OpenAI's Sora app loses steam after initial success
What's the story
OpenAI's innovative video generation app, Sora, is witnessing a decline in popularity. The iOS version of the app had a stellar debut, hitting 100,000 installs on day one and becoming the top-ranked app on the US App Store. However, recent data from Appfigures shows that Sora has seen a significant drop in downloads and consumer spending since its launch.
Performance metrics
Initial success and subsequent decline
Sora's iOS app, which was invite-only at the time, reached a million downloads faster than ChatGPT. However, in December 2025 alone, the app's downloads fell by 32% month-on-month. The decline continued into January 2026 with installs dropping by another 45% month-over-month to reach 1.2 million. Consumer spending on the app also took a hit during this period.
App capabilities
Unique features and market performance
Sora allows users to create AI videos with prompts, much like TikTok. Users can cast themselves or their friends as main characters in these videos, which can be remixed by others. The app has been downloaded 9.6 million times across iOS and Android platforms, with consumer spending at $1.4 million so far. However, this month alone, user spending on the app was only $367,000, down from December's peak of $540,000.
Market challenges
Ranking and competition in the market
Despite its initial success, Sora has now fallen out of the Top 100 Overall free apps on the US App Store. It ranks at No. 101 overall and No. 7 in the Photo & Video category. On Google Play in the US, it ranks even lower at No. 181 overall among top free apps. The decline is attributed to fierce competition from Google's Gemini and Meta AI, both of which have launched similar apps since Sora's debut.
Legal challenges
Copyright issues and user concerns
OpenAI has also faced issues with copyright infringement on Sora. The company initially told Hollywood studios and agencies they would have to opt out of having their IP used in Sora, which drew backlash from the industry. However, without strong copyright controls, users had been creating AI videos using popular characters like SpongeBob and Pikachu, driving adoption. To appease Hollywood and avoid legal threats, Sora switched from an opt-out to an opt-in model and tightened restrictions in the app.