Both debuted in mainstream in 08. But GaGa quickly overshadowed her with hits like "just dance" & " poker face"
So is Katy still playing "catch up" or is she more popular now?

Just look at Hot 100.

Ur late!!!!

Yes. katy is the REAL new Madonna, and you will all see that in 5 years time

She will be the next Cyndi Lauper if she doesn't pull her **** together soon. It's the honest truth.

yes, it's obvious

No. Just because they debuted the same year and make pop music doesn't mean they're fighting for anything. That's ATRL's mindset sometimes, but it's not real. The public can digest multiple pop stars at a time. Gaga is not being overshadowed, she's just not trying very hard this era and it has shown these past few months.

Yes since the TD era

GP prefers Katy.

Katy is definitely more popular now, but she is yet to reach Gaga's impact

Yes

Not in total album sales, not in tour gross, not in cultural impact. Katy is doing better than Gaga right now (this is Gaga's flop era tho) and she has more successful singles, but she has a long way to overtake Gaga in the fields that matter the most albums and tours, so for the moment no. Good luck to her tho!

Edit: I forgot Katy will never have a song as big as Bad Romance and Poker Face, but yeah she has sold more singles in total, that was my point.

She is playing catch up but still not as popular/well-known as a celebrity.

Yeap she's caught up and she's 10% ahead of her and she continues to widen the gap.
Gaga quit the music industry long ago

Yes, she is more popular than Gaga and has been since 2012.

Since 2010.

I don't think they necessarily prefer her, but she's definitely more socially acceptable to listen to. Blast Gaga and you get labeled

Exactly she's only catching up to what gaga did with her first 2 albums

She is more popular right now obviously, but Gaga just needs to get her **** together and she could be back on top.

Overall Katy will never match Gaga's success.