Gemini Surpasses 1 Billion Users, Copilot's User Counts Remain Uncertain

Microsoft's Copilot, Google's Gemini, and Perplexity AI are three major players in the AI chatbot market. According to recent figures, Gemini has surpassed 1 billion monthly active users, a significant jump from its previous count of 950 million just weeks earlier. This growth is largely due to its default placement on every Android phone and inside the Google app.

Copilot, on the other hand, has been plagued by inconsistent user counts. Microsoft's own disclosures put 'Copilot family' monthly active users at roughly 150 million, but third-party trackers report anywhere from 33 million to 420 million. Despite this confusion, Copilot has seen significant adoption, with over 30 million paid Microsoft 365 Copilot seats as of Q4 FY2026.

Perplexity AI, a citation-first answer engine, has also made strides in the market. While its user base is significantly smaller than Gemini's at around 100 million monthly active users, it has seen growth of over double its previous count from 45 million at the end of 2025.

The three chatbots compete on distribution and integration rather than raw model IQ. Copilot wraps OpenAI's GPT-5.6 family inside the Microsoft 365 suite, while Perplexity allows Pro subscribers to pick from various models underneath its own Sonar search-tuned model. Gemini, however, trains its own frontier model (Gemini 3 Pro) and ships it as both a standalone app and a Workspace layer.

With pricing ranging from $18 per user per month for Copilot Business to $66, $87 per user per month for large organizations, the three chatbots cater to different needs and budgets. As the market continues to evolve, it remains to be seen which chatbot will emerge as the leader in AI-powered productivity.