ChatGPT vs Perplexity vs Gemini: Which AI Sends the Best Traffic?

You track six different AI platforms in GA4. Each month you compare their performance, trying to figure out where to focus optimization effort.

ChatGPT sends the most traffic—about 65 percent of your total AI referrals. But Perplexity visitors stay longer and view more pages. Claude traffic converts to email signups at twice the rate of ChatGPT. Gemini barely shows up in reports, despite being backed by Google.

You have limited resources. Which platform deserves priority?

The answer depends on what you're optimizing for: reach, engagement, conversion, or growth potential. Each major AI platform attracts different user behaviors, different demographics, and different content preferences.

Here's how they compare and what it means for your optimization strategy.

Volume: ChatGPT Dominates, But Others Are Growing Fast

ChatGPT accounts for 48 percent of all AI chatbot traffic globally. If you're seeing 1,000 AI referrals monthly, roughly 650-700 come from ChatGPT.

Why ChatGPT leads:

• First mover advantage in consumer AI
• Free tier with no friction
• Mobile apps that work reasonably well
• Mainstream brand awareness

Perplexity represents about 8 percent of AI traffic globally, but growth trajectory is steep. Sites that tracked both platforms over 12 months saw Perplexity grow from 3 percent to 12 percent of AI traffic while ChatGPT held relatively steady.

Why Perplexity is gaining:

• Built specifically for web search and citation
• Shows sources inline, making citations visible
• Faster responses than ChatGPT for factual queries
• Pro plan includes recent web data

Claude sends only 2-3 percent of AI traffic by volume, making it one of the smallest platforms by reach.

Why Claude volume is low:

• Relatively unknown outside tech/developer communities
• No free mobile app (web only for free tier)
• Marketing emphasizes safety over speed/scale
• Newer to market compared to ChatGPT

Gemini traffic is difficult to measure because much of it appears as Google referral traffic rather than distinct gemini.google.com referrals. Visible Gemini traffic represents 5-8 percent of AI referrals, but actual influence is likely higher due to attribution issues.

For pure reach: Optimize for ChatGPT first. It's 10x the volume of any competitor.

Engagement: Claude Wins, Perplexity Disappoints

Average engagement time per platform:

• Claude: 14-16 minutes per session
• ChatGPT: 5-7 minutes per session
• Perplexity: 2-3 minutes per session
• Gemini: 3-4 minutes per session

Why Claude engagement is exceptional:

Claude users are typically developers, researchers, or technical professionals doing deep work. They arrive with complex questions requiring thorough answers. When Claude cites your content, these users read comprehensively, explore related pages, and engage deeply.

Why Perplexity engagement is surprisingly low:

Perplexity optimizes for speed and efficiency. Users get quick answers with inline citations, then move on. They don't need to click through to source content as often because Perplexity surfaces key information directly in responses.

This makes Perplexity citations less valuable for engagement metrics, even though they represent significant brand visibility.

Pages per session:

• Claude: 6-8 pages
• ChatGPT: 3-4 pages
• Perplexity: 1-2 pages
• Gemini: 2-3 pages

Claude traffic explores your site thoroughly. ChatGPT traffic reads the cited article and maybe one related piece. Perplexity traffic often views only the landing page before leaving.

For maximum engagement: Optimize for Claude. Quality over quantity.

User Demographics: Different Platforms, Different Audiences

ChatGPT users:

• Broad demographic spread
• Students, professionals, casual users
• General interest in AI assistance
• Often using ChatGPT for personal productivity

Perplexity users:

• Tech-savvy early adopters
• Professionals researching work topics
• Younger demographic (25-40 dominant)
• Value speed and citation transparency

Claude users:

• Developers, engineers, data scientists
• Academic researchers
• Technical writers
• Often paying for Pro tier (signals higher intent)

Gemini users:

• Google ecosystem users
• Android device owners
• Users who prefer Google over OpenAI
• Often accessing via Google Search, not standalone app

What this means for optimization:

If you serve technical audiences, Claude optimization delivers higher-value visitors despite low volume.

If you need broad reach across demographics, ChatGPT is essential.

If you target professionals doing work-related research, Perplexity captures that specific intent.

Conversion Patterns by Platform

Email capture rates (typical performance):

• Claude: 6-9 percent
• ChatGPT: 3-5 percent
• Perplexity: 2-4 percent
• Gemini: 3-5 percent

Claude's high email capture rate reflects audience engagement—they're committed researchers willing to stay connected for deeper content.

Perplexity's lower rate reflects the quick-answer use case. Users got what they needed without subscribing.

