ChatGPT became the most downloaded app globally in March

ChatGPT turned the world’s most downloaded app in March, excluding video games, topping the standard contenders for the No. 1 spot, Instagram and TikTok. That is the primary time the app has topped the month-to-month obtain charts and ChatGPT’s largest month ever. In line with new information, ChatGPT’s installs jumped 28% from February to March to succeed in 46 million new downloads throughout March, app intelligence supplier Appfigures lately reported.

That put the app barely forward of Instagram, which fell to the No. 2 place. TikTok adopted at No. 3.

Maybe serving to to drive installs, ChatGPT noticed some notable upgrades in March, together with the primary main improve to its image-generation capabilities in over a yr. This led to a viral second for ChatGPT in late March and early April as customers found they might generate pictures and memes within the model of Studio Ghibli, the favored Japanese animation studio behind films like “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Spirited Away.”

OpenAI additionally eliminated some safeguards round content material moderation insurance policies for pictures in March and upgraded ChatGPT’s AI voice characteristic.

Appfigures famous that ChatGPT’s installs have grown 148% year-over-year when evaluating the primary quarter of 2021 to Q1 2025.

Nonetheless, the agency speculates that new options weren’t the principle driver behind this month’s development for the favored chatbot.

“It’s beginning to really feel like ChatGPT is changing into a verb, so much like how Google did within the 2000s, to the purpose the place many don’t suppose ‘AI’ however quite ‘ChatGPT,’” mentioned Appfigures founder and CEO Ariel Michaeli. “So when there’s pleasure about AI — even about competitors like Grok, Manus AI, or DeepSeek — many who usually are not swimming on this subject come for AI however actually obtain ChatGPT.”

Due to ChatGPT’s model recognition, it could be more durable for different AI chatbots to take off. That’s partly why Anthropic’s Claude has poorer efficiency on this entrance than ChatGPT. It’s additionally why Grok may do higher than different ChatGPT rivals — not essentially as a result of it’s higher, however as a result of it has somebody well-known to promote it with Elon Musk, and a big platform for distribution with X.

Instagram, in the meantime, had beforehand held the No. 2 spot throughout each the Apple App Retailer and Google Play in each January and February of this yr, whereas TikTok remained No. 1.

To some extent, TikTok’s obtain development earlier this yr was pushed by issues over a possible U.S. ban, as shoppers rushed to obtain the app in case it disappeared from the app shops. Now, that ban is on maintain as President Trump goals to chop a cope with China, the place TikTok mum or dad ByteDance relies, to maintain the app accessible to U.S. customers.

Forward of this, Instagram had recurrently been beating out TikTok for the No. 1 place throughout world app shops, having been the No. 1 (non-game) app all through 2024. Instagram’s recognition within the U.S. market has been rising, remaining a favourite amongst U.S. teenagers.

As an illustration, a brand new survey of U.S. teenagers by Piper Sandler launched this week discovered that Instagram is the most-used social app, with 87% month-to-month utilization, in contrast with 79% for TikTok and 72% for Snapchat.

In March, different social apps, together with these from Meta, rounded out the highest charts, with Fb and WhatsApp filling out the highest 5, and others like CapCut, Telegram, Snapchat, and Meta’s Threads within the prime 10, alongside Temu.

In whole, the highest 10 apps have been downloaded a collective 339 million instances in March, increased than February’s 299 million.