AI search engine market forecast, November 2026
Miles FosterOwner and tester, RankDude
The forecast▲ Risingthrough May 2027
- November vs October
- +4.1%
- May 2027, six months out
- +13%
- Past forecasts in range
- 5 of 6
Each month I forecast Google visits to the AI search engine sites I track, then score myself when the real number lands. For November 2026 I expect about 1 billion visits, 4% more than in October 2026.
Below: how my last forecast did, the next six months and site by site.
Made 2 November 2026 from the October 2026 data. Data from DataForSEO, Google Trends via DataForSEO, Tranco and Ahrefs · not a ranking
AI search engine forecast: the key numbers for November 2026
- Expected in November1039Mvisits+4% vs October
- Likely range956M–1.1Bvisits in November
- Expected in May 20271128Mvisits+13% six months out
- Forecasts in range5 of 6monthswhen the method was tested
Visits from Google search to the tracked sites, a month. Hover or tap the chart for each month.
- The AI search engine sites RankDude tracks got 998,385,210 visits from Google search in October 2026.
- The forecast for November 2026 is 1,038,862,702 visits, up by about 4% on October 2026, likely between 956M and 1.1B.
- That is up on November 2025, when the same sites had 357,532,889 visits.
1How accurate is this forecast?
In plain words: Tested on the last 6 months, it missed by 15.3% on average.
- Tested on
- the last 6 months, as if their numbers were unknown
- Average miss
- 15.3%
- Inside the range
- 5 of 6 months
- Direction called right
- 5 of 6 months
- Next month
- this section scores the real forecast
The backtest, month by month
| Month | Would have forecast | Range | Actual | Miss | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | 478,358,643 | 412M to 545M | 504,500,831 | +5.5% | in range |
| June 2026 | 509,311,218 | 469M to 550M | 528,879,775 | +3.8% | in range |
| July 2026 | 535,549,941 | 493M to 578M | 532,353,906 | -0.6% | in range |
| August 2026 | 538,988,981 | 496M to 582M | 950,782,797 | +76.4% | missed |
| September 2026 | 920,210,890 | 847M to 994M | 967,364,719 | +5.1% | in range |
| October 2026 | 1,002,648,793 | 922M to 1083M | 998,385,210 | -0.4% | in range |
Month
- May 2026
- Would have forecast
- 478,358,643
- Range
- 412M to 545M
- Actual
- 504,500,831
- Miss
- +5.5%
- Result
- in range
- June 2026
- Would have forecast
- 509,311,218
- Range
- 469M to 550M
- Actual
- 528,879,775
- Miss
- +3.8%
- Result
- in range
- July 2026
- Would have forecast
- 535,549,941
- Range
- 493M to 578M
- Actual
- 532,353,906
- Miss
- -0.6%
- Result
- in range
- August 2026
- Would have forecast
- 538,988,981
- Range
- 496M to 582M
- Actual
- 950,782,797
- Miss
- +76.4%
- Result
- missed
- September 2026
- Would have forecast
- 920,210,890
- Range
- 847M to 994M
- Actual
- 967,364,719
- Miss
- +5.1%
- Result
- in range
- October 2026
- Would have forecast
- 1,002,648,793
- Range
- 922M to 1083M
- Actual
- 998,385,210
- Miss
- -0.4%
- Result
- in range
Each row uses only data from before that month.
Miles explains
5 of 6 in range is honest, not perfect. The biggest miss was August 2026 (+76%), the kind of month when one big site jumps. That’s why the range is wide.
2What is the market doing now?
Visits are up on a year ago (+260%), and the last three months were higher than the three before. Name searches are about level (-1% since October 2025). Recent months are getting stronger, and the forecast follows them.
