Search Engine Market Share in 2026: Google, Bing & AI Search
Is Google's reign over search coming to an end? Its global market share has slipped below 90%, while Bing and AI chatbots slowly gain ground. Here's what the latest numbers say, and what they mean for your SEO strategy.
Google is still where most of the world searches. But in October 2024, its global market share fell below 90% for the first time since 2015, and in September 2026 it stood at 89.94%. So, is this the beginning of the end for Google’s dominance? Is Microsoft’s Bing finally stepping up to challenge the search giant? And where do AI tools like ChatGPT fit in?
Most importantly, what does this mean for your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy?
We’ve pulled together the latest data by search engine, device and region, plus how AI is changing the picture, so you can decide where to focus.
Data last updated: September 2026 figures from Statcounter, checked 06/10/2026.
Search Engine Market Share in 2026 at a Glance
Here’s how the world’s search engines compare, based on Statcounter’s worldwide data for September 2026 across all devices.
| Search engine | Worldwide market share (September 2026) |
| 89.94% | |
| Bing | 5.29% |
| Yahoo | 1.36% |
| Yandex | 1.3% |
| DuckDuckGo | 0.74% |
| Baidu | 0.44% |
Source: Statcounter Global Stats, search engine market share worldwide, September 2026.
Google and Bing Search Engine Market Share
When it comes to search engines’ market share, it’s hard not to consider Google vs Bing. While users still prefer Google, Bing stands as the closest traditional search engine rival.
Is Google Losing Market Share?
Slowly, yes. Globally, Google’s market share slid from 91.61% in February 2024 to 90.15% in February 2025. In between, it dipped to 89.34% in October 2024, the first time it had fallen below 90% since 2015. In September 2026, it stood at 89.94%.
The UK tells a similar story. Ofcom’s Online Nation 2025 report found that 82% of UK online adults used Google Search in May 2025, down from 83% in 2024 and 86% in 2023. That’s a measure of reach (how many people use it) rather than market share, but it points the same way: a gradual drift, not a collapse.
A point or two might not sound dramatic, but at Google’s scale any shift signals changing user behaviour. Google still handles around nine in ten searches worldwide, so its crown isn’t going anywhere yet.
| Month | Google (worldwide) | Bing (worldwide) |
| February 2024 | 91.61% | 3.32% |
| February 2025 | 90.15% | 3.95% |
| September 2026 | 89.94% | 5.29% |
Source: Statcounter Global Stats, all platforms, worldwide.
Is Bing Gaining Market Share?
With Google’s market share slipping, you might expect Bing to be the big winner.
It is, slowly. Bing’s global market share climbed from 3.32% in February 2024 to 3.95% in February 2025, and reached 5.29% in September 2026. That makes it the clear number two, but still a long way short of seriously challenging Google.
It does better in some markets than others. Bing held 6.08% of the UK market in September 2026, and 9.89% in the US, almost double its global share. And on desktop, as you’ll see below, it’s a much bigger player than the headline figure suggests.
Search Engine Market Share by Device
Market share looks very different depending on the device people search on.
| Device (worldwide) | Bing | |
| Desktop (September 2026) | 78.12% | 14.62% |
| Mobile (September 2026) | 95.68% | 0.69% |
| Tablet (July 2026, latest available) | 84.98% | 11.14% |
Source: Statcounter Global Stats.
On mobile, Google is almost unchallenged, with 95.68% of the worldwide market. Bing has less than 1%, behind Yandex and only just ahead of DuckDuckGo.
Desktop is a different story. Bing takes 14.62% of desktop searches worldwide, and 18.33% in the UK. Bing is the default search engine in Microsoft’s Edge browser and Windows, which puts it in front of a lot of desktop users.
If a large share of your audience searches on desktop, for example during the working day, Bing deserves more attention than its global figure suggests. Our guide to Google vs Bing covers how to decide where to focus.
Search Engine Market Share by Region
Google leads in every one of our key markets, but by different margins.
| Region (September 2026) | Bing | |
| Worldwide | 89.94% | 5.29% |
| United Kingdom | 91.39% | 6.08% |
| United States | 85.19% | 9.89% |
| Europe | 88.97% | 5.34% |
Source: Statcounter Global Stats, all platforms.
UK: Google is stronger here than globally, with 91.39% of the market. The device split is stark: Google has 98.03% of UK mobile searches, but 75.99% on desktop, where Bing takes 18.33%.
