ChatGPT leads the AI search race with an 80.1% market share, according to fresh data from Similarweb.
Over the last six months, OpenAI’s tool has maintained a strong lead despite ups and downs.
Meanwhile, traditional search engines are struggling to grow as AI tools reshape how people find information online.
GenAI Traffic Share update —
🗓️ 6 months ago:
ChatGPT: 86.7%
Google: 6.2%
Perplexity: 1.9%🗓️ 3 months ago:
ChatGPT: 79.8%
DeepSeek: 9.2%
Google: 4.9%
Perplexity: 1.8%🗓️ 1 month ago:
ChatGPT: 77.6%
DeepSeek: 7.6%
Google: 5.5%
Grok: 3.2%
Perplexity: 1.9%🗓️ Today:
ChatGPT:… pic.twitter.com/EQgBBNRf3U— Similarweb (@Similarweb) May 7, 2025
AI Search Market Share: Today’s Picture
The latest numbers show ChatGPT’s market share rebounding to 80.1%, up from 77.6% a month ago.
Here’s how the competition stacks up:
- DeepSeek: 6.5% (down from 7.6% last month)
- Google’s AI tools: 5.6% (up slightly from 5.5% last month)
- Perplexity: 1.5% (down from 1.9% last month)
- Grok: 2.6% (down from 3.2% last month)
These numbers are part of Similarweb’s bigger “AI Global” report (PDF link).
Traditional Search Engines Losing Ground
The most important finding may be that traditional search engines aren’t growing:
- Google: -2% year-over-year
- Bing: -18% year-over-year (a big drop from +18% in January)
- Yahoo: -11% year-over-year
- DuckDuckGo: -6% year-over-year
- Baidu: -12% year-over-year
Traditional search shows a steady decline of -1% to -2% compared to last year. It’s important to note, however, that Google has seven times the user base of ChatGPT.
Which AI Categories Are Growing Fastest
While AI is changing search, some AI categories are growing faster than others:
- DevOps & Code Completion: +103% (over 12 weeks)
- General AI tools: +34%
- Music Generation: +12%
- Voice Generation: +8%
On the other hand, some AI areas are shrinking, including Writing and content Generation (-12 %), Customer Support (11%), and Legal AI (70%).
Beyond Search: Other Affected Industries
AI’s impact goes beyond just search engines. Other digital sectors facing big changes include:
- EdTech: -28% year-over-year (with Chegg down 66% and CourseHero down 69%)
- Website Builders: -13% year-over-year
- Freelance Platforms: -19% year-over-year
Design platforms are still growing at +10% year over year, suggesting that AI might be helping rather than replacing these services.
What This Means
Traditional SEO still matters, but it isn’t enough. As traditional search traffic drops, you need to branch out.
Similarweb’s data shows consistent negative growth for traditional search engines alongside ChatGPT’s dominant market position, indicating a significant shift in information discovery patterns.
The takeaway for search marketers is to adapt to AI-driven search while keeping up with practices that work in traditional search. This balanced approach will be key to success in 2025 and beyond.
Featured Image: Fajri Mulia Hidayat/Shutterstock
