ChatGPT becomes second most downloaded AI app ever
What's the story
OpenAI's ChatGPT has become the second most downloaded app in the world, according to Sensor Tower's latest global mobile report. The AI-powered tool has seen massive growth across both Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store. In fact, it is now the most downloaded artificial intelligence (AI) app of the year. The surge in popularity highlights a major shift toward AI tools in mobile apps. TikTok topped global rankings for downloads, in-app purchase revenue and total time spent.
Growth surge
AI assistants now the 10th largest app category
The report also highlights a major jump in the usage of AI Assistants, which are now the 10th largest app category globally by total time spent. The category saw a whopping 426% year-on-year growth, making it one of the fastest-growing segments in terms of downloads and in-app purchase revenue. This growth was largely led by ChatGPT, which saw a staggering 148% increase in downloads and an even bigger 254% spike in its in-app purchase revenue.
User engagement
Generative AI's growth in the US market
ChatGPT's growth was especially impressive in the US, where it became the ninth most-used app among men in Q4 2025. This indicates that generative AI is moving from experimentation to everyday use. Other AI apps like Google Gemini, DeepSeek, Doubao, Perplexity, Grok, Meta AI and Microsoft Copilot also benefited from this trend. Even non-AI-first apps such as Adobe Acrobat Reader made it into AI download rankings due to their integration of generative features.
Market shift
Shift in mobile app landscape
The rise of AI tools is changing the mobile app market, as shown by Sensor Tower's data going back to 2014. The report shows that while downloads remained flat, revenue from these apps is on the rise. This indicates deeper user engagement and stronger monetization for developers. The 254% jump in ChatGPT's in-app purchase revenue indicates users are increasingly willing to pay for advanced features or subscriptions of such AI capabilities.