ChatGPT’s rapid global expansion is beginning to slow, even as it remains the dominant AI chatbot worldwide, according to new data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. The OpenAI-owned app accounts for 50% of global mobile downloads and 55% of monthly active users, but Google’s Gemini is now outpacing it in key growth indicators, including downloads, active users, and time spent in-app.
Sensor Tower’s data shows that ChatGPT’s global monthly active users rose 180% year-on-year as of November 2025, while Gemini climbed 170%. However, ChatGPT’s recent quarterly growth appears to be flattening, increasing only 6% from August to November to reach an estimated 810 million users. The firm suggests the slowdown could indicate approaching market saturation. Gemini, meanwhile, recorded a 30% jump in active users over the same period, driven largely by the rollout of Google’s image generation model, Nano Banana.
The report also shows that Gemini is benefiting from deep integration into the Android operating system, with twice as many U.S. Android users accessing the chatbot through system-level features compared with the standalone Gemini app. Sensor Tower notes that Android’s global dominance may give Google a competitive edge as Gemini’s usage expands across mobile and web interfaces.
Across top AI chatbot apps—including ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude, Perplexity, and Grok—Gemini increased its share of global monthly active users by three percentage points in the past seven months. ChatGPT’s share fell by three points between August and November, while rivals Perplexity and Claude posted triple-digit year-on-year growth of 370% and 190%, respectively. Gemini’s time spent per user has also surged, up more than 120% since March to 11 minutes daily in November, compared with ChatGPT’s 6% increase over the same period.
Despite the shifting momentum, both ChatGPT and Gemini continue to show strong global adoption, and analysts say future product releases—particularly OpenAI’s response to Google’s recent gains—will shape the next phase of competition in the generative AI market.
