[Edaily Reporter Lee So-Hyun ] The Google app has surpassed Naver (NAVER(035420)) in monthly active users (MAU) in South Korea for two consecutive months. Although Naver’s user base also grew, Google’s growth outpaced Naver’s, widening the gap between the two apps from 180,000 to 420,000 users in just one month.

In addition, ChatGPT has seen significant growth not only in the number of users but also in average time spent per user, making the trend of generative artificial intelligence (AI) establishing itself as a new pillar of information search in South Korea even more pronounced.

According to data provided on the 3rd by Mobile Index, a service operated by AI tech firm IGAWorks, Google’s August MAU stood at 47,677,456, surpassing Naver (47,253,614) by 423,842 users. Google maintained the top spot for the second consecutive month, having first overtaken Naver by 177,837 users last July—the first time since relevant statistics were compiled.

Both apps saw an increase in users. Naver’s MAU rose by approximately 410,000, from 46,850,000 in July to 47,250,000 in August, while Google’s increased by approximately 650,000, from 47,020,000 to 47,680,000. While both platforms expanded their user base, Google’s growth rate was faster.

The difference is even more pronounced when compared to the same month last year. In August of last year, Google’s app MAU stood at 42.46 million, marking an increase of 5.22 million (12.3%) over the past year. During the same period, Naver’s MAU rose from 45.24 million to 47.25 million, an increase of 2.01 million (4.4%).

Google Expands Its Reach, While ChatGPT Is Used for Longer Periods

The expansion of Google’s user base aligns with the trend of integrating AI into every stage of the information-searching process. Google has expanded the ways users can access AI through search and browsers—such as the “AI Mode” in search, Samsung Galaxy’s “Circle to Search,” Google Lens, and Gemini in Chrome—without requiring users to seek out separate AI apps.

Generative AI services themselves have also continued to grow. ChatGPT’s monthly active users (MAU) in August reached 17,099,052, an increase of approximately 640,000 (3.9%) from the previous month (16,456,151). Compared to 12,040,000 in August of last year, this represents an increase of 5,060,000, or 42.0%, over the past year.

The increase in usage time is particularly notable. ChatGPT’s average monthly usage time per user rose from 126.4 minutes in July to 140.6 minutes in August—an 11.2% increase in just one month. This suggests that not only is the user base expanding, but users who have started using AI are also engaging with it more deeply.

Google also saw per-user usage time increase nearly 2.5-fold, from 27.3 minutes in August of last year to 66.9 minutes in August of this year. As the intersection between search and AI features expands, both the number of users and usage time have increased simultaneously.

It’s Too Early to Declare a Reversal in the Search Market… Naver Holds the Edge in “Usage Depth”

However, it is difficult to conclusively state that leadership in the domestic search market has shifted. This is because an app’s MAU counts users even if they use the app only once a month, and Naver Search can also be accessed through other browsers such as Chrome and Safari. Similarly, the Google app’s metrics reflect usage of various features—including AI—in addition to search.

In terms of usage depth, Naver still leads by a wide margin. In August, the average monthly usage time per user for the Naver app was 396.8 minutes—approximately 5.9 times that of Google (66.9 minutes). Naver’s daily active users (DAU) in August also averaged 26.81 million, up from 26.35 million in the same month last year.

Analysts suggest that the recent trend is less about existing search users collectively shifting from Naver to Google or generative AI, and more about a shift where entry points for information discovery are dispersing across multiple services. While users continue to rely on Naver for lifestyle information, shopping, and reservations, AI-based services such as Google Search and ChatGPT are rapidly expanding their reach as platforms for posing new questions.

An industry official stated, “The rapid growth in the number of Google app users and their usage time is certainly a noteworthy change,” but added, “Since Naver’s user base is also growing, this should be viewed as a trend toward the diversification of information-searching methods driven by the spread of AI, rather than a reversal of market share in the search sector.”