DeepSeek vs ChatGPT: Bobble AI study reveals early trends in the AI battle

In a recent study, Bobble AI’s Market Intelligence division analysed early user trends following the launch of DeepSeek, a new AI chatbot from China, and its performance against ChatGPT. Covering the first six weeks of DeepSeek's rollout, the study examined key metrics including new installs, open rates, session duration, and user engagement, offering a snapshot of how the market is responding to the emerging challenger.
New Installs: Rapid Rise, Quick Plateau
DeepSeek experienced a modest start in terms of new installs compared to ChatGPT during its initial two weeks. However, a significant surge in Week 3 led to a peak in Week 4. This momentum was short-lived, with new installs declining in the following weeks and stabilizing at a lower level by Week 6. The bell-curve trend indicates that while DeepSeek attracted strong interest initially, sustaining that growth remains a challenge. Despite this, the app achieved notable adoption figures in a brief period, suggesting potential for future growth with continued product development.
Open Rate: From Buzz to Baseline
The open rate—measuring the percentage of users who opened the app at least once—was initially high, driven by curiosity and early buzz. As installs climbed, usage patterns normalized, and open rates declined, eventually stabilizing around 48%. Interestingly, this figure closely mirrors ChatGPT's open rate, which steadily increased during the same period, possibly due to heightened market interest sparked by DeepSeek’s arrival.
What Lies Ahead
While DeepSeek has yet to pose a serious threat to ChatGPT’s dominance, the study highlights promising early indicators. With consistent product enhancements and user-focused innovation, DeepSeek could emerge as a strong contender in the evolving AI chatbot landscape.

Ankit Prasad, Founder and CEO, Bobble AI said: “The report shows that duality between marketing and performance, the data reflects how marketing can create an initial excitement around a product, however, the long term performance of a product will be dictated by a number of other important factors, such as performance, hence, this is an extremely important lesson for brands, wherein, they need to focus on overall performance of a product, to get sustainable long term traction for the product”.
Now, it seems like DeepSeek will have to make some significant improvements in its product to gain more users; otherwise, time might be running away for DeepSeek, and it might get submerged under the dominance of ChatGPT.