Key facts
- ChatGPT's global market share has fallen below 50% for the first time, reaching 46.4% by May.
- Google's Gemini now holds 27.7% market share, followed by Anthropic's Claude at 10.3%.
- Users are increasingly switching between AI assistants, with brand trust and values alignment influencing decisions.
- AI app downloads are projected to reach 2.3 billion and spending to exceed $4.2 billion in the first half of 2026.
- Claude leads in user conversion to paid subscriptions, with 13% of its users subscribing.
- OpenAI is gradually increasing ads within ChatGPT, with 17% of daily users seeing them by May.
ChatGPT's dominance in the AI assistant market has waned, with its global market share falling below 50% for the first time since its release. The shift, detailed in Sensor Tower's State of AI Report for 2026, sees users migrating to competitors like Google's Gemini and Anthropic's Claude.
While ChatGPT remains the most popular AI assistant with over 1.1 billion monthly users, its market share dipped to 46.4% by May, compared to Gemini's 27.7% and Claude's 10.3%. This change is attributed to users increasingly switching between assistants, with factors like brand trust and values alignment playing a role, as seen in the user uninstalls following OpenAI's deal with the U.S. Department of Defense.
The AI assistant market is showing signs of maturation, with download and spending growth rates decelerating despite absolute numbers climbing. Projections for the first half of 2026 indicate nearly 2.3 billion AI app downloads and over $4.2 billion in spending, a significant increase from the previous year. However, Asia, despite leading in downloads, lags in spending, with China and India showing download declines.
Users are increasingly willing to pay for premium features, with Claude standing out with a 13% conversion rate for subscription plans. OpenAI is also exploring monetization through advertising, with 17% of daily ChatGPT users seeing ads by May. ChatGPT is also deepening its shopping integrations, driving referral traffic to retailers, though Amazon has seen stagnant traffic due to blocked web crawlers.