Google Gemini closes the gap on ChatGPT with faster downloads and rising engagement

Gemini, ChatGPT

New figures from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower indicate that ChatGPT, still the dominant AI chatbot globally, is beginning to see its expansion slow. The OpenAI-owned app continues to lead with 50 percent of global mobile downloads and 55 percent of monthly active users, but its recent trajectory signals a shift in the competitive landscape.

As of November 2025, ChatGPT’s global monthly active users were up 180 percent year-on-year. Yet between August and November, MAUs grew only around 6 percent, edging up to roughly 810 million. Sensor Tower suggests this flattening curve points to early signs of market saturation.

Google’s Gemini, meanwhile, is strengthening its position. Its global monthly active users jumped by about 30 percent over the same period, fuelled largely by the popularity of its new image generation model, Nano Banana. Year-on-year, Gemini’s MAUs are up 170 percent. The firm also highlighted a notable Android advantage: twice as many U.S. Android users now access Gemini directly through the operating system than via the standalone app, a structural edge in markets where Android dominates.

Gemini’s overall share of the AI chatbot market has risen by three percentage points in the past seven months. By contrast, ChatGPT’s share slipped by a similar margin over the last four months. Rival chatbots are adding pressure too. Perplexity saw a staggering 370 percent year-on-year jump, while Claude climbed 190 percent.

Downloads paint a similar picture. ChatGPT’s installs grew 85 percent year-on-year, trailing the cohort’s 110 percent average. Perplexity led with 215 percent growth, followed by Gemini at 190 percent.

User engagement is another area where Google has pulled ahead. Gemini’s daily time spent more than doubled in recent months, hitting 11 minutes per day in November, up 120 percent from March. Much of this spike is credited to Nano Banana’s surge in popularity. ChatGPT’s daily time spent grew only 6 percent over the same window and dipped 10 percent in November compared with July.

The data helps explain OpenAI’s urgency and its recent internal “code red” memo, where CEO Sam Altman pushed teams to accelerate improvements across personalisation, reliability and image generation. Despite its massive lead, ChatGPT’s slowing growth and rising rivals show the AI chatbot race is anything but settled.