Key Facts
- ✓ Gemini traffic increased by 28.4% month-over-month in December.
- ✓ ChatGPT traffic decreased by 5.6% month-over-month in December.
- ✓ ChatGPT attracted 5.5 billion visitors in December, compared to Gemini's 1.7 billion.
- ✓ Gemini's year-over-year traffic growth is 563.6%, while ChatGPT's is 49.5%.
Quick Summary
Recent data from Similarweb highlights a significant shift in web traffic between major AI platforms. Since the November launch of Google's Gemini 3, ChatGPT's web traffic has decreased by 5.6% month-over-month, while Gemini's traffic surged by 28.4% in December.
Despite this decline, ChatGPT retains a substantial lead with 5.5 billion visitors compared to Gemini's 1.7 billion. However, year-over-year growth rates show a stark contrast, with Gemini growing 563.6% versus ChatGPT's 49.5%.
The competitive pressure reportedly triggered an internal 'code red' at OpenAI, prompting CEO Sam Altman to prioritize ChatGPT development. Altman later acknowledged that the competition highlighted weaknesses in OpenAI's strategy that are being addressed.
📉 Traffic Trends and Market Share
Web traffic patterns indicate a tightening race in the artificial intelligence sector. Following the release of Gemini 3 Pro in November, Gemini web traffic has increased while ChatGPT web traffic has declined.
According to Similarweb data, the month-over-month changes in December were significant:
- Gemini traffic increased by 28.4%
- ChatGPT traffic decreased by 5.6%
While ChatGPT still holds a healthy lead in total visitor numbers, the growth rates suggest shifting tides. Year-over-year, Gemini's estimated site traffic is up 563.6%, compared to ChatGPT's 49.5% increase.
The data specifically tracks visits to chatgpt.com and gemini.google.com. It does not account for usage of consumer apps or other integrations, such as Google's AI overviews within Google Search.
"But it did — in the same way that DeepSeek did — identify some weaknesses in our product offering strategy, and we're addressing those very quickly."
— Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI
🚨 OpenAI's Internal Response
The competitive threat posed by Gemini 3 reportedly triggered a 'code red' status at OpenAI. In an internal Slack message, CEO Sam Altman informed staff that the company would prioritize ChatGPT while delaying other product plans.
By December, Altman indicated on the 'Big Technology' podcast that the emergency status would not last much longer, noting that such periods typically last six to eight weeks. He offered his assessment of the competition's impact:
"But it did — in the same way that DeepSeek did — identify some weaknesses in our product offering strategy, and we're addressing those very quickly."
Altman also stated that Gemini 3 did not have "the impact we were worried it might," despite the visible traffic shifts.
⚔️ The Broader AI Landscape
The competition extends beyond simple chatbot traffic. Google has leveraged its primary advantage: the ability to integrate AI directly into its widely used search products. This creates a challenge for OpenAI, which must convince users to visit its dedicated platform rather than utilizing Google's integrated tools.
Both companies are also competing in the image generation market. Google released its Nano Banana Pro AI image model, followed shortly after by OpenAI's launch of ChatGPT Images.
Despite the surge in Gemini traffic, ChatGPT remains the dominant player in terms of raw volume. In December, ChatGPT attracted 5.5 billion visitors, while Gemini came in second with 1.7 billion. Other competitors, including DeepSeek, Grok, Character.AI, Perplexity, and Claude, all trailed with fewer than 400 million visitors each.
