ChatGPT's global market share dropped below 50% for the first time in May 2026, falling to 46.4%. The decline marks a shift in the AI chatbot landscape as competitors gain ground.
Gemini and Claude capture significant shares
The data comes from Sensor Tower and was reported by TechCrunch. ChatGPT still leads with over 1.1 billion monthly users, but its share has eroded significantly.
Gemini reached 27.7% market share, while Claude captured 10.3%. Gemini has 662 million monthly users, and Claude has 245 million.
OpenAI began testing ads in ChatGPT in February 2026. By May, 17% of daily users saw ads. Amazon blocked ChatGPT's web crawler, causing referral traffic to stagnate, while Walmart and others gained.
AI app downloads are expected to reach 2.3 billion in the first half of 2026, with over $4.2 billion in spending. ChatGPT reached 1 billion monthly users faster than any other app, according to Sensor Tower. Claude has the highest subscription conversion rate at 13%.
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