Traffic through July 2026 · updated 2026-10-01
DeepSeek vs ChatGPT (2026): Traffic, Growth and Key Differences
This page compares DeepSeek and ChatGPT by how much their websites are used: monthly visits to deepseek.com and chatgpt.com since Jan 2025 (SimilarWeb estimates, as shown on each tool's TrendBreakouts profile). In July 2026, ChatGPT had 16 times as many visits as DeepSeek: 5.45B against 346M. We rank by use, not quality, and have not tested either tool.
How DeepSeek and ChatGPT differ
DeepSeek's chatbot runs on DeepSeek's own open-weight models (the V4 family as of Oct 2026), and DeepSeek also sells a pay-per-token API for developers. ChatGPT, from OpenAI, is a broader assistant with image creation, voice conversations and connections to apps such as Gmail and Slack, and it offers plans for businesses as well as individuals. DeepSeek is made by an AI lab in Hangzhou, China.
Latest traffic
Which is growing faster?
Neither site grew over the last 12 months; DeepSeek declined less over 12 months, but over the last three months ChatGPT held up better. From Jul 2025 to Jul 2026, DeepSeek went from 350M to 346M visits (-1.2%) and ChatGPT went from 5.72B to 5.45B visits (-4.7%). Over the last three months (Apr 2026 to Jul 2026), DeepSeek changed -15.8% and ChatGPT -1.1%.
DeepSeek accounted for 6.0% of the two sites' combined visits in Jul 2026, up from 5.8% a year earlier (Jul 2025). ChatGPT had the rest.
DeepSeek's share of DeepSeek + ChatGPT visits, by month
DeepSeek vs ChatGPT monthly visits
| Month | DeepSeek | ChatGPT | DeepSeek share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2026 | 346M | 5.45B | 6.0% |
| Jun 2026 | 373M | 5.38B | 6.5% |
| May 2026 | 430M | 5.57B | 7.2% |
| Apr 2026 | 411M | 5.51B | 6.9% |
| Mar 2026 | 351M | 5.73B | 5.8% |
| Feb 2026 | 273M | 5.35B | 4.9% |
| Jan 2026 | 298M | 5.72B | 5.0% |
| Dec 2025 | 329M | 5.52B | 5.6% |
| Nov 2025 | 346M | 5.84B | 5.6% |
| Oct 2025 | 355M | 6.17B | 5.4% |
| Sep 2025 | 333M | 5.9B | 5.3% |
| Jul 2025 | 350M | 5.72B | 5.8% |
| Jun 2025 | 386M | 5.4B | 6.7% |
| May 2025 | 436M | 5.49B | 7.4% |
| Apr 2025 | 480M | 5.14B | 8.5% |
| Mar 2025 | 511M | 4.55B | 10.1% |
| Feb 2025 | 615M | 3.91B | 13.6% |
| Jan 2025 | 278M | 3.85B | 6.7% |
Notable shifts, and what they coincide with
Dated events from the companies themselves or major outlets. Traffic moving in the same month does not prove the event caused it.
DeepSeek: 278M (Jan 2025) to 615M (Feb 2025) · share of the pair 6.7% to 13.6%
The spike follows the R1 reasoning model (Jan 20, 2025) and coincides with DeepSeek's app overtaking ChatGPT as the top free app on the US App Store on Jan 27, 2025.
Source: TechCrunch, Jan 27, 2025
ChatGPT: 3.91B (Feb 2025) to 5.14B (Apr 2025) · share of the pair 86.4% to 91.5%
This climb coincides with OpenAI rolling out GPT-4o image generation to all ChatGPT users, including free users, on Mar 25, 2025.
Source: OpenAI, Mar 25, 2025
DeepSeek: 273M (Feb 2026) to 430M (May 2026) · share of the pair 4.9% to 7.2%
The V4 preview (Apr 24, 2026) falls within this rebound, which had already started in March.
Source: TechCrunch, Apr 24, 2026
What each is for
DeepSeek by DeepSeek, an AI lab in Hangzhou, China
A chatbot built on DeepSeek's own open-weight models (the V4 family as of Oct 2026), on the web at chat.deepseek.com and in mobile apps, plus a pay-per-token API for developers.
- DeepSeek traffic profile and alternatives
- No. 3 among the most popular AI tools (Aug 2026)
- Current plans and prices (official page)
Description checked against deepseek.com/en on 1 Oct 2026.
ChatGPT by OpenAI
A general-purpose AI assistant for everyday questions, writing, image creation, coding and voice conversations, which can also connect to work files and apps such as Gmail and Slack. It runs on the web and in desktop and mobile apps, with plans for personal use and for businesses.
- ChatGPT traffic profile and alternatives
- No. 1 among the most popular AI tools (Aug 2026)
- Current plans and prices (official page)
Description checked against chatgpt.com/overview on 1 Oct 2026.
What these numbers can and cannot tell you
- Estimates. Visits are SimilarWeb estimates of total monthly visits to each website, as shown on the TrendBreakouts profiles. They are comparable across sites but not exact, and different months can come from different SimilarWeb data releases, so treat small month-to-month moves as noise.
- Websites only. Not counted for DeepSeek: Use in the DeepSeek mobile apps and through the API, and the many third-party apps and hosts that run DeepSeek's open-weight models. Not counted for ChatGPT: Use in the ChatGPT mobile and desktop apps and through the OpenAI API (openai.com is a separate site).
- Visits, not people or usage. One person can make many visits, and a long working session counts the same as a quick question.
- Not a quality ranking. More visits means more use of the website, not a better tool for your task.
Frequently asked questions
- Which is more popular, DeepSeek or ChatGPT?
- By website visits, ChatGPT. chatgpt.com had 5.45B visits in July 2026, 16 times as many visits as deepseek.com (346M), according to SimilarWeb estimates. Use in mobile apps and through APIs is not counted, so this compares the websites only.
- Is DeepSeek or ChatGPT growing faster?
- Neither site grew over the last 12 months; DeepSeek declined less over 12 months, but over the last three months ChatGPT held up better. From Jul 2025 to Jul 2026, DeepSeek went from 350M to 346M visits (-1.2%) and ChatGPT went from 5.72B to 5.45B visits (-4.7%). Over the last three months (Apr 2026 to Jul 2026), DeepSeek changed -15.8% and ChatGPT -1.1%.
- What is the difference between DeepSeek and ChatGPT?
- DeepSeek's chatbot runs on DeepSeek's own open-weight models (the V4 family as of Oct 2026), and DeepSeek also sells a pay-per-token API for developers. ChatGPT, from OpenAI, is a broader assistant with image creation, voice conversations and connections to apps such as Gmail and Slack, and it offers plans for businesses as well as individuals. DeepSeek is made by an AI lab in Hangzhou, China.