The End of the AI Honeymoon? ChatGPT Market Share Falls Below 50% for First Time
Sensor Tower said ChatGPT fell to 46.4% by May as Gemini and Claude gained share and users switched among AI assistants.
- ChatGPT's global market share fell to 46.4% by May's end, marking the first time it dipped below 50% as users migrated to Google's Gemini at 27.7% and Anthropic's Claude at 10.3%, according to Sensor Tower's 2026 report.
- Despite the decline, ChatGPT remains the most popular AI assistant with over 1.1 billion monthly users, though the competitive landscape is shifting rapidly more than three and a half years after the chatbot's initial release.
- OpenAI is evolving its monetization strategy beyond subscriptions, serving ads to 17% of daily users by May and sending referral traffic to retailers including Walmart, Target, and Costco through shopping integrations.
- Specific events like OpenAI's February deal with the Department of Defense triggered measurable uninstalls, indicating brand trust and values alignment significantly influence user retention alongside feature functionality.
- Sensor Tower estimates hours spent on AI apps will increase from 17.2 billion in 2025 to roughly 36 billion in 2026, with users on pace to spend over $4.2 billion on these platforms this year.
26 Articles
26 Articles
ChatGPT’s market share slips to a historic new low
ChatGPT's sizable lead in the world of AI assistants is slipping, bit by bit.Analytics firm Sensor Tower released its annual State of AI report (as cited by TechCrunch) this week, which contained the news that OpenAI's flagship chatbot no longer has a majority of market share in the AI space. As recently as January, ChatGPT still had more than 50 percent of total AI market share, but now, it's down to 46.4 percent, per Sensor Tower. SEE ALSO: E…
ChatGPT's Market Share Falls Below 50% for the First Time; Gemini and Claude Intensify Pursuit. It has been revealed that the global market share of OpenAI's AI model, ChatGPT, has dropped below 50% for the first time. Analysts suggest that users are being dispersed to competing services such as Google's Gemini and Antropic's Claude. (As of the 16th)
A sobering new sign for OpenAI as ChatGPT competitors gain ground
OpenAI ushered in the current AI era with the release of ChatGPT, but a lot of competitors have emerged since that day in November 2022. Now, ChatGPT’s share of the global AI assistant market has fallen to below 50% for the first time. According to the newly released “State of AI 2026” report from data analytics firm Sensor Tower, ChatGPT’s fall came in March, hitting just 46% by May. Sensor Tower measures market share through a “true audience” …
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