seogidi.com
On reach, Google has pulled level and arguably ahead. AI Mode passed one billion monthly users within a year of launch, and AI Overviews reach more than 2.5 billion a month, according to Sundar Pichai in May 2026. ChatGPT had more than 900 million weekly users by February 2026, OpenAI said, and is still the place people go on purpose when they want to think something through.
For a business, the more useful answer is this: Google AI Mode is where most of your search traffic still comes from and where you can now measure your visibility. ChatGPT is where many customers form opinions before they search, and its reporting for businesses is only now being tested.
When this post first ran in August 2025, our verdict was that ChatGPT was the cultural winner and Google the structural one. Fifteen months later, here is how that held up.
The numbers in November 2026
These figures are not measured the same way, so read the “measure” column before comparing them.
| Product | Latest public figure | Measure | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google AI Overviews | Over 2.5 billion users | Monthly active | Google, May 2026 |
| Google AI Mode | Over 1 billion users | Monthly active | Google, May 2026 |
| Gemini app | 950 million users | Monthly active | Alphabet Q2 2026 |
| ChatGPT | Over 900 million users | Weekly active | OpenAI via IT Daily, Feb 2026 |
| OpenAI products overall | Over 1 billion active users | Not specified | AFP via La Nación, Jul 2026 |
Weekly users are a tougher test than monthly users, so ChatGPT’s 900 million weekly is not “smaller” than AI Mode’s billion monthly in any simple sense. What the table does show is that the gap of 2025 has closed.
Share of AI chatbot traffic tells the same story. Similarweb’s data puts ChatGPT at about 76% of generative AI web traffic in June 2025 and roughly 53% by May 2026, while Gemini rose from under 9% to around 27%. StatCounter’s AI chatbot tracker shows a similar split for October 2026: ChatGPT 51.6%, Gemini 28.9%, Perplexity 15.0%.
For more on how these shares are counted, see How Big Is ChatGPT’s Share of the Search Market?
What each one is for
The two products still do different jobs, and people use them in different moods.
ChatGPT: where people think
People open ChatGPT on purpose. They draft, plan, compare, debug code and ask for advice they would be shy to type into Google. A founder in Yaba asks it to outline a pitch. A student in Nsukka asks it to explain a past question. A buyer asks which of three inverter brands lasts longer in Nigerian heat.
That last kind of question matters for business. ChatGPT is often where a shortlist forms, long before the buyer searches for a phone number.
Google AI Mode: where people act
AI Mode sits inside the search box people already use. Since May 2026 you can ask a follow-up straight from an AI Overview and move into AI Mode without leaving the page, with Gemini 3.5 Flash as the default model worldwide. Google is also adding agent features for bookings, starting with US users.
Google’s documentation says AI Mode uses “query fan-out”: it runs many related searches across subtopics and data sources, then builds one answer with links. In practice it is built on Google’s index, maps and business data.
How each one decides which businesses to mention
This is where the comparison gets practical.
AI Mode draws on Google Search. Google says there are no extra requirements or special optimisations to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. If your pages are indexed, eligible for snippets and useful, you are in the pool. Normal SEO, your Google Business Profile and your reviews do most of the work.
ChatGPT leans on what the web says about you. When it searches, it reads reviews, directories, news, forums and comparison articles, then names the businesses that come up most credibly. Your own website matters, but third-party mentions matter more than many owners expect. We tested this by asking AI assistants to recommend Nigerian businesses and recorded who they picked and why.
So the work overlaps. A strong site with real reviews and press mentions helps in both. The difference is weight: Google rewards your own pages more, ChatGPT rewards your reputation elsewhere more.
Which one sends traffic, and can you measure it?
| Google AI Mode and AI Overviews | ChatGPT | |
|---|---|---|
| Sends clicks to websites | Yes, Google says “billions of clicks” a week across AI features | Yes, but far fewer (0.09% of search-type referrals in Nigeria) |
| Official visibility report | Search Console generative AI reports, impressions only, since June 2026 | Business tool with impressions and clicks reported in testing, not launched |
| Clicks reported separately | No, counted inside the Web performance report | Not yet available |
On traffic, Google remains far ahead. In its July 2026 earnings remarks Google said it is sending “billions of clicks to websites every week through AI features in Search”. In Nigeria, StatCounter data for September 2026 shows ChatGPT sent just 0.09% of search-type referrals to websites, against 99.91% from Google, as reported in SEOGidi’s State of Search in Nigeria 2026. The same report cites Google/Ipsos research that 84% of online Nigerian adults used generative AI in the past year. People ask the AI, then click Google.
