Demand for AI “companion” purposes outdoors of larger names, like ChatGPT and Grok, is rising. Of the 337 energetic and revenue-generating AI companion apps out there worldwide, 128 had been launched in 2025 to this point, in keeping with new knowledge supplied to Trendster by app intelligence agency Appfigures. This subsection of the AI market on cell has now generated $82 million in the course of the first half of the yr and is on monitor to drag in over $120 million by year-end, the agency’s evaluation signifies.
In contrast to general-purpose chatbots, AI companion apps anthropomorphize AI interactions by permitting customers to converse with customized characters, together with associates, lovers, girlfriends or boyfriends, fantasy characters, and extra. Appfigures outlined the market phase in the identical manner, describing companion apps as these during which the person can work together with both premade or user-generated artificial characters meant to embody an precise character.
Well-liked apps on this house embrace Replika, Character.AI, PolyBuzz, Chai, and others.
As of July 2025, AI companion apps throughout the Apple App Retailer and Google Play have been downloaded 220 million instances globally. Throughout the first half of 2025, downloads had been up 88% year-over-year, reaching 60 million.
Appfigures crunched the numbers and located that, as of July 2025, AI companion apps have pushed $221 million in client spending worldwide. Thus far this yr, these apps have generated 64% extra income than throughout the identical interval in 2024.
The highest 10% of all AI companion apps generate 89% of the income within the class, the info reveals. As well as, round 10% (or 33) of the apps have exceeded $1 million in lifetime client spending.
Income per obtain can also be up $0.66, from $0.52 in 2024 to $1.18 for the class to this point in 2025.
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Whereas devoted AI companion apps are pretty standard, greater corporations like xAI are additionally shifting into the market. In July, xAI’s Grok launched AI companions, together with an anime woman and man, in addition to a snarky 3D fox.
In the meantime, ChatGPT’s current improve to GPT-5 delivered to gentle the truth that lots of its customers felt a kinship with the older mannequin, as they mourned the lack of their AI companion, whom that they had come to depend on.
To deal with these and different considerations about GPT-5’s efficiency, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman introduced again the 4o mannequin in the meanwhile.
Google final yr tapped into the market, too, when it employed away Character.ai’s founder, Noam Shazeer. The Character.ai app lives on and nonetheless has tens of hundreds of thousands of month-to-month energetic customers.
In keeping with Appfigures’ knowledge, the most well-liked AI companion apps are these utilized by individuals in search of an AI girlfriend. Of the energetic apps available on the market right this moment, 17% have an app title that features the phrase “girlfriend,” in contrast with 4% that say “boyfriend” or “fantasy.” Phrases like anime, soulmate, and lover, amongst others, are much less often talked about.
The agency notes there have been probably plenty of different AI companion apps that launched on the app shops since 2022, however had been later eliminated after failing to realize traction when it comes to income or downloads. These weren’t factored into its evaluation, nevertheless.
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