At Studio 36 Digital, we’ve always been driven by data. As a digital marketing agency focused on SEO, analytics, and content strategy, we regularly study how people search online, not just to understand algorithms, but to understand people.
In late 2025, we carried out a study to uncover how users are searching for today’s leading AI tools: ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude AI, and Perplexity. Our goal was to see how brand awareness, search behaviour, and market maturity have evolved since AI became mainstream in 2023.
Using real-time Ahrefs keyword data, combined with traffic analytics and public market insights, we analysed search volumes, growth patterns, and intent signals to understand how the world’s interest in AI tools is shifting.
What we found paints a fascinating picture of a maturing industry; one where ChatGPT still dominates, but new challengers are gaining momentum.
Our analysis shows that ChatGPT remains the world’s most searched AI platform by an extraordinary margin, with over 49 million monthly searches in the US and 326 million globally. However, the story doesn’t end there.
Emerging players like Perplexity and Claude AI are growing fast, each carving out distinct market positions, while Google Gemini quietly serves hundreds of millions of users with surprisingly low search visibility due to its ecosystem integration.
| LLM Platform | US Monthly Searches | Global Monthly Searches | Market Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 49.37M | 326.1M | Dominant leader |
| Perplexity | 1.04M | 13M | Fast-growing challenger |
| Gemini (AI-specific) | 569K | 4.59M | Ecosystem player |
| Claude AI | 655K | 4.9M | Enterprise specialist |
As SEO specialists, we spend every day examining search trends. When AI tools became a fixture of daily work and creativity, we wanted to quantify how people actually search for them.
Understanding search intent provides a window into human behaviour. It tells us which tools people trust, how they compare options, and what terms they use to find solutions.
By studying AI-related search data, we can help our clients anticipate where digital attention is shifting and how to align content strategies for emerging technologies.
We used Ahrefs API data (November 2025) to collect and analyse the following metrics:
We focused on the primary LLM platforms:
We also reviewed supporting data from:
Limitations:
Search volume does not represent total users. Platforms like Google Gemini are heavily integrated into Android and Workspace products, meaning most usage happens without a search query. Nonetheless, search volume remains a reliable measure of brand awareness and discovery intent.
ChatGPT continues to dominate the AI landscape, with 49.37 million monthly searches in the US and over 326 million globally. That’s 86 times more than Claude AI, the nearest AI-specific competitor.
However, signs of market maturity are becoming clear. App download growth has slowed since April 2025, and user engagement metrics show minor declines in average session time and frequency. This suggests that ChatGPT has transitioned from novelty to necessity; people use it when they need it, not just to experiment.
From a marketing perspective, ChatGPT’s name has become synonymous with AI itself. Like “Google” for search, “ChatGPT” defines its category.
But with that dominance comes a challenge: maintaining engagement in a market where users increasingly expect precision, speed, and real-world context.
Perplexity may not yet rival ChatGPT in volume, but its trajectory is remarkable. We measured over 1 million monthly US searches (13 million globally), with a 66% year-over-year growth rate.
Users are drawn to Perplexity’s unique value proposition, combining an LLM with real-time web search and transparent citations. In an era of misinformation, this “search-first AI” approach resonates with users who value accuracy and trust.
Our data also revealed a strong commercial signal. Perplexity-related keywords show a higher CPC ($0.45–$0.70) than ChatGPT’s ($0.06), indicating more business-driven searches and a higher-value audience.
From an SEO standpoint, Perplexity represents a growing opportunity for brands to appear in cited answers, linking content directly to AI-driven visibility.
On paper, Gemini’s 569,000 AI-specific searches look modest. But this is misleading. Google reports over 450 million monthly active users, a number far exceeding its search volume.
This paradox exists because most users don’t search for Gemini, they use it automatically through Gmail, Docs, Android devices, and Google Search AI Overviews.
However, Gemini faces a brand identity problem. The keyword “Gemini” attracts over 2 million monthly searches in the US, but most relate to zodiac signs, cryptocurrency, and space projects. The AI brand competes with unrelated meanings, fragmenting its discoverability.
In our view, Gemini’s success highlights how ecosystem integration can outpace brand awareness. It’s already embedded in billions of user interactions, just not always visible through traditional search metrics.
Claude, developed by Anthropic, is gaining steady traction among professional and enterprise users. With 655,000 monthly US searches and 4.9 million globally, Claude’s visibility sits comfortably between Gemini and Perplexity.
Its higher average CPC ($0.70–$0.90) signals strong commercial intent, often from enterprise buyers and developers.
Claude’s branding is also a strategic advantage — clear, distinctive, and professional. Searches for “Claude AI” are almost entirely unambiguous, unlike Gemini’s overlapping meanings.
Claude’s growth is closely tied to its safety-first philosophy and enterprise partnerships, particularly with Amazon and Google. It dominates regulated sectors like law, healthcare, and education, where reliability and responsible AI are essential.
From our analysis, several clear trends are reshaping the AI landscape:
Engagement is flattening, signalling a mature market. OpenAI’s focus is shifting from expansion to retention and enterprise integration.
With its citation-driven model, Perplexity is positioned as a trustworthy AI alternative – ideal for research, journalism, and academia.
Search volume underrepresents integrated products. Google’s strategy is less about brand discovery and more about default ubiquity.
Anthropic’s emphasis on safe, explainable AI gives it a strong foothold in high-compliance industries.
The data shows that brands with clear, distinct names (ChatGPT, Claude AI) dominate in search. Ambiguous names (Gemini) face discoverability issues.
Platforms like Gemini prove that search metrics alone can’t define market leadership. Integration, retention, and engagement matter more.
For businesses, marketers, and SEO professionals, these findings highlight several actionable insights:
Based on our data modelling, we expect:
The AI market is diversifying, not consolidating. Each tool is evolving toward its own niche – consumer, enterprise, or integrated experience.
As with all Studio 36 Digital research, this study follows a transparent methodology.
All search data was sourced from Ahrefs (November 2025), supported by secondary analytics from publicly available platforms. Where estimates or projections are presented, they are clearly identified as such.
We recognise that AI adoption evolves rapidly. This study reflects a snapshot in time – trends may shift as new models, integrations, and regulations emerge.
Our research shows that AI discovery patterns are maturing. The “ChatGPT boom” phase is giving way to a more diversified, practical era, one defined by specialisation, trust, and integration.
For businesses and creators, understanding how people search for these tools is key to anticipating how they’ll use them next.
At Studio 36 Digital, we’ll continue tracking these trends to help clients stay informed and competitive in an increasingly AI-driven search world. Our GEO services cover professional optimisation for AI platforms.
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