OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google Gemini have both crossed the 1 billion monthly user milestone, though ChatGPT reached the mark first. OpenAI quietly announced in an August 6th blog post that "more than 1 billion people" use ChatGPT monthly, having previously hit 900 million weekly active users in February 2026. Google CEO Sundar Pichai revealed on X that Gemini reached 1 billion monthly users last week, calling it Google's fastest-growing product ever and the 14th Google product to hit that mark.
The timing and metrics differ slightly between the two. Google reported 750 million monthly users in February and 950 million in late July before reaching 1 billion. Gemini chief Josh Woodward also noted that Gemini has over 100 million active users on iOS, suggesting most users are on Android. Industry observers note the race has tightened significantly, with both platforms now competing intensely after years of ChatGPT being touted as the fastest-growing software ever.
Anthropic's Claude Code emerged as a major competitor this year, forcing OpenAI to respond with Codex, while Google integrated Gemini across its product ecosystem. Though direct comparisons are complicated by different reporting metrics (weekly vs. monthly users), analysts suggest ChatGPT remains larger while Gemini may be growing faster.