For the first time since statistics have been compiled, the Google app surpassed the Naver app in domestic monthly active users (MAU). As Google has strengthened AI search features, including its own artificial intelligence (AI) model "Gemini," some analysts say the spread of Generative AI is affecting Korea's search and portal usage landscape.
According to Mobile Index on the 11th, the Google app recorded 47,022,854 MAU last month, ranking No. 1 among all productivity apps. The Naver app ranked No. 2 with 46,845,017. The gap between the two apps is 177,837.
It is the first time since March 2021, when Mobile Index began compiling related statistics, that Google has outpaced Naver in MAU.
The number of Google app users topped 40 million for the first time in May last year and surpassed 46 million in May this year. In June, the gap with Naver narrowed to 245,836, and within a month the ranking flipped.
By contrast, the Naver app's MAU has shown a relatively stagnant trend, fluctuating between the 43 million and 46 million range from January 2023 through last month. Google Chrome recorded 42,457,506 last month, ranking No. 3 among productivity apps.
ChatGPT's growth is also notable. Through March last year, ChatGPT's MAU remained in the 5 million range. Then in April last year, the number of users surged, topping 10 million for the first time, and last month it ranked No. 7 among productivity apps with 16,456,151 monthly users.
That is about 2.6 times the size of the 6,307,395 users of the Daum app.
Industry watchers say the rise in users for Google and ChatGPT has been influenced by the spread of Generative AI and changes in how people use search. Users are increasingly finding information not only by typing keywords in a traditional search bar but also through Conversational AI and AI search. As ChatGPT is also used as a tool for information retrieval, its domestic user base is expanding quickly.
However, it is difficult to conclude that the leadership of the domestic search market has shifted based on these figures alone. Last month was the first time Google surpassed the Naver app in MAU, and Naver is also strengthening AI search and Generative AI features. Although ChatGPT's user base is growing rapidly, there is still a considerable gap with the Google and Naver apps.