As of October 2025, Artificial Intelligence has genuinely shifted from a novelty to a daily tool. Whether it involves debugging code, composing emails, or creating surrealist art, the world is captivated. But who is truly winning the race for attention?
New data from Aicpb and Backlinko reveals a fascinating snapshot of the industry. While Silicon Valley often dominates the headlines, the user numbers tell a much more global story—one defined by a massive US leader, a surging Chinese market, and a few surprising contenders from around the world.
The Unrivaled King: ChatGPT
There is ChatGPT, and then there is everyone else.
With a staggering 769.14 million monthly active users (MAU), OpenAI’s flagship product isn’t just leading; it is lapping the field. Despite the intense competition that has emerged over the last two years, ChatGPT retains a user base nearly five times larger than its closest competitor. It remains the default “AI” for the vast majority of the planet.
The Rise of the East
If you look past the number one spot, the leaderboard shifts dramatically toward Asia. China currently occupies six of the top 10 spots, driven by domestic tech giants leveraging their massive local user bases.
- Doubao (ByteDance): Sitting at #2 with nearly 160 million users, this is the TikTok parent company’s answer to the AI craze.
- Quark (Alibaba) & Baidu Wangpan: These utility-focused AIs are pulling in roughly 150 million users each, integrating AI directly into search and storage ecosystems.
- DeepSeek & Yuanbao: These platforms are rapidly gaining traction, proving that the Chinese market is favoring homegrown solutions over Western imports.
The Western Contenders
Google’s Gemini holds the #5 spot globally with 76.55 million users. While significant, it highlights the challenge Google faces in catching up to OpenAI’s first-mover advantage. Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s Grok (xAI) has cracked the top 10, sitting at #9 with nearly 55 million users, showing that integration with the X (formerly Twitter) platform is driving adoption.
A Global Phenomenon
Perhaps the most interesting takeaway is the diversity of the developers. It isn’t just a US vs. China fight.
- Turkey: HubX’s Nova has quietly surged to #8, beating out major US competitors.
- Singapore: Apps like Dola and Talkie AI are representing Southeast Asia.
- India: Chatbot AI by Newway Apps has secured the #15 spot.
- Italy: The photo-enhancing app Remini remains a staple in the top 20.
The Full Leaderboard (October 2025)
Ranked by Monthly Active Users (MAU)
| Rank | App Name | Developer | Origin | Monthly Active Users |
| 1 | ChatGPT | OpenAI | US | 769.14 M |
| 2 | Doubao | ByteDance | China | 159.41 M |
| 3 | Quark | Alibaba | China | 151.66 M |
| 4 | Baidu Wangpan | Baidu | China | 148.14 M |
| 5 | Gemini | US | 76.55 M | |
| 6 | Yuanbao | Tencent | China | 73.29 M |
| 7 | DeepSeek | DeepSeek | China | 72.05 M |
| 8 | Nova | HubX | Turkey | 64.16 M |
| 9 | Grok | xAI | US | 54.77 M |
| 10 | Dreamina | ByteDance | China | 45.11 M |
| 11 | Dola (formerly Cici) | Spring | Singapore | 43.32 M |
| 12 | Perplexity | Perplexity | US | 35.74 M |
| 13 | Character AI | Character AI | US | 31.66 M |
| 14 | AI Mirror | Polyverse | US | 29.29 M |
| 15 | Chatbot AI | Newway Apps | India | 23.85 M |
| 16 | PixVerse | PixVerse | China | 23.62 M |
| 17 | Kimi | Moonshot AI | China | 23.47 M |
| 18 | Ask AI | Deep Flow Apps | US | 23.03 M |
| 19 | Remini | Bending Spoons | Italy | 22.80 M |
| 20 | Talkie AI | Subsup | Singapore | 22.15 M |
Data Sources: Aicpb, Backlinko