Both ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini have crossed 1 billion users, marking a significant moment in the AI industry as the two largest AI chatbot platforms reach the same milestone within weeks of each other in 2026.
OpenAI disclosed on August 6th that “more than 1 billion people are putting ChatGPT to work,” buried within a blog post about AI usage patterns. OpenAI spokesperson Lindsay McCallum confirmed ChatGPT crossed 1 billion monthly users “some time ago” and reached 1 billion weekly users in July. External data had suggested the threshold was crossed as early as June. Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced on X that Gemini reached 1 billion monthly users last week, calling it Google’s fastest-growing product ever — the 14th Google product to hit the milestone.
The growth figures tell a nuanced story. OpenAI reported 900 million weekly active users in February, meaning reaching 1 billion took five more months — a notable slowdown for a platform once described as the fastest-growing software ever. Google, by contrast, reported 750 million monthly Gemini users in February, 950 million in late July, and 1 billion last week, suggesting faster recent momentum. Anthropic’s Claude is also growing, though Anthropic does not disclose user numbers, and estimates place it in the tens of millions.
Google’s figures appear to refer to the Gemini app itself, though the version preinstalled on Android phones is included. Gemini chief Josh Woodward noted that more than 100 million active Gemini users are on iOS, suggesting the large majority of its user base is on Android. OpenAI has taken note of hardware’s role in distribution, with the company showing interest in building its own devices.
ChatGPT remains the larger platform by available metrics, but Gemini may be closing the gap. The broader AI competitive landscape has also shifted in 2026, with Anthropic’s Claude Code spurring OpenAI to launch Codex, Google embedding Gemini across its products, and Chinese AI models entering the race. With both platforms now at 1 billion users, the next challenge for these companies is finding sustainable ways to monetize that scale.
Source: The Verge