First-session conversion rates (purchases, trials, demos):

All platforms perform similarly poorly for immediate conversion: 0.4-1.2 percent.

This reflects the nature of AI-driven discovery as top-of-funnel research, not bottom-funnel purchasing behavior.

90-day attributed conversion rates:

• Claude: 4-7 percent (highest long-term value)
• ChatGPT: 3-5 percent (volume makes up for moderate rate)
• Perplexity: 2-4 percent (lower due to quick-answer behavior)
• Gemini: 3-5 percent (similar to ChatGPT)

Claude traffic shows the best long-term conversion performance because highly engaged users are more likely to remember your brand and return when ready to convert.

Content Type Preferences

ChatGPT cites:

• How-to guides and tutorials
• Explanatory content (what is X, why does Y matter)
• Comparison articles
• Problem-solving content
• Broad appeal topics

Perplexity cites:

• News and current events
• Statistical content with data
• Fact-based explainers
• Timeline/history articles
• Research summaries

Claude cites:

• Technical documentation
• In-depth analytical content
• Code examples and implementation guides
• Academic or research-oriented articles
• Long-form comprehensive guides

Gemini cites:

• Similar to ChatGPT but with slight preference for Google-friendly structured content
• FAQ pages
• Lists and comparisons
• How-to content

Optimization implication:

Match your optimization priority to your content type. Technical publishers should prioritize Claude. News sites should focus on Perplexity. General education content should optimize for ChatGPT first.

Growth Trajectory: Where to Bet on the Future

12-month growth rates (based on global traffic trends):

• Perplexity: +340 percent year-over-year
• Claude: +180 percent year-over-year
• ChatGPT: +45 percent year-over-year (large base, slower growth)
• Gemini: Difficult to measure due to attribution issues

Perplexity's explosive growth suggests early optimization investment will pay off as the platform captures more market share. It's moving from niche to mainstream.

Claude's steady growth reflects expanding enterprise adoption and growing developer mindshare. Still small, but trajectory is positive.

ChatGPT's slowing growth doesn't mean decline—just market saturation. It's already enormous, so percentage growth naturally slows.

For future-focused optimization: Invest in Perplexity now while it's growing fastest. You'll establish citation history before competition intensifies.

Which Platform Should You Prioritize?

Optimize for ChatGPT if:

• You need maximum reach and volume
• You serve general audiences (not niche technical)
• Your content is educational or how-to focused
• You're building brand awareness at scale

Optimize for Perplexity if:

• You publish timely, newsworthy content
• You target professionals doing work research
• You have data-heavy, fact-based content
• You want to ride fastest growth trajectory

Optimize for Claude if:

• You serve technical/developer audiences
• You prioritize engagement quality over volume
• Your content is in-depth and comprehensive
• You value high email capture and long-term conversion

Optimize for Gemini if:

• Your content already performs well in Google Search
• You use structured data and schema markup extensively
• Your audience overlaps with Google ecosystem users

Most sites should prioritize:

1. ChatGPT (volume leader, can't ignore)
2. Perplexity (fastest growth, future-focused)
3. Claude (if technical audience) or Gemini (if general audience)

FAQ

Can the same optimization work for all platforms?

Yes. The fundamentals—clear structure, comprehensive coverage, factual accuracy, proper headers—benefit citations across all platforms. Platform-specific optimization is marginal improvement on top of solid fundamentals.

Should I track platforms separately or as aggregate AI traffic?

Both. Aggregate AI channel for overall strategy and reporting. Individual platforms for understanding audience differences and optimizing content to platform strengths.

Does optimizing for ChatGPT hurt Perplexity performance?

No. There's no zero-sum competition. Content that ChatGPT cites well typically also performs well on Perplexity, just with different engagement patterns. Focus on quality fundamentals, not platform gaming.

Why is my Gemini traffic so low?

Gemini often routes referral traffic through generic google.com referrals rather than gemini.google.com, making it hard to track. Your actual Gemini influence may be higher than visible traffic suggests.

How often should I review platform performance?

Monthly for trends, quarterly for strategy decisions. Platform positions shift slowly enough that weekly monitoring isn't necessary, but annual reviews miss important changes.

Can I ignore smaller platforms like Claude?

If Claude sends less than 50 sessions monthly, yes—focus on higher-volume sources. But if you serve technical audiences and see 200+ Claude sessions monthly with strong engagement, that's valuable niche traffic worth optimizing for.

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Related guides:

• Why ChatGPT Traffic Shows as Direct in GA4
• How to Track Perplexity Referrals in GA4
• Claude AI Traffic: The High-Engagement Source You're Missing
• Measuring the Real Value of AI Chatbot Traffic in GA4