Gemini reaches one billion monthly users according to Sensor Tower data

What the Sensor Tower data shows

As Sensor Tower further notes, Gemini shows strong, though not the highest, percentage growth in the year-on-year comparison of worldwide monthly active app users. "Beim Jahresvergleich der weltweiten monatlich aktiven App-Nutzer:innen wächst Claude prozentuell am stärksten, gefolgt von Perplexity und Gemini. ChatGPT wächst prozentuell am langsamsten – legt aber wegen der großen Basis in absoluten Zahlen am meisten zu", the analysis states.

Gemini is therefore among the three services with the highest percentage growth in the market, while OpenAI continues to hold the largest absolute base with ChatGPT and adds the most new users there. For Google, the leap past the billion mark means above all one thing: the in-house assistant has gone mainstream and sits at the interface between classic Google Search and new AI applications.

Model updates in July without the Pro variant

The dynamic is also notable against the backdrop of the recent model updates. As Google announced in July, several updates were released for Gemini, although the Pro variant was not included in this package. This suggests that the service's reach does not depend solely on a single model update, but is also carried by its integration with existing Google products such as Android and the company's own search.

On Google's side, Josh Woodward is among those responsible for the further development of the Gemini line. The product had previously been driven forward via Google Labs and is now a fixed part of the public offering. With the new reach, the pressure on competitors also rises, whose own app figures Sensor Tower is likewise tracking.

Competition with Claude and Perplexity

Alongside Gemini and ChatGPT, it is primarily Claude and Perplexity that come to the fore. Claude posts the strongest percentage growth of all providers mentioned, while Perplexity places itself behind Gemini in third place in percentage growth. These shifts show that the market for AI assistants in consumer use continues to move and that ChatGPT's once clear dominance is being put into perspective.

For interpreting the figures, however, it is important to note that Sensor Tower measures app usage. Web browser access and direct API usage via enterprise contracts are not included. The billion mark in monthly active users therefore refers to the end-consumer market via the official apps, not to the overall distribution of the models across the software industry.

Context and open questions

Google itself has not yet officially commented on the figure reported by Sensor Tower. In industry circles, the milestone is nevertheless seen as symbolic, because it illustrates how quickly generative AI has arrived in consumers' everyday lives. With Gemini, ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity, four major players now face each other, each bringing different strengths in growth, reach and use cases.

The coming months will show whether Gemini can hold and continue to build on the billion mark. Sensor Tower plans to continue updating its app evaluations monthly, with particular focus on percentage growth rates compared with Claude and Perplexity. Should Google also bring the Pro variant along in upcoming updates, the percentage increase could accelerate further according to observers.