Celebrating ChatGPT's First Anniversary: Mobile Apps Achieve 110M Installs and Nearly $30M in Revenue

It has officially been one year since the groundbreaking launch of ChatGPT, which transformed from a research preview into an essential tool for everyday users, popularizing AI chatbot technology. A significant factor in this shift was the debut of the ChatGPT mobile app, first released on iOS in May 2023, followed by its Android counterpart in July 2023. According to a market analysis by mobile intelligence provider data.ai, ChatGPT’s mobile apps have achieved over 110 million combined downloads and nearly $30 million in consumer spending.

The ChatGPT mobile apps monetize through the ChatGPT Plus subscription, available as an in-app purchase for $19.99 per month. This subscription offers users perks like priority access during peak times, faster response rates, and early access to new features. The service was expanded internationally in February 2023, just prior to the mobile app launches.

While the subscription is priced higher than many music and streaming services, consumer interest in ChatGPT Plus has driven demand steadily upwards, as reported by data.ai. To date, the apps have generated approximately $28.6 million in global consumer spending, with many users likely subscribing through the web as well. Additionally, some users may have chosen other AI chatbot apps, potentially utilizing ChatGPT’s API. For instance, the Poe app, which lets users interact with OpenAI’s ChatGPT along with other AI chatbots like Anthropic’s Claude, boasted 1.18 million monthly active users as of September 2023, per app intelligence firm Apptopia.

While data.ai's findings vary regarding ChatGPT’s ranking in consumer spending, it still shows that other AI chatbots, such as Ask AI, are leading in revenue. Ask AI, which launched its mobile version before ChatGPT, offers lower-priced options for premium features across multiple tiers and durations.

On the download front, ChatGPT's mobile app continues to thrive following its launches on iOS and Android, amassing over 110 million installs. Within just a week of its Android release, ChatGPT saw an impressive 18 million new downloads, a record that remains unmatched by other mobile applications, according to data.ai. Currently, combined downloads from iOS and Android average more than 4 million weekly, a figure that has been consistently maintained for the past five weeks.

In this competitive landscape, ChatGPT outshines generative AI apps such as Character AI, Ask AI, Open Chat, Nova, AI Mirror, Imagine, Artimind, and ChatBox.

In terms of geographic usage, India and the U.S. are nearly tied as the top countries for ChatGPT downloads, accounting for 18% and 17.5%, respectively. However, analysis of Android usage indicates that ChatGPT ranks third in the frequency of use, trailing behind Character AI, where users can create personalized AI chatbots, and the Chai app. These platforms encourage more user interaction than ChatGPT's utility-based functionality, although this dynamic may shift with the introduction of specialized GPTs.

Data.ai anticipates that by the end of 2023, ChatGPT will have significantly increased its installs and revenue. One year later, ChatGPT continues to thrive and evolve, yet it has not been recognized by Apple or Google as their 'app of the year,' with AllTrails and Imprint receiving that honor instead.