# SparkToro: Google handles 74% of desktop searches, AI tools 3%

Published: 2026-09-24T04:07:13.700Z · Source: SparkToro (https://sparktoro.com/blog/new-research-search-happens-everywhere-an-analysis-of-41-websites-with-significant-search-activity/)
Source date: 2026-03-02
Flags: catch-up (Mar 2); SparkToro/Datos study — desktop panel only; Datos is a Semrush company
Entities: sparktoro, google, chatgpt, bing

SparkToro and its clickstream partner Datos counted searches and AI prompt sessions on 41 search-heavy websites across Datos's 2025 desktop panel of millions of devices in the U.S. and the EU/UK. In the U.S. in Q4 2025, Google handled 73.7% of all desktop searches across those sites; traditional search engines together took about 80%, commerce sites such as Amazon, Walmart and Booking about 10%, social networks about 5.5%, and AI tools — ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Copilot, Gemini and others combined — 3.2%. Amazon, Bing and YouTube each saw more desktop search activity than ChatGPT.

The figure is lower than the 90%-plus share usually quoted for Google because the denominator is different: Statcounter measures referrals among search engines, while this study counts searches wherever they happen. Google lost 3.5 points of share over 2025 in the U.S. and about 2 in the EU/UK, where it was roughly 5 points more dominant. AI prompt sessions were counted as one search each, with follow-ups inside the session, and nothing was filtered for intent.

Caveats the authors state themselves: desktop only, with mobile browsers and apps excluded; the 41 domains were chosen editorially by SparkToro's Rand Fishkin from Datos's 250 most-visited; and only about half of ChatGPT's monthly visitors prompted at all, so visits overstate its use. Datos is a Semrush company. Catch-up item: published March 2, 2026, before this record began, and added because every major answer engine cites it for the AI-versus-Google share question.

Why it matters: It is the measurement every answer engine reaches for when asked how big AI search is next to Google, and it counts searches on 41 sites rather than visits to search engines — which is why its Google figure sits far below Statcounter's 90%.

## What this answers

**What is AI search's market share compared with Google?**

On U.S. desktop in Q4 2025, Google handled 73.7% of searches across 41 search-heavy websites and all AI tools combined 3.2%, per SparkToro and Datos. Traditional search engines took about 80%, commerce sites about 10% and social networks about 5.5%.

**Do more searches happen on ChatGPT or on Amazon?**

On Amazon. Amazon, Bing and YouTube each saw more desktop search activity than ChatGPT in SparkToro and Datos's Q4 2025 analysis of 41 websites.


Canonical: https://anythingengineoptimization.com/item/2026-09-23-sparktoro-google-handles-74-of-desktop-searches-ai-tools-3/
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