ChatGPT's Mobile App Dominates AI Market with $2 Billion in Revenue

ChatGPT's mobile app has generated $2B to date, earns $2.91 per install | TechCrunch

Since launching in May 2023, ChatGPT's app for iOS and Android devices has reached $2 billion in global consumer spending, according to a new analysis by app intelligence provider Appfigures. That figure is approximately 30-times the combined lifetime spending of ChatGPT's rivals on mobile, including Claude, Copilot, and Grok, the analysis indicates. So far this year, ChatGPT's mobile app has made $1.35 billion, up 673 percent year-over-year from the $174 million it made during the same period (January-July) in 2024, per the data. On average, the app is generating close to $193 million per month, up from $25 million last year. That's significantly higher -- or about 53-times higher -- than ChatGPT's next nearest competitor, Grok, which made approximately $25.6 million this year to date. Grok's average monthly consumer spending is estimated at $3.6 million, or 1.9% of ChatGPT's. This data suggests that other consumer chatbots still have a way to go to catch up with ChatGPT's dominance on mobile devices, even if the numbers don't provide a complete picture of the AI companies' overall revenue. Consumers, teams, and businesses can also subscribe to AI plans on the web, and the companies generate revenue in other ways, too, like via their APIs. Rather, this new data offers a window into the apps' traction with consumers, who discover and pay for these AI assistants via the mobile app stores. It's also worth noting that when xAI's Grok launched in November 2023 (after ChatGPT), Grok didn't initially have standalone iOS or Android apps. Instead, users interacted with the AI chatbot through the X platform (formerly Twitter). Grok only became available on mobile devices through its own iOS app as of early January 2025, and has been on Google Play since March 4. Still, ChatGPT's lifetime global spending per download is $2.91, compared to Claude's $2.55, Grok's $0.75, and Copilot's $0.28, Appfigures found. In the U.S., ChatGPT's spending per download to date is even higher, at $10, leading the market to account for 38% of the app's revenue to date. Germany is the second-largest market, accounting for 5.3% of ChatGPT's lifetime total spending. ChatGPT's lead can also be seen in terms of downloads. To date, the app has been installed an estimated 690 million times globally, compared with Grok's 39.5 million. (That puts X owner Elon Musk's recent complaints about the App Store's alleged favoritism of ChatGPT in its Top Charts into better context.) Average monthly downloads of ChatGPT globally are now at approximately 45 million, up 180% from about 16 million in January through July of 2024. In 2025 so far, ChatGPT's app has been downloaded 318 million times, or 2.8-times more than the 113 million it saw during the same period last year. By the number of installs, however, India is the top market, accounting for 13.7% of lifetime downloads, compared with second place, the U.S., which accounted for 10.3% of all downloads.

ChatGPT app makes $2 billion, earns $2.91 per install: report

OpenAI's ChatGPT mobile app makes $2.91 per install, far outstripping its rivals and reaching $2 billion in consumer spending since its 2023 launch, according to new third-party data. So far this year, the AI titan's app has made $1.35 billion, according to mobile analytics company Appfigures, up some 673% compared to the January-to-July period last year. The app is generating nearly $193 million per month on average, up from $25 million in 2024. ChatGPT's year-to-date app revenue far exceeds Grok's, its next-closest competitor on Apple's and Google's app stores by revenue, according to Appfigures estimates. The firm pinned Grok's January-to-July app revenue at roughly $25.6 million. The numbers do not paint a full picture of AI companies' total revenue. Consumers and companies can subscribe to AI services online, and the major players also bring in cash through their APIs -- mostly by charging developers and businesses by usage, similar to how cloud providers charge for storage or computing. Still, generative AI is quickly gaining traction with mobile users, and the scale of ChatGPT's lead is evident in its app-store performance. Appfigures estimated that ChatGPT's $2.91 per install is followed by $2.55 for Claude, $0.75 for Grok, and $0.28 for Copilot. Since launching in May 2023, the app has been downloaded approximately 690 million times globally, it said. The figures also shed fresh color on recent claims by Elon Musk that Apple's App Store ranking practices favor OpenAI. Musk has threatened legal action on behalf of his AI company xAI, alleging that Apple's management of app rankings breaches antitrust rules. His remarks sparked a public exchange with OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, a former business partner, and revived scrutiny of Apple's commercial ties to OpenAI. Average monthly downloads for ChatGPT now stand at about 45 million, an increase of 180% from the 16 million average seen in the January-to-July period last year. Total downloads so far in 2025 hit approximately 318 million, up from 113 million during the same period in 2024, Appfigures said. The latest data comes after OpenAI unveiled GPT-5 last week, with Altman promising "PhD-level expert" capabilities across any field. The company characterized the launch as its biggest model upgrade since ChatGPT debuted in November 2022.