ChatGPT Becomes World’s Most Downloaded App, Surpassing Instagram and TikTok
Surprising Turn of Events
ChatGPT, the popular AI chatbot, has become the world’s most downloaded app in March, excluding games, according to new data from app intelligence provider Appfigures. This marks the first time the app has topped the monthly download charts and its biggest month ever.
Notable Upgrades
Perhaps helping to drive installs, ChatGPT saw some notable upgrades in March, including the first major upgrade to its image-generation capabilities in over a year. This led to a viral moment for ChatGPT in late March and early April as users discovered they could generate images and memes in the style of Studio Ghibli.
Image Credits:Appfigures
Year-over-Year Growth
Appfigures noted that ChatGPT’s installs have grown 148% year-over-year when comparing the first quarter of 2021 to Q1 2025.
The Main Driver
However, the firm speculates that new features weren’t the main driver behind this month’s growth for the popular chatbot. "It’s starting to feel like ChatGPT is becoming a verb, a lot like how Google did in the 2000s, to the point where many don’t think ‘AI’ but rather ‘ChatGPT’," said Appfigures founder and CEO Ariel Michaeli.
The Impact on Competitors
Because of ChatGPT’s brand recognition, it may be harder for other AI chatbots to take off. That’s partly why Anthropic’s Claude has poorer performance on this front than ChatGPT. It’s also why Grok could do better than other ChatGPT rivals — not necessarily because it’s better, but because it has someone famous to market it with Elon Musk, and a large platform for distribution with X.
Instagram and TikTok
Instagram, meanwhile, had previously held the No. 2 spot across both the Apple App Store and Google Play in both January and February of this year, while TikTok remained No. 1. TikTok’s download growth earlier this year was driven by concerns over a potential U.S. ban, as consumers rushed to download the app in case it disappeared from the app stores.
Conclusion
In conclusion, ChatGPT’s surge to the top of the app download charts is a significant milestone, driven in part by its image-generation capabilities and brand recognition. As the chatbot continues to evolve and improve, it will be interesting to see how it affects the landscape of AI chatbots and social media apps.
FAQs
Q: What is ChatGPT?
A: ChatGPT is a popular AI chatbot that uses machine learning to generate human-like text responses to user input.
Q: Why did ChatGPT become the most downloaded app in March?
A: ChatGPT’s image-generation capabilities and brand recognition were likely contributing factors to its surge in downloads.
Q: What is the main driver behind ChatGPT’s growth?
A: While new features were likely a factor, Appfigures speculates that ChatGPT’s brand recognition and its position as a "verb" in the AI space may have been the main driver behind its growth.
Q: How does ChatGPT’s growth affect its competitors?
A: Because of ChatGPT’s brand recognition, it may be harder for other AI chatbots to take off, making it a dominant force in the space.