- Visits, October 2026
- 998,385,210 (+3.2% on the month before, +260.1% on a year ago)
- Last 3 months vs the 3 before
- +86.3%
- 24-month peak
- 998,385,210 in October 2026
- Name searches, US
- -0.9% since October 2025
- Google Trends, "ai search engine"
- 23/100 (-51.1% on a year ago)
- 12-month trend
- +9.7% a month; the forecast carries part of the slope, fading
WorldChange in visits, month on month, worldwide
Green grew, red shrank. Source: DataForSEO.
Miles explains
Big green or red bars are usually one site winning or losing a Google ranking, not the whole market moving. What I watch is the last three months against the three before: +86%.
3Is November usually a big month or a quiet one?
November is usually a bigger month than average (2% above) for searches for “ai search engine”. That pattern helps the forecast this month, so it is used.
- November index
- 102 (100 = an average month)
- On the calendar
- Black Friday and Cyber Monday and Thanksgiving (US)
- Biggest months
- February and March
- Quietest months
- June and July
- Used in this forecast?
- Yes: average miss 15.3% as chosen, 15.3% without the pattern, 16.9% always with it
WorldHow busy each month usually is, worldwide (100 = average)
Source: Google Trends, five years.
Miles explains
I tested the calendar and it helped (16.9% average miss with it, 15.3% without), so it’s in this month’s numbers.
4What to expect in November 2026
About 1.0B visits in November 2026, up 4% on October 2026. The likely range is 956M to 1.1B.
| Measure | Last known | Forecast | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search visits, worldwide | 998,385,210 | 1,038,862,702 | 956M to 1122M |
| Search visits, US | 79,242,965 | 84,554,247 | 78M to 91M |
| Brand-name searches a month, US (last known: September 2026) | 125,209,020 | 124,695,824 | 99M to 150M |
| Searches for “ai search engine”, US (last known: September 2026) | 9,900 | 8,127 | 6.7K to 9.5K |
Measure
- Search visits, worldwide
- Last known
- 998,385,210
- Forecast
- 1,038,862,702
- Range
- 956M to 1122M
- Search visits, US
- Last known
- 79,242,965
- Forecast
- 84,554,247
- Range
- 78M to 91M
- Brand-name searches a month, US (last known: September 2026)
- Last known
- 125,209,020
- Forecast
- 124,695,824
- Range
- 99M to 150M
- Searches for “ai search engine”, US (last known: September 2026)
- Last known
- 9,900
- Forecast
- 8,127
- Range
- 6.7K to 9.5K
Source: DataForSEO and Google Ads.
5What to expect over the next six months
By May 2027 the forecast expects about 1,127,561,809 visits a month, +13% on the 998,385,210 of October 2026, so the next six months look uneven: as low as 935M in December 2026 (-6%), then 13% above October 2026 by May 2027.
| Month | Worldwide visits | Range | US visits | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2026 | 935,349,802 | 853M to 1018M | 77,029,025 | 70M to 84M |
| January 2027 | 1,090,855,869 | 986M to 1196M | 90,548,049 | 82M to 99M |
| February 2027 | 1,166,979,169 | 1046M to 1288M | 97,389,325 | 87M to 108M |
| March 2027 | 1,194,205,240 | 1060M to 1328M | 100,030,366 | 89M to 111M |
| April 2027 | 1,102,902,602 | 971M to 1235M | 92,618,664 | 82M to 104M |
| May 2027 | 1,127,561,809 | 983M to 1272M | 94,857,246 | 83M to 107M |
Month
- December 2026
- Worldwide visits
- 935,349,802
- Range
- 853M to 1018M
- US visits
- 77,029,025
- Range
- 70M to 84M
- January 2027
- Worldwide visits
- 1,090,855,869
- Range
- 986M to 1196M
- US visits
- 90,548,049
- Range
- 82M to 99M
- February 2027
- Worldwide visits
- 1,166,979,169
- Range
- 1046M to 1288M
- US visits
- 97,389,325
- Range
- 87M to 108M
- March 2027
- Worldwide visits
- 1,194,205,240
- Range
- 1060M to 1328M
- US visits
- 100,030,366
- Range
- 89M to 111M
- April 2027
- Worldwide visits
- 1,102,902,602
- Range
- 971M to 1235M
- US visits
- 92,618,664
- Range
- 82M to 104M
- May 2027
- Worldwide visits
- 1,127,561,809
- Range
- 983M to 1272M
- US visits
- 94,857,246
- Range
- 83M to 107M
6What the forecast expects for the ten most-visited sites
The forecast expects ChatGPT (+4%), Perplexity (+5%), Brave Search (+4%) and Andi (+4%) to rise, and Consensus (-4%), iAsk (-6%), Kagi (-39%) and KOMO (-5%) to fall; the rest are within 3% of October 2026. Single sites are harder to forecast than the whole market, so their ranges are wider.
