ChatGPT traffic rebounds even as rivals gain ground

Data: Similarweb; Chart: Erin Davis/Axios

ChatGPT's web traffic rebounded over the past three months after a volatile first half of 2026, according to Similarweb data.

Why it matters: ChatGPT remains the leading AI chatbot by website visits even as competitors erode its market share.

The summer rebound coincided with Google's Gemini seeing its first traffic slowdown in nearly a year and a half.

Zoom in: September was ChatGPT's strongest month since October 2025 in terms of visits, per Similarweb.

As of last month, ChatGPT accounted for 57% of visits to eight of the world's largest AI platforms tracked by Similarweb.

Similarweb's analysis does not include visits to Google's AI Overviews, which are difficult to isolate from traditional searches.

ChatGPT's share of visits has risen from a low of 53% in June but remains below its 85.1% peak in November 2024 and its 2026 high of nearly 64% in January.

The intrigue: It's unclear why visits surged for ChatGPT in September, while Gemini and Claude did not see similar gains. Back-to-school season could be a factor, considering Claude's largely enterprise client user base.

ChatGPT's dip earlier this year coincided with major marketing and product expansion efforts from Anthropic and Google.

In January, Anthropic launched Claude Cowork, expanding Claude from a chatbot and coding tool to a true productivity suite. In March, Google made it possible for users to import their data from ChatGPT to Gemini.

Zoom out: While ChatGPT's website visits have fluctuated, app engagement remains strong.

Data: Axios research; Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios

In June, the ChatGPT app made history when it became the fastest-ever consumer app to reach 1 billion monthly active users.

According to Sensor Tower, ChatGPT was the most downloaded app in the world in 2025.

Yes, but: ChatGPT's downloads have slowed relative to competitors as it's matured, per Sensor Tower, even as app engagement remains strong, per Similarweb.

Claude has significantly outperformed peers in app downloads in 2026, per Sensor Tower. Other apps that have shown strong year-over-year gains include Gemini and Meta AI.

What to watch: While it's too soon to draw conclusions from preliminary data on Meta's personal AI agent Muse, which debuted in early September, reports suggest early user adoption has been strong.