New data from Sensor Tower shows notable changes in AI chatbot use. ChatGPT still leads the global market, yet its growth rate is slowing.
At the same time, Google’s Gemini is increasing quickly across several major indicators. The findings suggest that the ongoing competition between the two systems is tightening.
The Lead
ChatGPT continues to dominate the global mobile market. It accounts for 50% of downloads and 55% of monthly active users worldwide.
These figures place it well ahead of competitors. Even so, the platform’s adoption rate has begun to cool.
Sensor Tower reports that ChatGPT’s global monthly active users rose by 180% year-over-year as of November 2025.
However, growth between August and November reached only about 6%. The platform now sits at roughly 810 million monthly active users.
The firm notes that this slower pace may indicate that ChatGPT is approaching market saturation.
OpenAI appears aware of the challenge. In a recent internal “code red” memo, CEO Sam Altman urged teams to strengthen key products.
He emphasised improvements in personalisation, reliability, image generation, and other core features.
Also read: OpenAI Faces Backlash After ChatGPT Suggests “Ads”
Gemini
While ChatGPT’s growth eases, Gemini is expanding at a faster rate. The platform saw its monthly active users increase by 170% year-over-year as of November.
Even more, Gemini gained about 30% more monthly active users between August and November alone.
A major driver of this surge is Gemini’s image generation model, known as Nano Banana. The feature launched in September and quickly attracted new users.
As a result, daily time spent in the app rose sharply. By November, Gemini users spent an average of 11 minutes per day in the app. This represents a 120% jump from March.
During the same period, ChatGPT’s daily time spent increased by only 6%. In addition, its time spent dropped by 10% between July and November.
Android Integration
In the United States, twice as many Android users engage with Gemini directly through the OS compared with those who use the standalone app.
This built-in access gives Google a strategic advantage; it reduces barriers to adoption and amplifies usage across regions where Android dominates.
Because Android holds a large share of the global smartphone market, this integration may widen Gemini’s reach far beyond its app footprint.
Market Share Changes
Sensor Tower’s report also tracks share changes among major AI chatbots.
Between May and November 2025, Gemini increased its share of global monthly active users by three percentage points.
Over the past four months, ChatGPT’s share declined by the same amount.
Smaller Rivals
Gemini is not the only platform gaining momentum. Perplexity and Claude both posted strong year-over-year growth in 2025.
Perplexity grew 370% and Claude grew 190%. Their results show a big demand for tools that offer new features or different user experiences.
Download trends further highlight the competition. ChatGPT’s global downloads grew 85% year-over-year as of November.
This is strong but still below the broader market’s average growth of 110%. Perplexity and Gemini outpaced all major competitors, with 215% and 190% download growth, respectively.
