OpenAI’s ChatGPT has tightened its grip on the browser-based AI market, climbing back to a 55.5 percent share of global web traffic. This represents a notable recovery from the 52.7 percent low recorded just three months ago. Meanwhile, Google’s Gemini is losing momentum in the same channel, dropping from 27.8 percent to 25.6 percent after a brief surge. These figures, sourced from Similarweb, highlight a shifting dynamic where OpenAI stabilizes its lead while Google struggles to maintain its recent gains in direct web engagement.
The year-over-year picture tells a more complex story about market fragmentation. While ChatGPT still dominates, its overall web share has fallen significantly from 73.3 percent last year. That lost ground hasn’t just gone to Google. Anthropic’s Claude has emerged as a serious contender, growing its slice from a negligible 1.9 percent to a robust 9.3 percent. Other players like DeepSeek at 3.4 percent and Grok at 2.4 percent remain niche, but the rise of Claude suggests users are actively seeking alternatives to the two tech giants for specific workflows or privacy concerns.
However, treating these web stats as the full story would be a mistake. The data strictly measures browser visits, ignoring the massive mobile ecosystems that drive daily usage for both companies. Google likely captures far more actual interactions through Android push notifications and direct app openings that bypass the web entirely. Similarly, OpenAI is aggressively pushing its standalone mobile app and the new desktop-focused ChatGPT Work client. Neither of these high-engagement platforms appears in Similarweb’s tally, meaning the true usage gap may look very different from what the browser numbers suggest.
This divergence between web traffic and total engagement creates a blind spot for analysts relying solely on public metrics. If Gemini’s strength lies in deep OS integration while ChatGPT wins on standalone app loyalty, the battle isn’t just about who gets the most clicks on a homepage. It’s about who owns the default interface on your phone and laptop. As these companies move further away from the open web, traditional traffic metrics will become less reliable indicators of actual market dominance.
