Sensor Tower 2026 AI Report: ChatGPT Market Share Drops Below 50% for the First Time

ChainCatcher report: According to Sensor Tower’s latest “State of AI 2026” report, as users migrate between different AI assistants, ChatGPT’s global market share fell below 50% for the first time by the end of May this year, dropping to 46.4%. Despite this, ChatGPT remains the global leader with over 1.1 billion monthly active users (MAU). Google Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude follow closely, holding market shares of 27.7% (662 million MAU) and 10.3% (245 million MAU), respectively. The report notes that as download and spending growth rates slow, the AI industry is shifting from pure user expansion toward commercial monetization. Global AI app downloads are projected to approach 2.3 billion in the first half of 2026, with total user spending exceeding $4.2 billion. In terms of paid subscriptions, Claude leads the industry with a 13% paid conversion rate. Additionally, the commercialization pathways for AI platforms are becoming increasingly diverse. Since February, ChatGPT has begun testing advertising, and by May, approximately 17% of its daily active users had been served ads, primarily in software and shopping categories. Meanwhile, AI assistants are playing an increasingly prominent role in e-commerce guidance, significantly influencing consumer purchasing behavior and traffic distribution across major retail platforms.