Estimated share of informational AI queries
Live demo · estimated share of informational AI queries across the major assistants in Q1 2026.
ChatGPT leads at ~41% of standalone AI query volume, AI Overviews reaches more total users via google.com, Perplexity is the fastest-growing in percentage terms, and Claude is the dark horse in enterprise and coding. Multi-platform GEO is the default - no single assistant has enough share to justify single-platform betting.
1. The Q1 2026 numbers
Working consensus across third-party measurement firms, first-party announcements and platform telemetry: ChatGPT leads at roughly 41% of standalone AI query volume with over a billion queries per week. Google AI Overviews touches more total users because it's embedded in google.com itself, but as a destination AI search surface ChatGPT is still ahead. Perplexity sits at around 14% and is growing fastest in percentage terms. Claude is at roughly 11% but disproportionately strong in coding, writing and enterprise contexts. Gemini app, Copilot and others split the rest.
2. The behaviour shift behind the numbers
Roughly 15-25% of all informational search queries now happen on AI assistants instead of classic search engines, with the share much higher in research-heavy categories (B2B SaaS, healthcare, professional services) and lower in transactional or local queries. The trend is still steeply upward - the share has roughly doubled from 2024 to 2026 and shows no sign of plateauing. The shape of that shift is documented in our AI search vs traditional search guide.
3. Who uses each assistant
ChatGPT skews higher-intent and more sophisticated, with strong adoption among researchers, marketers and product teams. AI Overviews touches the broadest demographic because it's the default inside Google for most informational queries. Perplexity is the researcher's assistant - the user base is smaller but the per-session value is well above average. Claude dominates coding, writing and enterprise use cases. Gemini app users skew Android-first and consumer.
4. What it means for your GEO budget
The market share split is the strongest argument against single-platform GEO. No assistant has more than ~40% of query share, which means betting everything on one platform leaves two-thirds of the addressable AI search audience on the table. The good news is that the technical foundations - schema, entity strength, content shape, llms.txt - are the same across every platform. Ship the foundations once and you compete on all four surfaces simultaneously. The per-platform tactics differ only at the margins, and we cover those in our rank in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and AI Overviews guides.
5. Forward-look: where the share goes next
Three predictions for the rest of 2026. First, AI Overviews keeps absorbing more of Google's informational query volume - the top of the SERP is now functionally a generative answer card and the click-through impact on organic is brutal (see our AI Overviews CTR data guide). Second, Perplexity continues to grow share in research-heavy verticals because nothing beats it for sourced answers. Third, the "one assistant wins" narrative dies for good - the four-horse race is the new normal, and every brand serious about AI search has to be visible across all of them. The mechanism is the same everywhere; the playbook is in our citation algorithm guide.
Recap
ChatGPT leads, AI Overviews touches the most users, Perplexity grows fastest in percentage terms, Claude wins enterprise and dev. No single assistant owns enough share to justify single-platform GEO. Build the technical foundations - schema, entity, content shape, llms.txt - once, and you compete on all four surfaces. The four-horse race is the new normal and the brands treating it that way are the ones winning AI search in 2026.
Multi-platform GEO, done in one engagement
Geolify GEO packages ship the foundations that win citations across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity and AI Overviews simultaneously - schema, entity build, content overhaul and the measurement stack. From $499.
FAQ
Who has the biggest AI search market share in 2026?
ChatGPT remains the largest standalone AI assistant by query volume in 2026, processing over a billion queries weekly. Google AI Overviews touches more humans because it's embedded in google.com itself, but as a 'destination' AI search surface ChatGPT is still the leader. Perplexity is growing fastest in percentage terms and dominates research-heavy use cases. Claude is the dark horse - smaller user base than ChatGPT but disproportionately strong in coding, writing and enterprise.
What share of search has actually moved to AI?
Estimates vary, but the working consensus is that 15-25% of all informational search queries now happen on AI assistants rather than classic search engines, with the share much higher in research-heavy categories (B2B SaaS, healthcare, professional services) and lower in transactional queries (local intent, ecommerce). The trend is still steeply upward - the share has roughly doubled from 2024 to 2026 and shows no sign of plateauing.
Should I prioritise ChatGPT or Google AI Overviews?
Both, but in that order for most B2B brands. ChatGPT users skew higher-intent and more sophisticated; AI Overviews touches everyone using Google. The shortcut is: if your buyers are researchers, technologists or professionals making considered purchases, ChatGPT visibility tends to convert harder per impression. If you sell to a mass-market consumer audience, AI Overviews will reach more of them. The strongest GEO programs go after both - the technical foundations (schema, entities, content shape) are the same.
Is Perplexity worth optimising for given its smaller user base?
Yes - because Perplexity users are extremely high-intent researchers, the per-session value is well above average. Perplexity is also the easiest AI search surface to track and attribute (it cites URLs explicitly and passes clean referrer headers), which makes it the cleanest place to demonstrate GEO ROI to a sceptical leadership team. If you're building the case for a GEO budget, ship Perplexity wins first.
Which AI assistant is growing fastest in 2026?
Perplexity in percentage terms (still small base, growing fast). ChatGPT in absolute terms (massive base, still adding users every quarter). Google AI Overviews touches more new users per week than any other surface because it's the default inside google.com. Claude is growing steadily in enterprise and dev use cases. The mid-2026 picture is no longer 'one assistant wins' - it's a four-horse race with persistent share for each, which is exactly why GEO has to be multi-platform from day one.