Topline
OpenAI's ChatGPT, which remains the top AI chatbot, has experienced a decline in its global app download market share over the past year, as the rapidly expanding competitor Claude has gained significant traction, according to data from the market research company Sensor Tower provided to .
Key Facts
According to Sensor Tower, which tracked the number of downloads for six top AI applications, ChatGPT made up 47% of all downloads for these apps worldwide during the second quarter of 2026 thus far, marking a decrease from its previous level of control—during the second quarter of 2025, ChatGPT represented 67% of total AI app downloads, as noted by insights analyst Kara Lee.
In its early stages, ChatGPT rapidly gained popularity as thefastest-growingA consumer application that reached 100 million users within two months of its release, by January 2023.
Google's Gemini continues to rank as the second most popular AI app, holding 22% of downloads in Q2 2026, although this is lower than its highest point of 34% in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Claude by Anthropic has experienced the greatest increase in recent months, making up 14% of AI app downloads in Q2 2026 to date, compared to just 1% of AI app downloads each quarter in 2025.
ChatGPT's monthly active users have increased by 67% compared to the same period in 2025, as reported by Sensor Tower for the second quarter of 2026, although this growth is significantly slower than that of Claude, which has seen a 627% rise in monthly active users over the same timeframe, according to the same source.
Although ChatGPT remains the top choice for AI chatbot users, Sensor Tower reported that its data indicates consumers this year "might be more willing to try alternative AI options than in 2025."
Where Else Is ChatGPT's Market Share Decreasing?
According to data from Similarweb, ChatGPT's share of website visits within the AI chatbot sector has decreased over the last year. In April 2026, ChatGPT made up 53.7% of all traffic to AI chatbot websites, as reported bySimilarweb, a decrease from the 77.6% of AI chatbot website visits it had a year earlier. During the same time, traffic to Gemini and Claude increased significantly. In April, Gemini made up 26.7% of all AI web visits (an increase from approximately 7% the previous year), while Claude accounted for roughly 8% of AI chatbot web visits (up from around 1% the prior year).
Is Chatgpt Plateauing?
Even though ChatGPT continues to be ahead of its rivals, its website traffic has remained largely unchanged this year, as reported by Similarweb. As of April, ChatGPT's global web traffic increased by only 7% compared to the previous year, with an average of 183.7 million visits per day that month—slightly down from the 184.6 million daily visits recorded in January. Likewise, the total number of daily active users on ChatGPT's mobile apps has seen minimal growth in 2026 so far, according to Similarweb. In April, ChatGPT had an average of 245 million daily active users on mobile apps globally, a small rise from the 241 million average daily active users recorded in January, as per Similarweb data.
Why Is Claude Surging?
Claude experienced a sudden surgeof app downloads earlier this year when Anthropic openly conflicted with the Department of Defense regarding a contract disagreement, increasing the chatbot's national visibility and igniting an ongoing rivalry between the AI company and the Trump administration. In February, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei wroteblog postclaiming he opposed the administration's use of Anthropic technology for widespread domestic monitoring and to fuel autonomous weapons, leading to an immediate response from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who classified Anthropic as a threat to national security, and President Donald Trump, whocalledit's a "radical left, woke" company. During the subsequent week, Claude app downloads increased by 55% compared to the previous week, according to data from Similarweb. OpenAI—which quickly made adealAmid its conflict with Anthropic, the Defense Department witnessed a 5.6% drop in ChatGPT app downloads during the same timeframe, as reported by Similarweb, with some users calling for a boycott of ChatGPT. During the Defense Department's controversy, Anthropic introduced a feature enabling users to transfer their data from other chatbots into Claude, allowing Claude to quickly adapt to the user's history and preferences, likely aiming to attract users from rivals. Greg Feingold, a special projects manager at Anthropic, announced the update in aposton X, stating: "Prepared to switch?"
What To Watch For
OpenAI is getting ready to submit paperwork for an initial public offering soon, theWall Street Journalreported last week, referencing individuals who are not named but are aware of the situation, with the intention of launching publicly by September. Anthropic, which the Journal alsoreportedis anticipated to achieve its initial profitable quarter during the second quarter of 2026, and is also reportedly aiming for an IPO this year.
Further Reading
Claude Experiences Surge as Defense Department Faces Controversy—Downloads Rise 55%()
Elon Musk's Grok Experiences a Decline in Users During 2026 Amidst Growing Competition()
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