US: Bing’s best market of the three, at 9.89%. Yahoo (2.64%) and DuckDuckGo (1.75%) also hold bigger shares here than they do globally. If you’re targeting US customers, Bing’s audience is worth factoring into both your SEO and paid search plans.
Europe: Google holds 88.97%, with Bing at 5.34% and Yandex at 2.39%.
How AI Is Impacting Search Engine Market Share
Search engine market share comes down to one thing: where users choose to search. And the biggest shift in user behaviour? The rise of generative AI.
Ofcom’s Online Nation 2024 report highlights how AI-powered search can influence market share. When Microsoft launched Bing Chat (now Microsoft Copilot) in 2023, Bing saw a surge in visitors. While that spike didn’t last, usage remained higher than pre-AI levels, proving that AI search tools can drive engagement.
Since then, AI tools have grown fast. Ofcom’s Online Nation 2025 report found that ChatGPT had 252 million UK web visits in August 2025, up 156% on the year before, with Google Gemini (+146%), Claude (+138%) and Perplexity (+100%) also growing quickly. Ofcom now describes ChatGPT as “already the second-largest search service” in the UK.
Among AI chatbots, ChatGPT leads by a distance. Statcounter’s September 2026 data gives ChatGPT 80.48% of AI chatbot market share worldwide, followed by Google Gemini (10.91%), Perplexity (5.85%), Microsoft Copilot (1.79%) and Claude (0.95%).
It’s worth keeping this in perspective, though. Statcounter’s figures are based on the website visits each platform sends, and by that measure AI chatbots accounted for just 0.4% of referrals in September 2026, against 91% from search engines. Head to head, Google sent 99.61% of the combined traffic and ChatGPT 0.39%.
Put those numbers side by side and the picture is clear: people are using AI tools to research and get answers in growing numbers, but those tools send very few clicks to websites. Being mentioned and cited inside the answer matters as much as the click.
Google itself is changing too. According to Ofcom, around 30% of searches now show AI Overviews, and 53% of UK adults say they see these summaries often.
With AI reshaping how people search, the battle for market share is no longer just Google vs Bing — It’s traditional search engines vs AI-powered alternatives.
What Does This Mean for SEO?
Search engine market share is shifting, which means SEO is changing.
Let’s be clear — Google isn’t dead. It’s still the dominant search engine, and optimising for it remains essential to reach your audience. But the rise of AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google Gemini means SEO is no longer just about ranking on Google — it’s about visibility across multiple platforms.
Enter Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) — the strategy of optimising content for AI-driven search engines. Integrating GEO into your SEO strategy will future-proof your visibility — wherever people search.
In practice, that means three things:
- Keep optimising for Google. It still handles around nine in ten searches worldwide.
- Check how your audience splits across desktop and mobile, and which countries they search from. If desktop or US traffic matters to you, Bing deserves a place in your plans.
- Track whether your brand is mentioned and cited in AI answers, not just where you rank. AI tools send few clicks, so visibility inside the answer is what counts.
Send us your website for a review, and we’ll show you exactly what SEO and GEO updates you need to rank higher on both traditional search engines and AI-driven platforms.
Want to learn more? Listen to our podcast on AI’s impact on search:
FAQs
Who has the largest market share for search engines?
As of September 2026, Google holds the largest market share among search engines, with 89.94% globally. Bing is second, with 5.29%.
Do people still use Yahoo search?
Yes, Yahoo maintains a presence in the search engine market, though its share is small. As of September 2026, Yahoo holds 1.36% of the global market share, rising to 2.64% in the US.
How many people use DuckDuckGo vs Google?
DuckDuckGo has a substantially smaller user base compared to Google. As of September 2026, DuckDuckGo holds 0.74% of the global search engine market share, while Google dominates with 89.94%. In the US, DuckDuckGo’s share is higher, at 1.75%.
What is Google’s market share in the UK?
Google held 91.39% of the UK search engine market in September 2026, according to Statcounter, with Bing second at 6.08%. Ofcom’s research shows 82% of UK online adults used Google Search in May 2025.
What is ChatGPT’s market share?
ChatGPT is by far the most-used AI chatbot, with 80.48% of AI chatbot market share worldwide in September 2026, according to Statcounter. Compared with Google, though, it sends very little traffic to websites: 0.39% against Google’s 99.61%.
How is search engine market share measured?
The most widely quoted figures come from Statcounter, which tracks which search engine sends each visit across more than 3 billion page views a month. That makes it a measure of the traffic search engines send to websites, rather than the number of searches made. Other sources measure reach instead, such as Ofcom, which reports the share of UK adults who use each service.
