Google’s AI chatbot Gemini has surged past OpenAI’s ChatGPT to become the top-ranked free app on Apple’s App Store, signaling a major shift in the AI race.
This milestone highlights the rapidly growing demand for Gemini as users flock to explore its advanced features. It also intensifies competition between Google and OpenAI in the battle for dominance in the consumer AI space.
Reports reveal that Gemini has seen an influx of users lately, following the launch of its image editing tool, “Nano Banana”, last month. The tool, which enables users to edit and blend photos together for a brand new scene, has reportedly attracted 13 million new users.
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This was disclosed by Josh Woodward, head of the Gemini App, in a social media post last week. Also, the rollout of the Veo3 video generator, Google’s state-of-the-art model for generating high-fidelity videos, has continued to attract more users.
As of September 17, 2025, the Veo3 saw recent updates which include vertical video support, 1080p output, and reduced pricing, making it more affordable for creators. It’s also been integrated into YouTube Shorts for free, with simplified generation directly in the app.
Due to its innovative offerings, Veo 3 has been hailed as the “best AI video generator” in 2025 benchmarks, outperforming competitors like Kling AI or Runway in realism and audio quality, though it’s still limited to short clips.
As of July, the last time the company disclosed numbers, the Gemini app had more than 450 million monthly active users, CEO Sundar Pichai said in the company’s second-quarter earnings report. Projections indicate Gemini could reach 500 million users by the end of 2025, underscoring its rapid trajectory. In Q1 2025 alone, the platform saw over 825 million web visits, and it has been downloaded more than 80 million times overall since May 2024.
Gemini is now embedded in all 15 major Google products serving 500 million+ users, including Search (where AI Overviews reach 1.5 billion monthly users), Gmail, Docs, and Android devices like Pixel and Samsung Galaxy S25. Features like Gemini Live (with camera and screen sharing) have boosted daily usage by making it more accessible.
Market Share and Competitive Landscape
While Gemini is growing fast, it trails leaders like ChatGPT. In the US generative AI chatbot market as of September 2025, ChatGPT holds a 59.5% share, Gemini 13.4%, with Perplexity and Claude taking smaller slices. Gemini’s market share has slightly declined YTD amid post-launch hype fade, but quarterly user growth remains strong (e.g., 13 million new US users in May vs. ChatGPT’s 5 million).
Globally, ChatGPT has 700 million weekly active users (WAU) and ~600-800 million MAU, compared to Gemini’s 450 million MAU. Gemini leads in search augmentation (27% of assisted queries in Google Search) and developer adoption (over 7 million using the Gemini API, up 4x YoY; processes 480 trillion tokens monthly, up 50x YoY).
In app downloads, Gemini overtook ChatGPT in markets like the US and India, with 12.6 million downloads in early September (45% MoM growth) and 50 million+ new users since Nano Banana.
The growth of Gemini comes as Google-parent company Alphabet, on Monday reached a $3 trillion market valuation for the first time, entrenching its place in the ranks of the world’s most valuable companies and signaling the central role of artificial intelligence (AI) in propelling Big Tech’s dominance.
Overall, Gemini’s significant growth positions it as a strong contender, potentially challenging ChatGPT’s dominance through Google’s vast ecosystem. If trends continue, it could close the gap further by year-end, especially with upcoming updates like AI Mode in Search.