Competition among leading AI models is witnessing a significant change as the latest market data shows that Google's Gemini is growing at a rapid pace surpassing ChatGPT in many important metrics.
Gemini's monthly active users (MA Users) have increased by 30% in just the past three months, according to Sensor Tower, five times faster than ChatGPT's growth rate.
While ChatGPT still holds the leading position with 55% of global MAU and 50% of mobile downloads, the increase of this application from August to November is only about 6%, equivalent to 810 million users.
In contrast, Gemini increased sharply thanks to the AI Nano Banana photo creation model, which is considered a factor that promoted the explosion in usage in the last quarter of the year.
This context appeared right after Sam Altman sent a red code signal, asking the entire OpenAI to focus on improving the product and preparing for the implementation of a new model called Garlic code, which is expected to outperform Gemini 3 in processing encryption and reasoning.
This is also the reason why many sources say OpenAI has temporarily delayed advertising activities recently.
Data shows that Google's great advantage lies not only in the AI model but also in the widespread distribution ecosystem.
Gemini is integrated directly into the Chrome browser and Google Search engine, helping users access quickly from the first day.
In the US alone, the number of people accessing Gemini via Android is twice as high as using independent apps, which is a particularly important factor as Android dominates major markets.
According to Sensor Tower, by November 2025, ChatGPT's MAU will increase by 180% compared to the same period last year, while Gemini will increase by 170%.
However, in terms of market share, Gemini has increased by 3 percentage points from May to November 2025. During the same period, ChatGPT decreased by 3 points, showing increasingly fierce competition in the AI chatbot application group.
Not only exceeding the growth rate of ChatGPT, Gemini is also in the general expansion trend of the market.
Perplexity growth MAU is up to 370% over the same period, Claude increases by 190%, proving that the AI field is becoming a multipolar race instead of revolving around just two giants.
Gemini's downloads increased by 190% compared to the same period last year, higher than ChatGPT's 85%.
Notably, Gemini users' daily usage time has reached an average of 11 minutes, up 120% since March, a rapid increase that is assessed to be thanks to the Nano Banana image model. Meanwhile, ChatGPT recorded a modest increase of 6%.
Analysts say Google is in the most favorable position to commercialize AI. With the search engine, Google can easily take advantage of Gemini to optimize costs and expand revenue in and outside the domestic market.
The global AI race is therefore entering a new phase, where the speed of product improvement, distribution capabilities and integrated ecosystems will determine who maintains a long-term advantage.
