According to LatestLY and AppFigures, ChatGPT has become the world’s most downloaded app in March 2025. The AI app made by Sam Altman’s company OpenAI beat popular apps like TikTok and Instagram. ChatGPT got 46 million downloads worldwide in just one month and made about $725 million from users.
ChatGPT was downloaded differently on each phone type. On Apple phones (iOS), people downloaded it 13 million times. On Android phones, it was downloaded 33 million times. This shows that more Android users are trying the AI app than iPhone users.
| App | Total Downloads (March 2025) | iOS Downloads | Android Downloads |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 46 million | 13 million | 33 million |
| 41 million (Android only) | ~5 million | 41 million | |
| TikTok | 45 million | 8 million | 37 million |
This is a big change in what apps people like to use. Just one month earlier, in February 2025, TikTok was the most downloaded app. Now ChatGPT has taken the top spot. On Android phones, Instagram got 41 million downloads, which is still a lot but not enough to beat ChatGPT’s total numbers.
ChatGPT is not just getting many downloads – it’s also making a lot of money. In March 2025 alone, it made $725 million from users. Most of this money comes from the United States. For the whole year of 2024, ChatGPT made $2.7 billion in total. Think of it like this: if ChatGPT were a store, it would be selling more than many big shopping malls!
How does ChatGPT make money? It offers different payment plans:
- ChatGPT Plus: $20 per month with about 20 million subscribers
- ChatGPT Pro: $200 per month for more features
- Business plans: $25-$50 per month for companies
One big reason people are downloading ChatGPT is its new ability to make Studio Ghibli-style images. Studio Ghibli is famous for beautiful animated movies like “Spirited Away” and “My Neighbor Totoro.” Now, ChatGPT can create pictures that look like they’re from these movies. This has made many people excited to try the app.
The success of ChatGPT shows a big shift in what kinds of apps people want to use. Here’s why this change is important:
- ChatGPT downloads grew 28% from February to March 2025
- Compared to last year, downloads grew by 148%
- AI apps are now competing with social media apps that were popular for many years
- People are becoming more interested in apps that help them create things and be productive
- AI technology is becoming normal for everyday use
What does “downloads” mean? It’s simply the number of times people install an app from stores like App Store or Google Play. “Consumer spending” means the money people pay for apps or things inside apps. And “AI technology adoption” means how quickly people start using AI tools in their daily lives – just like how people started using smartphones years ago.
The rise of ChatGPT shows that AI is becoming a normal part of our lives. Just a few years ago, AI tools were mostly used by tech experts. Now, millions of regular people are using them every day to write, create images, and get answers to questions. This change might affect how you work, learn, and create things in the future.
