Which AI systems are used in Switzerland?

80% of internet users in Switzerland use AI, twice as many as in 2024. According to IGEM, ChatGPT is the most used system with a reach of 67%, followed by Google Gemini (32%) and Microsoft Copilot (30%).

Of the page views that AI chatbots send to websites, around 79% come from ChatGPT and 12.5% from Gemini (Statcounter, September 2026). For companies this means: ChatGPT is the single most important channel for AI visibility, but not the only one.

Other studies confirm the trend of the IGEM study: Comparis measures 76% (2024: 50%), and a survey by finpension and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences finds 62% for private use. The exact figures differ, but the trend is clear.

According to the survey of 15- to 75-year-olds in Switzerland, 67% use ChatGPT, around 4.3 million people. Google Gemini comes second with 32%, followed by Microsoft Copilot with 30%, Meta AI with 13%, Claude and Perplexity with 10% each and Mistral with 3%. ChatGPT clearly dominates the Swiss market, while Anthropic’s Claude and Mistral, the only European contender, are far behind.

Statcounter shows the same ranking from a different angle. Of the visits that AI chatbots sent to websites in Switzerland in September 2026, around 79% came from ChatGPT, 12.5% from Gemini, 3.7% from Perplexity, 3.1% from Copilot and 1.5% from Claude. This is not directly comparable with user numbers, but it is another data point that underlines ChatGPT’s dominance. ChatGPT’s share fluctuates: it fell from 85% in September 2025 to 66% in April 2026 and rose back to 79% by September. This may be down to user behaviour, but also to how ChatGPT handles links.

Gemini is growing steadily, from 1.2% in September 2025 to 12.5%. Claude peaked at 7.1% in June 2026 and fell to 1.5% by September. Perplexity dropped from 8.0% to 3.7%. Copilot stood at 10.0% in April and 3.1% in September. Shares below 10% fluctuate strongly because of small sample sizes.

The public data from OpenRouter paints a very different picture. The platform measures each provider’s market share of usage, not of the number of users. Particularly intensive activities such as programming shift the results here. On 19 October 2026, OpenAI had a market share of only 17% there, while open-source models are growing strongly.

Besides user numbers, IGEM also asked what AI is used for: 57% of internet users use AI for search and research, 39% for shopping advice. Around 40% of people who know chatbots use them instead of a web search, up from 27% in 2024 (Comparis).

In Switzerland, AI is increasingly replacing classic search on Google or Bing. That makes it more important every year for companies to be visible in AI answers too. Within AI search, ChatGPT matters most, although this can vary by target audience. How GEO differs from classic SEO is explained in GEO vs. SEO.

The 3 most important tips for Swiss companies that want to be visible in AI:

• ChatGPT first, but not alone. With 67% reach and around 79% of AI visits, ChatGPT is the most important channel. Gemini is growing and, thanks to its link with Google Search, ranks second.
• AI shapes the choice early. Research (57%) and shopping advice (39%) mean that customers compare providers early on. If you are missing from the answer, you are missing from the shortlist, and fewer users reach your own website.
• Measure, don’t guess. ChatGPT’s share ranged between 66% and 85% within a single year. Visibility should therefore be measured per system and regularly, so that market shifts are captured. A good starting point is the free visibility check.