 2025, Claude attracted less than 100 million visits, a figure that does not compare to ChatGPT’s billions. Even though Claude outperforms competitors in certain reasoning and creative tasks, it has not translated these technical strengths into widespread user engagement.

Meta, with its Llama models, continues to contribute significantly to open-source AI, but its tools are less visible as primary choices among end-users. Many users do not rely on Meta’s AI chatbots as their first option for AI-powered assistance.

This rise in AI usage has not happened without consequences for traditional internet businesses. According to Similarweb, websites like Chegg have lost 64% of their traffic as students turn to free AI-powered homework help from ChatGPT. Quora’s traffic dropped 51%, while freelance platforms like Fiverr saw a 14% decline. In contrast, platforms focused on code completion, DevOps, voice generation, and automation have reported year-over-year growth, reflecting a shift in how digital tasks are being completed.

The Similarweb and Global AI Tracker data underline a key lesson for the technology industry: technical superiority does not guarantee user adoption. Products that dominate in technical benchmarks may still fail to capture a large audience. ChatGPT’s popularity shows that users are attracted to tools that are easy to use and meet practical needs, not just those that lead in research or innovation.

The overall trend also points to a period of disruption across sectors. EdTech platforms, discussion forums, and freelance marketplaces are losing ground, while new AI-powered automation and creative tools are expanding. The widespread adoption of AI assistants like ChatGPT has already begun to change how people search for information, complete work, and interact online.