ChatGPT has surged past social media giants to become the most-downloaded app in the world. In less than a year, the AI chatbot has surpassed 900 million downloads, outpacing TikTok by 200 million and Instagram by 380 million, according to Techgaged.com.
For years, apps like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook dominated the global download charts. But in just two and a half years, ChatGPT has not only entered this elite group but has claimed the top position, highlighting the rapid growth and mainstream adoption of AI-powered tools worldwide.
As the pioneer in the AI space, ChatGPT has been a driving force behind turning generative AI into a multi-billion-dollar business from day one. Two and a half years later, OpenAI’s poster child remains the biggest and most influential player in the market, with competitors still struggling to catch up. However, ChatGPT’s global success can now be measured far beyond its primary market. According to AppMagic data, ChatGPT’s downloads soared in 2025, making it the most-downloaded app globally, and leaving competitors far behind.
“ChatGPT has achieved what no other app outside the major social media giants ever has: it didn’t just catch up to TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook — it surpassed them. Becoming the world’s most-downloaded app in such a short time marks a historic turning point in the tech landscape and shows just how rapidly generative AI has become a mainstream phenomenon,” — says Jastra Kranjec, TechGaged Research Analyst.
Between January and November, ChatGPT was downloaded a whopping 902 million times, nearly three times more than in the entire last year and almost seven times more than in its launch year, 2023. This impressive figure was driven by a surge in downloads during Q2 and Q3, especially in April, July, and August, when monthly installs topped 100 million. Since its launch, ChatGPT has reached 1.36 billion cumulative downloads, which is a mind-blowing figure for an app just two and a half years on the market that shows a similar growth pace to TikTok, the fastest-growing social media app ever.
The 902 million downloads in just eleven months become even more impressive when compared to other giants on the AppMagic list. For example, TikTok, the second most-downloaded app in 2025, hit 703 million downloads between January and November, roughly 200 million less than ChatGPT. Instagram was left even more behind, with a 380 million gap and 521.6 million downloads in 11 months. Facebook, WhatsApp, and Temu rounded up the top five, each hitting between 404 million and 444 million downloads, while Google Gemini was the only other AI app in the top ten, boasting 392 million installs in this period.
ChatGPT’s Market Share Hit 81.8% in November, 4x Its Top 5 Rivals Combined
It will be interesting to see the full-year 2025 figures, knowing that people continue flocking to AI apps, and ChatGPT as their number one choice. While younger players like DeepSeek and Perplexity have undoubtedly shaken up the AI chatbot market and pushed OpenAI to roll out more frequent updates, ChatGPT remains the top choice for most people using generative AI daily.
According to our previous research, ChatGPT now captures more than 80% of the global AI chatbot market.
