ChatGPT Traffic Surges to 5.7 Billion Visits in January 2026
ChatGPT saw a strong resurgence in user activity at the start of 2026, reversing a short-term slowdown from the previous two months. According to new data from Similarweb, the AI platform recorded 5.723 billion total visits in January, marking its fourth-highest traffic month on record and reaffirming its position among the most visited websites globally.
Key Traffic Metrics
Monthly Traffic Rebound
January traffic rose 3.73% month over month, signaling renewed momentum after consecutive monthly declines. The increase suggests that user engagement with AI-powered tools remains resilient, even following periods of moderation in usage growth.
This rebound places ChatGPT firmly back on an expansion trajectory and highlights its ability to quickly recover demand at scale.
Year-Over-Year Growth Acceleration
On a year-over-year basis, ChatGPT traffic surged 48.67% compared with January 2025. This represents the fastest annual growth rate among the world’s top ten most-visited websites, outperforming other major global platforms in relative expansion.
The scale and speed of this growth underscore the accelerating adoption of generative AI across both consumer and professional environments.
Why This Matters
While many established internet platforms are experiencing slower growth rates, ChatGPT continues to attract both new users and repeat visits in large volumes. This divergence reflects a broader shift in how users interact with digital services, with AI tools increasingly embedded into daily workflows.
Use cases driving this growth include education, software development, research, content creation, and enterprise productivity. The sustained rise in traffic suggests that ChatGPT is evolving from a novelty into core internet infrastructure.
Outlook for 2026
January 2026 stands out as a pivotal month for ChatGPT’s growth trajectory. With strong month-over-month recovery and industry-leading year-over-year expansion, the platform appears well-positioned to maintain its influence across the global internet landscape.
If current trends persist, ChatGPT could continue consolidating its role as one of the most essential destinations on the web, particularly as generative AI adoption broadens across industries.
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