Where Else Is Chatgpt’s Market Share Sliding?
Data from Similarweb shows ChatGPT’s dominance in terms of website visits has also slid over the past year. In April 2026, ChatGPT accounted for 53.7% of all visits to AI chatbot websites, according to Similarweb, down from the 77.6% of AI chatbot website visits it accounted for one year prior. Over that same period, web visits to Gemini and Claude surged. In April, Gemini accounted for 26.7% of all AI web visits (up from about 7% the year prior) while Claude represented about 8% of AI chatbot web visits (up from roughly 1% the year before).
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Is Chatgpt Plateauing?
Though ChatGPT still maintains a strong lead over competitors, its web traffic has hardly budged this year, according to Similarweb. ChatGPT’s global web traffic is up just 7% year-over-year as of April, logging an average of 183.7 million web visits per day that month—which is actually a slight decrease from the 184.6 million daily average web visits it logged in January. Similarly, ChatGPT’s total number of daily active users on mobile apps has barely moved in 2026 so far, according to Similarweb. In April, ChatGPT had an average of 245 million daily active users on mobile apps worldwide, just a slight increase from the 241 million average daily active users it logged in January, Similarweb data shows.
Why Is Claude Surging?
Claude experienced a sudden surge of app downloads earlier this year when Anthropic publicly clashed with the Department of Defense over a contract dispute, raising the chatbot’s national profile and sparking a still-going feud between the AI company and the Trump administration. In February, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei wrote a blog post saying he objected to the administration’s use of Anthropic technology for mass domestic surveillance and to power autonomous weapons, prompting a swift rebuke from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who designated Anthropic as a supply chain risk to national security, and President Donald Trump, who called it a “radical left, woke” company. Over the following week, Claude app downloads surged 55% week-over-week, according to data from Similarweb. OpenAI—which swiftly struck a deal with the Defense Department amid its clash with Anthropic—saw a 5.6% decrease in app downloads for ChatGPT over the same period, according to Similarweb, as some users urged a ChatGPT boycott. Amid the Defense Department drama, Anthropic unveiled a feature that would allow users to import their data from other chatbots to Claude, making Claude instantly familiar with the user’s background and preferences, in an apparent bid to siphon users from competitors. Greg Feingold, a special projects manager at Anthropic, shared the update in a post on X, saying: “Ready to make the switch?”
What To Watch For
OpenAI is preparing to file for an initial public offering shortly, the Wall Street Journal reported last week, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter, with the goal of going public by September. Anthropic, which the Journal also reported is expected to have its first profitable quarter in the second quarter of 2026, is also reportedly targeting an IPO this year.
Further Reading
Claude Surges Amid Defense Department Drama—Downloads Up 55% (Forbes)
Elon Musk’s Grok Loses Users Throughout 2026 As Rivals Rise (Forbes)