DeepSeek overtakes ChatGPT in AI traffic surge as gender data reveals shifting tool preferences

AI market grew by 14.4% in February as DeepSeek overtook ChatGPT in traffic, Aitools.xyz reports

The AI tools market recorded 12.05 billion visits in February 2025, according to a new report from Aitools.xyz. The monthly analysis, which tracks more than 10,500 AI tools across 171 categories, showed a 14.44% rise in overall traffic, with DeepSeek emerging as the fastest-growing platform.

DeepSeek registered 524.7 million new visits, surpassing ChatGPT’s increase of 500 million during the same period. The chatbot has now reached a total of 792.6 million visits. ChatGPT remains the most visited individual platform, with 5.20 billion monthly visits.

According to Aitools.xyz, DeepSeek’s traffic increased by over 6,190% between December and February.

Gender-based usage patterns

The report also examined user demographics and tool preferences. Of the 12.05 billion visits recorded, 7.09 billion (58.83%) were attributed to male users and 4.96 billion (41.17%) to female users.

The analysis identified distinct usage trends based on gender. Men primarily engaged with AI tools focused on code generation, image creation, and automation, platforms like Cursor, Midjourney, and Talkie AI led in male user share. For example, Cursor reported 79% male engagement.

Women were more likely to use tools designed for grammar correction, academic writing, and content creation. LanguageTool, Slidesgo, and Gauth all ranked among the top ten platforms for female users, with LanguageTool showing 78% female engagement.

Top platforms by user base

ChatGPT, Canva, and DeepSeek ranked as the three most visited platforms in February. Character AI and JanitorAI followed in the character chatbot category, while Google Translate, Gemini, and Claude remained among the most-used general AI tools.

On the male-dominated side, tools like Perplexity (79% male), Humanize AI (79%), and Remaker (79%) ranked high in traffic share. Among female users, QuillBot, Beacons, Odoo, and Turnitin all reported female-majority engagement of 70% or higher.

Methodology

Aitools.xyz uses SEMrush and Ahrefs to track monthly traffic, visit sources, user devices, and engagement metrics. The platform aggregates this data to measure AI tool growth, identify popular platforms, and assess gender-based trends.

Aitools.xyz stated:
“Out of the 12.05 billion web visits, 58.83% were male users and 41.17% were female. This demographic divide is further reflected in distinct AI tool usage patterns.”