The Most Popular AI Search Engines & LLMs in Asia (APAC) (Top 15 Economies) - AI Search Visibility Blog | Insights & Data | Otterly.AI

AI chat and “answer engines” have exploded across the world and also across Asia–Pacific. Below is a concise, country-by-country view of which consumer AI search engines and chatbots are most used today- mixing global and local players – across the top 15 APAC economies by GDP (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Hong Kong, Pakistan, Bangladesh).

How we ranked

  • Primary: real-world usage/adoption (where available: traffic share, downloads, local buzz).
  • Secondary: sustained media coverage and ecosystem integrations.
  • Scope: consumer-facing tools (general chat/search assistants), not enterprise deployments.
CountryRank of Popular AI Search Engines / LLMsChatGPTPerplexityGoogle AI OverviewsLocal AI Search / LLMs
China1. Baidu Ernie Bot
2. iFlyTek Spark
3. Alibaba Tongyi		Not availableNot availableAvailable but not popularErnie (popular),
Spark (growing), Tongyi (niche)
Japan1. ChatGPT
2. Google AI Overviews
3. Perplexity		Available & popularAvailable and growingAvailable & popularLocal models (Rinna, NTT) niche
India1. ChatGPT
2. Google AI Overviews
3. Perplexity		Available & popularAvailable and growingAvailable & popularBharatGPT, Hanooman (emerging)
South Korea1. ChatGPT
2. Naver HyperCLOVA X (Cue:)
3. Google AI Overviews		Available & very popularAvailable and growingAvailable & popularHyperCLOVA X (popular), Kakao KoGPT (niche)
Australia1. ChatGPT
2. Google AI Overviews
3. Perplexity		Available & popularAvailable but not popularAvailable & popularNo major local LLM
Indonesia1. ChatGPT
2. Google AI Overviews
3. Sahabat AI (emerging)		Available & popularAvailable but not popularAvailable & popularSahabat AI (emerging), Kata.ai niche
Taiwan1. ChatGPT
2. Google AI Overviews		Available & popularAvailable but not popularAvailable & popularNo major local LLM
Thailand1. ChatGPT
2. Google AI Overviews		Available & growingAvailable but not popularAvailable & popularThai LLM in development (Naver/SiamAI)
Singapore1. ChatGPT
2. Google AI Overviews
3. Perplexity		Available & popularAvailable and growingAvailable & popularNo major local LLM (AI Singapore projects)
Malaysia1. ChatGPT
2. Google AI Overviews
3. NurAI (emerging)		Available & popularAvailable but not popularAvailable & popularNurAI (emerging, niche)
Vietnam1. ChatGPT
2. Google AI Overviews
3. FPT/Zalo AI (emerging)		Available & growingAvailable but not popularAvailable & popularFPT AI, Zalo AI (emerging)
Philippines1. ChatGPT
2. Google AI Overviews		Available & popularAvailable but not popularAvailable & popularNo major local LLM
Hong Kong1. ChatGPT
2. Google AI Overviews
3. SenseChat (niche)		Available & popularAvailable but not popularAvailable & popularSenseChat, Ernie accessible but niche
Pakistan1. ChatGPT
2. Google AI Overviews		Available & extremely popularAvailable but not popularAvailable & popularUrdu GPT prototypes, NurAI accessible
Bangladesh1. ChatGPT
2. Google AI Overviews		Available & growingAvailable but not popularAvailable & popularAlapChari prototype

Key Patterns from the Rankings

  • ChatGPT is #1 in every APAC country except China, where Baidu’s Ernie Bot leads.
  • Google AI Overviews consistently rank #2, reflecting their integration into Search.
  • Perplexity is gaining traction in India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, but doesn’t yet crack the top 2.
  • Local LLMs make the top 3 in China (Ernie, Spark, Tongyi), South Korea (Naver), Malaysia (NurAI), Indonesia (Sahabat AI), and Vietnam (FPT/Zalo).

Top 3 AI Search Engines per Country in APAC

Country#1#2#3
ChinaBaidu ErnieiFlyTek SparkAlibaba Tongyi
JapanChatGPTGoogle AI OverviewsPerplexity
IndiaChatGPTGoogle AI OverviewsPerplexity
South KoreaChatGPTNaver HyperCLOVA XGoogle AI Overviews
AustraliaChatGPTGoogle AI OverviewsPerplexity
IndonesiaChatGPTGoogle AI OverviewsSahabat AI
TaiwanChatGPTGoogle AI Overviews–
ThailandChatGPTGoogle AI Overviews–
SingaporeChatGPTGoogle AI OverviewsPerplexity
MalaysiaChatGPTGoogle AI OverviewsNurAI
VietnamChatGPTGoogle AI OverviewsFPT/Zalo AI
PhilippinesChatGPTGoogle AI Overviews–
Hong KongChatGPTGoogle AI OverviewsSenseChat
PakistanChatGPTGoogle AI Overviews–
BangladeshChatGPTGoogle AI Overviews–

ChatGPT is the dominant player, ranking first in every APAC market except China, where it is blocked. Adoption is particularly strong in India, South Korea, Japan, Pakistan, and Singapore, where the tool has already become part of the daily workflow for students, professionals, and freelancers. Google’s AI Overviews have also become deeply embedded in the search experience. Integrated directly into Google Search, they now represent the second most visible AI search feature across most APAC markets. While they reduce click-through traffic to external websites, they are steadily normalizing generative answers as a default part of everyday search.

Meanwhile, Perplexity is emerging as a challenger. Although still niche, it has secured the third spot in markets like India, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Australia. Its source-citation approach resonates strongly with research-heavy users, and traffic from APAC continues to grow. Alongside these global leaders, local champions are rising.

In China, Baidu’s Ernie Bot, iFlyTek Spark, and Alibaba Tongyi dominate. South Korea has Naver’s HyperCLOVA X and its consumer-facing assistant Cue:. Malaysia has NurAI, the world’s first Shariah-aligned chatbot. Indonesia is developing Sahabat AI as a Bahasa-first model, while Vietnam is advancing its own LLMs through FPT and Zalo. These homegrown platforms differentiate themselves through language mastery, cultural adaptation, and regulatory compliance, though most still trail ChatGPT and Google in reach.

And .. if you want to monitor these AI searches for your brand and see where brand is ranking against your competition, give OtterlyAI a try.