In the last couple of decades, software was eating the world, but now it turns out that AI could be eating the web.
In a surprising shift within the digital landscape, data from SimilarWeb reveals that ChatGPT has emerged as the only website among the top 10 most visited globally to experience a month-over-month increase in user traffic. The data, comparing April 2025 to March 2025, highlights a 13.04% surge in visits to ChatGPT, while all other major platforms saw declines.
The top 10 websites, which include giants like Google (-3.18%), YouTube (-2.1%), Facebook (-3.05%), Instagram (-1.65%), X (-5.21%), WhatsApp (-2.7%), Wikipedia (-6%), Reddit (-3.77%), and Yahoo Japan (-3.92%), collectively experienced a downturn in traffic. This trend underscores a potential shift in user behavior, with ChatGPT’s explosive growth signaling a rising demand for AI-driven tools and services.
ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, has rapidly gained traction as a versatile conversational AI platform, catering to a wide range of use cases—from answering queries to assisting with complex tasks. Its 130.4% traffic increase suggests that users are increasingly turning to AI for solutions that traditional search engines and social platforms may not fully address. This growth could be attributed to recent updates in ChatGPT’s capabilities, making it more appealing to both individual users and businesses seeking automation and efficiency.
Meanwhile, the declines across other top sites may reflect broader market dynamics. Google and YouTube, despite remaining dominant, saw modest drops, possibly due to users exploring alternative platforms like ChatGPT for information retrieval. Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X also experienced downturns, which could point to user fatigue or shifting preferences toward more interactive, utility-driven tools. Even Wikipedia and Reddit, known for community-driven knowledge, weren’t immune to the trend.
For businesses and tech leaders, ChatGPT’s outlier status in this data is a wake-up call. ChatGPT had rapidly risen up the ranks of the world’s most visited websites. The rapid adoption of AI tools signals a growing appetite for technologies that offer personalized, efficient, and scalable solutions. Companies may need to rethink their digital strategies, integrating AI capabilities to stay competitive in an evolving market. As the digital ecosystem continues to transform, ChatGPT’s unprecedented growth in April 2025 highlights the increasing role of AI in shaping how users interact with technology. Whether this trend will persist remains to be seen, but for now, ChatGPT stands alone as the only top 10 website gaining ground in a sea of declining traffic.