| Site | October 2026 | November 2026 forecast | Range | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 ChatGPT | 918,686,520 | 957,927,339 | 881M to 1035M | +4.3% |
 DuckDuckGo AI Chat | 58,192,976 | 59,190,306 | 52M to 66M | +1.7% |
 Perplexity | 12,248,263 | 12,794,672 | 11M to 14M | +4.5% |
 Brave Search | 7,375,610 | 7,673,076 | 4.6M to 11M | +4.0% |
 Felo AI | 728,737 | 747,847 | 299K to 1.2M | +2.6% |
 Consensus | 663,320 | 635,884 | 559K to 713K | -4.1% |
 iAsk | 391,325 | 368,901 | 299K to 439K | -5.7% |
 Andi | 54,536 | 56,684 | 43.3K to 70.1K | +3.9% |
 Kagi | 38,731 | 23,821 | 9.5K to 38.1K | -38.5% |
 KOMO | 5,192 | 4,913 | 4.2K to 5.6K | -5.4% |
Site
- October 2026
- 918,686,520
- November 2026 forecast
- 957,927,339
- Range
- 881M to 1035M
- Change
- +4.3%
- October 2026
- 58,192,976
- November 2026 forecast
- 59,190,306
- Range
- 52M to 66M
- Change
- +1.7%
- October 2026
- 12,248,263
- November 2026 forecast
- 12,794,672
- Range
- 11M to 14M
- Change
- +4.5%
- October 2026
- 7,375,610
- November 2026 forecast
- 7,673,076
- Range
- 4.6M to 11M
- Change
- +4.0%
- October 2026
- 728,737
- November 2026 forecast
- 747,847
- Range
- 299K to 1.2M
- Change
- +2.6%
- October 2026
- 663,320
- November 2026 forecast
- 635,884
- Range
- 559K to 713K
- Change
- -4.1%
- October 2026
- 391,325
- November 2026 forecast
- 368,901
- Range
- 299K to 439K
- Change
- -5.7%
- October 2026
- 54,536
- November 2026 forecast
- 56,684
- Range
- 43.3K to 70.1K
- Change
- +3.9%
- October 2026
- 38,731
- November 2026 forecast
- 23,821
- Range
- 9.5K to 38.1K
- Change
- -38.5%
- October 2026
- 5,192
- November 2026 forecast
- 4,913
- Range
- 4.2K to 5.6K
- Change
- -5.4%
Source: DataForSEO.
The ten site forecasts add up to 1,039,423,443, more than the market forecast of 1,038,862,702 for every tracked site. Each site is forecast from its own months, with the weighting and the seasonal pattern that suited that site best, and the market from the total, so the two need not add up. Read the site figures one at a time, not as a sum.
Miles explains
Perplexity has the biggest expected rise (+5%). Single sites are much harder to call than the whole market, so read these as direction, not promises.
7What could change the forecast
What could knock November 2026 off course:
- A big site winning or losing a page-one position for “ai search engine”.
- A Google update.
- A site going offline.
- A news story that spikes interest for a week and then fades.
None of these are in the numbers until they happen, which is why the range exists.