ChatGPT Dominates AI Market with 80% Traffic Share in May 2025
In May 2025, ChatGPT solidified its position as the leader in the generative AI market, capturing a staggering 80% of total traffic with an impressive 5.5 billion visits. This overwhelming figure surpasses the combined traffic of key competitors like Google's Gemini, DeepSeek, Grok, Perplexity, and Claude. The extensive user base of ChatGPT cements its status as the go-to AI assistant for millions of users globally.
Resilience and Growth
Despite facing a minor decline in traffic earlier in 2025, ChatGPT quickly rebounded and achieved new heights, showcasing its resilience and unwavering popularity. A significant factor contributing to this success is the partnership between OpenAI and Microsoft. However, the massive adoption of ChatGPT suggests a fundamental shift towards conversational AI solutions that deliver exceptional performance.
Competitors in the Market
One notable contender in the AI space is the Chinese startup DeepSeek, which experienced a remarkable 13-fold surge in monthly visits, reaching 436 million by May from 33.7 million in January. Despite using lower-end Nvidia H800 chips due to export limitations, DeepSeek has successfully captured markets in China, India, and Indonesia, where Western AI firms have limited presence.
Google's AI performance, while deeply integrated across its ecosystem, has not exhibited significant growth. Gemini, with 527.7 million visits, marginally surpasses DeepSeek but its future popularity remains uncertain. On the other hand, Claude, supported by Amazon and Google, struggles to attract users, garnering less than 100 million visits in May 2025. This underlines the importance of user experience and practical functionality in the AI market.
Impact on Traditional Businesses
The advent of AI has significantly influenced conventional internet enterprises, leading to substantial declines in traffic for platforms like Chegg, Quora, and freelance sites such as Fiverr. Students have shifted to ChatGPT for better homework assistance, causing a 64% drop in Chegg's traffic, while Quora and freelance platforms witnessed declines of 51% and 14%, respectively. Conversely, AI-driven tools like DevOps, voice generation platforms, and automation tools have experienced notable growth rates of 41%, 14%, and 12% year-over-year.
Conclusion
Insights from Similarweb emphasize the crucial role of user adoption in the AI industry. While competitors prioritize technical capabilities, ChatGPT's emphasis on practicality and ease of use has captured the attention of users worldwide. OpenAI's strategy of prioritizing utility has propelled ChatGPT to the forefront of global adoption, setting a high standard for the evolving AI market.
