Google’s Gemini app hits 950M monthly users, closing in on ChatGPT

Alphabet ↘ 1.24% reported its second-quarter 2026 earnings on Wednesday, revealing that the Google Gemini app has reached 950 million monthly active users — placing it within striking distance of OpenAI's ChatGPT, which crossed the 1 billion monthly user mark earlier this year.

Rapid Growth Trajectory

CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted the milestone in his earnings remarks, stating that "Gemini models now process 22 billion API tokens per minute and the Gemini App has 950 million monthly active users." The figure marks a continuation of Gemini's accelerating growth: the app had 650 million monthly users in October 2025, rose to 750 million by February 2026, and surpassed 900 million at Google I/O in May 2026.StartupHub.ai+6

The user count puts Gemini close behind ChatGPT, which reached 1 billion monthly active app users in June 2026, according to Sensor Tower data reported by Reuters — making it the fastest consumer app in history to reach that threshold. OpenAI separately reported 900 million weekly active users earlier this year.Reuters+1

A Broader AI Quarter

The Gemini milestone was one piece of a strong quarter for Alphabet, which reported $119.8 billion in revenue, up 24% year over year. Google Cloud revenue reached $24.77 billion, growing 82%, driven in large part by demand for AI infrastructure and the Gemini Enterprise platform. Pichai noted that nearly 90% of Fortune 100 companies now use Gemini Enterprise.blog+1

Alphabet's results also showed YouTube ad revenue of $11.06 billion and highlighted that AI Overviews in Google Search now reach more than 2 billion users monthly.fatjoe.

The AI Assistant Race

Gemini's rise from 350 million monthly users in early 2025 to 950 million in roughly 15 months underscores the intensity of the AI assistant race. Google has benefited from deep integration across Android, Search, and Workspace, giving it distribution advantages that standalone competitors lack. At Google I/O in May, Pichai introduced "Gemini Intelligence," an agentic layer embedded directly into the operating system rather than confined to a separate app.Pasquale Pillitteri | Software Engineer Palermo+2

ChatGPT retains a lead in raw user count, but the margin has narrowed considerably from the roughly 400-million-user gap that existed a year ago. With both platforms now approaching or exceeding 1 billion users, the competition is increasingly shifting from user acquisition to engagement depth and monetization.Business Insider