On measurement, Google moved first. In June 2026 it added generative AI performance reports to Search Console, showing impressions in AI Overviews, AI Mode and Discover, with no click data. Microsoft added an AI Performance report to Bing Webmaster Tools in February 2026, covering Copilot citations. OpenAI is reported to be testing a business tool that would show verified businesses their impressions and clicks in ChatGPT. As of 6 November 2026 it had not launched and OpenAI had not commented.
Google’s infrastructure advantage still holds
Our 2025 argument was that Google owns the pipes: its own TPU chips, and distribution through Search, Chrome, Android, Gmail, Maps and YouTube. That has aged well. In July 2026 Google said it had cut the cost of AI Mode responses to the lowest level since launch, which is what lets it serve AI answers to billions of searches without charging for them.
OpenAI’s advantage is different. People choose ChatGPT deliberately, and they trust it with longer, more personal questions. That habit is hard to copy with distribution alone.
The verdict for 2026
- On reach, Google is ahead. AI Overviews and AI Mode come to people inside a search box they already use.
- On mindshare, ChatGPT still leads. It is the AI product people name first and open on purpose, though Gemini has taken a large share of AI chatbot traffic in a year.
- On traffic to your website, Google wins by a wide margin, especially in markets like Nigeria.
- On measurement, Google is ahead for now, with ChatGPT’s business reporting still in testing.
ChatGPT won the first round by being the AI people talk about. Google is winning the second by making AI the default inside Search.
What this means for your business
Do not pick one. Treat them as two stages of the same buying process.
- Keep Google first. Your website, Google Business Profile, reviews and technical health still drive most enquiries. Our SEO services start there for that reason.
- Check your AI Mode visibility. Open the generative AI report in Search Console and note which pages appear. If key service pages never show, fix them first.
- Earn mentions for ChatGPT. Get listed on credible directories, local press and comparison articles, and ask happy customers for detailed reviews. Our guide to getting your Nigerian business mentioned by AI assistants walks through it step by step.
- Ask the AI yourself. Each month, ask ChatGPT and AI Mode the questions your customers ask. Record whether you are named and who is named instead.
If you want help with the AI side specifically, see our generative engine optimisation service.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google AI Mode better than ChatGPT for search?
For finding local businesses, current prices and places to book, AI Mode usually has the edge because it draws on Google’s live index and business data. For open-ended research, writing and advice, many people still prefer ChatGPT.
How many people use Google AI Mode?
Google said in May 2026 that AI Mode had passed one billion monthly users, about a year after launch. AI Overviews reach more than 2.5 billion people a month.
How many people use ChatGPT?
OpenAI said in February 2026 that ChatGPT had more than 900 million weekly active users. In July 2026 it said its products together had passed one billion active users.
Does ChatGPT send traffic to websites?
Yes, but much less than Google. In Nigeria, StatCounter data for September 2026 put ChatGPT at 0.09% of search-type referrals to websites.
Sources
- Sundar Pichai, Google I/O 2026 keynote (May 2026)
- Google Search at I/O 2026 (May 2026)
- Alphabet Q2 2026 earnings remarks (Jul 2026)
- IT Daily: ChatGPT reaches 900 million weekly active users (Mar 2026)
- La Nación (AFP): OpenAI passes 1 billion active users (Jul 2026)
- Similarweb: generative AI statistics
- StatCounter: AI chatbot market share
- Google Search Central: AI features and your website
- Google Search Central: Search generative AI performance reports (Jun 2026)
- Bing Webmaster Blog: AI Performance in Bing Webmaster Tools (Feb 2026)
- The State of AI: OpenAI appears to be building a ChatGPT search console (Nov 2026)
Reports, articles and industry research, by email
Original Nigerian search data a few times a year, new guides as they are published, and a short note when Google or Meta changes something that affects businesses here. No sales emails, unsubscribe in one click.
Want this done for your business?
Get a free SEO audit: rankings, technical issues, competitor gaps and the quickest wins, within 48 hours.
