3 of the Sharpest Minds Weigh in on the State of Gen AI in 2026
by Darrell Mordecai3 Min.
Aug 26, 2026
A UBS study based on Similarweb data called ChatGPT the fastest-growing app ever to hit 100 million users – and that growth just keeps accelerating.
Just this week, a UBS research report based in part on Similarweb data estimated that ChatGPT now has 100 million users – and we can see that growth just keeps accelerating. The UBS study was reported by Reuters and widely quoted elsewhere.
“In 20 years following the internet space, we cannot recall a faster ramp in a consumer internet app,” UBS analysts wrote. They quoted Similarweb statistics showing that the AI-powered chat app averaged 13 million daily unique visitors in January, more than double the level of January. If the trend of the last week continues, they will soon have to revise their estimates once again very soon.
Key takeaways
- The chat.openai.com website attracted about 25 million daily visitors over the past week, according to Similarweb estimates. For the past month, traffic to the site has grown by an average of 3.4% per day.
- On the peak traffic day of January 31, the site attracted 28 million visits from 15.7 million unique visitors.
ChatGPT’s growth rate
Growing pains
That growth rate has come with some growing pains, including “fail whale” style notices that the service is overloaded and currently unavailable. However, that’s the free app – ChatGPT’s creators at Open AI have just announced a $20 per month ChatAI Plus plan that comes with priority access.
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Report By: David F. Carr, Senior Insights Manager
Disclaimer: All data, reports and other materials provided or made available by Similarweb are based on data obtained from third parties, including estimations and extrapolations based on such data. Similarweb shall not be responsible for the accuracy of the materials and shall have no liability for any decision by any third party based in whole or in part on the materials.
Image: “a chart showing rapid growth, with each dot represented by a robot” by OpenAI’s Dall-e.
David covers social media, digital advertising, and generative AI. With a background in web trends since the 1990s, he’s also the author of "Social Collaboration for Dummies".
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