OpenAI’s ChatGPT has emerged as the world’s most downloaded app for seven consecutive months, maintaining its top spot across both the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store from March through September 2025, according to data from mobile analytics firm Appfigures.
The chatbot, launched just two years ago, has now become a cultural and technological phenomenon, amassing an estimated 410.8 million global downloads so far this year — a figure that dwarfs the performance of other major artificial intelligence apps.
Appfigures data shows Google’s Gemini app trailing with 131.1 million downloads, followed by China’s DeepSeek with 79.2 million, Elon Musk’s Grok with 46.6 million, Perplexity AI with 43.1 million, and Meta AI with 16.9 million downloads.
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These figures not only illustrate OpenAI’s unmatched reach but also reflect how ChatGPT has become the default gateway for everyday AI use — from education and business to creative writing and programming assistance.
A Global Phenomenon in User Engagement
ChatGPT’s growth has not been limited to downloads. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed during the company’s DevDay conference on Monday that the platform now boasts 800 million active weekly users — equivalent to more than 10% of the world’s population.
According to a joint paper published by researchers from Harvard, Duke, and OpenAI, ChatGPT processed over 2.5 billion messages per day as of July 2025 — roughly 29,000 messages every second. This staggering level of engagement underscores how generative AI has evolved from a niche curiosity into one of the most heavily used digital tools on Earth.
The researchers noted that the chatbot’s widespread use spans more than 180 countries, with strong adoption not only in advanced economies like the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom but also across emerging markets in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia — regions where AI-powered mobile tools are increasingly seen as vital for learning and work.
Why ChatGPT Stands Apart
Part of ChatGPT’s success lies in its cross-platform accessibility and continuous upgrades. OpenAI’s rollout of voice, image, video, and memory features has made the app more versatile than rivals that remain largely text-based. Users can now hold full conversations with ChatGPT, upload photos for analysis, or have the assistant remember details from past chats — all of which deepen engagement and make the experience feel more personal.
By contrast, some note competitors like Gemini and Perplexity have struggled to achieve similar levels of stickiness, often catering to narrower audiences or integrating AI features into larger ecosystems rather than offering standalone, humanlike assistants.
OpenAI’s close partnerships with Microsoft — integrating ChatGPT’s underlying GPT-4 model into Copilot and Office 365 tools — have also expanded its enterprise footprint, making the app not just a consumer tool but a productivity platform.
The Broader AI App Race
The dominance of ChatGPT comes amid a fierce global race among AI developers to capture mobile users. Tech giants like Google and Meta have poured billions into their AI divisions, while startups such as Perplexity and Anthropic continue to launch innovative conversational models.
However, ChatGPT’s sustained lead for seven months signals the platform’s early advantage in usability and global recognition. Analysts say OpenAI has managed to create a “network effect” where its widespread use fuels data quality, leading to faster model improvements that keep it ahead of rivals.
Still, some experts warn that the broader AI app surge may face sustainability challenges. As user expectations rise and costs of operating large-scale AI models remain high, the question is whether companies can balance accessibility with profitability.
For now, though, OpenAI’s chatbot remains unmatched. With hundreds of millions of downloads, billions of daily interactions, and a user base larger than most social media platforms, ChatGPT has firmly established itself as the most popular and possibly most influential AI product of the modern era.
