ChatGPT remains the UK’s most preferred AI tool, according to new YouGov rankings, although Gemini recorded the strongest growth in consumer preference between March and July 2026.

The first UK AI brand rankings from YouGov found that 30% of UK AI users prefer ChatGPT, placing it comfortably ahead of rival platforms as the market for consumer-facing AI tools becomes increasingly competitive.

The rankings, based on YouGov’s daily BrandIndex surveys, examine consumer preferences and perceptions of leading general-purpose AI tools, including how sentiment differs between knowledge and frontline workers.

Alexa ranked second for overall preference at 12.7%, followed by Microsoft’s Copilot at 11.6% and Gemini at 11.3%. Claude completed the top five at 4.3%, while Siri, Grok, Meta AI, Apple Intelligence and Perplexity AI made up the remainder of the top 10.

YouGov’s Preference measure asks respondents which AI tools they would consider using before asking which of those they like or prefer using most, providing a measure of which brand users would prioritise among the tools already under consideration.

The findings come as AI becomes an increasingly familiar part of everyday life in the UK, with tools being used for activities including searching, writing, creating, planning and streamlining day-to-day tasks.

YouGov also highlighted the technology’s growing role within businesses, with two in five companies saying that adopting AI is critical to their future growth.

Gemini Records Strongest Growth

Although ChatGPT continues to lead the market, YouGov’s data shows movement among competing brands between March and July.

Gemini recorded the largest increase in Preference over the period, rising from 7% in March to 11.4% in July, an increase of 4.4 percentage points.

The rise coincided with a period of increased visibility for Google’s AI assistant in the UK, including Pixel advertising featuring Trent Alexander-Arnold, an ODEON campaign, the “Ask More of Your Phone” campaign and a broader eight-week UK marketing push.

YouGov did not attribute Gemini’s growth to any individual campaign, but said the findings showed the platform gaining momentum during a period of increased consumer visibility.

DeepSeek also recorded a smaller increase of 0.5 percentage points, while Meta AI rose by 0.1 points.

Other major brands moved in the opposite direction.

Despite remaining the UK’s most preferred AI brand, ChatGPT recorded the largest decline over the period, falling from 35.8% in March to 30.7% in July, a drop of 5 percentage points.

Claude declined by 4.4 percentage points, while Perplexity AI fell by 3.7 points and Copilot dropped by 2.6 points.

YouGov began tracking the AI brands on a daily basis in mid-February, meaning the figures provide an early indication of how consumer preferences are changing as the sector develops.

The rankings also identified notable differences between knowledge workers and frontline workers.

ChatGPT’s Preference remained comparatively consistent across both groups, while Copilot was substantially more popular among knowledge workers, recording a score of 15.9% compared with 8.6% among frontline workers.

Claude followed a similar pattern, with Preference of 7.5% among knowledge workers and 2.1% among frontline workers.

Alexa showed the reverse trend, recording Preference of 14.4% among frontline workers compared with 6.4% among knowledge workers.

Gemini also performed more strongly among frontline workers, with Preference of 14.7% compared with 12.6% among knowledge workers.

YouGov said the figures relate to respondents’ overall preference for an AI tool rather than which service they specifically favour within the workplace. Differences between the groups could therefore reflect both professional and personal use of the platforms.

The findings suggest that competition between AI providers may also vary substantially depending on whether users are primarily engaged in office-based knowledge work, operational roles or broader consumer use.

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ChatGPT Leads on Accuracy and Personal Impact

Beyond overall preference, YouGov also examined how consumers perceive AI brands in terms of Accuracy and Personal Impact.

Accuracy measures whether users believe an AI tool provides reliable information, while Personal Impact assesses whether users believe a platform has a positive effect on how they work, think or carry out everyday tasks.

ChatGPT ranked first for Accuracy among all AI users, recording a Net score of 7.3. Gemini followed on 5.6, ahead of Copilot at 3.6, Alexa at 3.4 and Claude at 1.9.

However, YouGov noted that awareness levels differ considerably between platforms.

ChatGPT had an overall Awareness score of 92.7%, compared with 36.6% for Claude. When Accuracy perceptions were measured only among respondents already aware of Claude, the platform’s Net score increased from 1.9 to 5.2.

ChatGPT established a wider lead on Personal Impact, recording a score of 19.0.

Copilot ranked second at 10.1, followed by Gemini at 8.1, Alexa at 6.1 and Claude at 2.9.

The larger gap on Personal Impact suggests users are more likely to distinguish ChatGPT from competing platforms based on the perceived benefit it provides than on perceptions of accuracy alone.

Copilot’s second-place position also reflects its comparatively strong showing among knowledge workers, while Gemini performed strongly across both Accuracy and Personal Impact as it continued to gain ground in overall Preference.

YouGov said the results demonstrate that competition in the AI market extends beyond which platforms consumers prefer, with perceptions of reliability and usefulness providing additional measures of brand strength.