The Race for AI Chatbot Supremacy: Who’s Closing In on ChatGPT?

OpenAI’s ChatGPT continues to reign as the world’s most loved chatbot app, but new data indicates it faces growing competition. According to analytics firms Similarweb and Sensor Tower, rival services like Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s Copilot are rapidly gaining momentum.

Surge in Competition

Recent data from Similarweb highlights notable increases in traffic for several AI chatbot platforms. For instance, Google’s Gemini recorded an impressive 10.9 million average daily visits in March, reflecting a month-over-month growth of 7.4%. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Copilot also saw an uptick, reaching 2.4 million daily visits, which marks a 2.1% rise from February.

Other competitors are also making their mark in the digital landscape. Anthropic’s Claude achieved 3.3 million daily visits in March, while China’s DeepSeek chatbot surpassed 16.5 million visits in the same month. Interestingly, xAI’s Grok, which only launched its web app a few months ago, matched DeepSeek’s performance with 16.5 million average daily visits.

Despite these remarkable numbers, they pale in comparison to ChatGPT’s astounding 500 million weekly active users recorded in late March. David Carr, editor at Similarweb, observed that the competition for the No. 2 chatbot position is intense. "For March, DeepSeek holds second place despite a 25% traffic drop from February,” Carr explained to TechCrunch. “However, Grok from Elon Musk’s xAI is gaining traction, experiencing nearly 800% growth month-over-month.”

Growth in Mobile Chatbots

The excitement extends to mobile chatbot applications as well, which have seen significant user snowballs likely due to recent AI releases. Data from Sensor Tower revealed that the Claude app experienced a remarkable 21% week-over-week increase in active users in late February, coinciding with the unveiling of Anthropic’s latest AI model, Claude 3.7 Sonnet. Just two weeks earlier, Google’s Gemini 2.0 Flash model launch resulted in a staggering 42% uptick in its app’s weekly active users.

Abraham Yousef, a senior insights analyst at Sensor Tower, attributes this rising tide to more than just new models approaching consumers. Recently, Google added a “canvas” feature to Gemini, allowing users to preview coding project outputs. Anthropic, for its part, has been systematically enriching its Claude client with new tools and functionalities.

“The emergence of popular new AI models, coupled with increased consumer interest, fresh features, and a diverse range of applications, has ignited user growth for AI chatbot apps,” Yousef stated.

ChatGPT’s Commanding Lead

Despite the lively competition, ChatGPT is still on quite a comfortable pedestal. As of March, it boasts ten times the number of mobile app weekly active users compared to the collective totals of Gemini and Claude.

The story of ChatGPT could be likened to that of a seasoned runner in a marathon—the pace may be swift, but there are sprightly newcomers gaining ground behind. It’s an exciting time to watch the AI chatbot landscape evolve.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while ChatGPT continues to lead the pack, up-and-coming chatbots are proving that innovation in AI is far from stagnant. The competition is heating up, and it’s fascinating to see how these technologies will develop in the coming months.

The AI Buzz Hub team is excited to see where these breakthroughs take us. Want to stay in the loop on all things AI? Subscribe to our newsletter or share this article with your fellow enthusiasts.