ChatGPT's growth slows down as Google Gemini gains momentum
What's the story
OpenAI's popular AI chatbot, ChatGPT, is witnessing a slowdown in its growth rate. According to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, the platform still leads the pack with 50% of global mobile downloads and 55% of active users. However, Google's Gemini is catching up fast. The platform has outpaced ChatGPT in download growth, user engagement and time spent on the app.
Market dynamics
Gemini's rapid adoption and OpenAI's response
The rapid adoption of Gemini could help it close the gap with ChatGPT. This has prompted OpenAI to issue a "code red" memo, urging its staff to focus on improving their AI products. The areas of improvement include personalization, reliability, image generation among others. Despite the competition from Gemini, both platforms are still witnessing significant growth in their user base.
Growth metrics
User growth comparison between ChatGPT and Gemini
As of November 2025, ChatGPT's global monthly active users have grown by 180% year-on-year. Meanwhile, Gemini's user base has increased by a whopping 170%. However, the latest data shows that from August to November this year, ChatGPT's monthly active users grew by just about 6% to around 810 million. This could indicate that the AI chatbot is nearing market saturation.
Rising competition
Gemini's market share increase
In stark contrast, Gemini's global monthly active users surged by some 30% during the same period. This spike is attributed to the launch of its new image generation tool, Nano Banana. The report also noted that twice as many US Android users are now using Gemini natively through the Android OS than through the standalone Gemini app.
User interaction
Gemini's user engagement
Gemini is also gaining ground in the overall AI chatbot market against other top apps such as Copilot, Claude, Perplexity, and Grok. From May to November 2025, Gemini's share of global monthly active users increased by 3%. Meanwhile, ChatGPT's share dropped by 3% over the four-month period from August to November 2025.