One year has officially passed since the launch of ChatGPT, which made a significant impact on the world as the research preview evolved into an everyday tool, bringing AI chatbot technology to mainstream users. A significant milestone in this journey was the release of the ChatGPT mobile app. Launched in May 2023 on iOS and followed by an Android release in July 2023, these apps have achieved remarkable success. On this technology’s first anniversary, recent data reveals that the combined installs of ChatGPT’s mobile apps have exceeded 110 million, generating nearly $30 million in consumer spending. This information comes from a market analysis provided to TechCrunch by data.ai, a mobile intelligence provider.
The mobile apps of ChatGPT generate revenue through the sale of the ChatGPT Plus subscription via in-app purchases. Priced at $19.99 per month, this service offers various benefits, including general access during peak times, faster response times, and early access to new features and improvements. The subscription was made available to users outside the U.S. in February 2023, preceding the launch of the mobile apps.
While the subscription is relatively expensive compared to many music and streaming services, consumer interest in ChatGPS Plus access has steadily increased over time, according to data.ai. In total, ChatGPT’s apps have generated approximately $28.6 million in global consumer spending on mobile, although it’s likely that many more users have subscribed via the web. It’s worth noting that other mobile app users may have also subscribed to different AI chatbot apps, with some possibly using ChatGPT’s API. For instance, Poe, an app that allows users to interact with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other AI chatbots like Anthropic’s Claude, had 1.18 million monthly active users as of September 2023, as reported by app intelligence firm Apptoppia.
While data.ai’s analysis places ChatGPT lower in terms of consumer spending ranking among chatbots, it’s important to note that Ask AI, which entered the mobile scene before ChatGPT, holds the top position. Ask AI offers a range of lower-priced in-app purchase options for premium features, with durations ranging from one week to one year, as well as multiple tiers like “premium” and “elite.”
Despite its ranking in terms of revenue, ChatGPT’s mobile app downloads continue to grow following its releases on iOS and Android in the spring and summer, respectively. Total downloads have now surpassed 110 million. Notably, ChatGPT’s Android downloads saw rapid adoption, with approximately 18 million new installs within a week of its Google Play release—an achievement unmatched by other mobile apps, according to data.ai. Combined iOS and Android downloads have been consistently averaging above 4 million on a weekly basis for the past five weeks. This places ChatGPT ahead of other generative AI apps such as Character AI, Ask AI, Open Chat, Nova, ChatBot, AI Mirror, Imagine, Artimind, and ChatBox, according to the data.
In terms of geographic distribution, India and the U.S. are the leading countries accounting for the most ChatGPT downloads, with 18% and 17.5%, respectively.
However, an analysis of Android data suggests that ChatGPT may not be the most frequently used AI app. Instead, it ranks as the third most used AI app behind Character AI, where users can create personified AI chatbots, and another similar AI app called Chai. These apps tend to facilitate more overall sessions compared to the more utilitarian ChatGPT, although this dynamic could change with the introduction of special-purchase GPTs, as suggested by data.ai.
The firm anticipates that by the end of 2023, ChatGPT will have garnered tens of millions more installs and revenue, further solidifying its position in the AI chatbot landscape.