ChatGPT has clinched the No. 1 spot in the world’s most downloaded app in March, excluding games, topping the usual contenders for the top spot, like Instagram and TikTok.
According to new data shared by app intelligence provider Appfigures, ChatGPT’s installs jumped 28% from February to March to reach 46 million new downloads during March.
That put the app slightly ahead of Instagram, which fell to the No. 2 position, while TikTok at No. 3.
To note, the recently introduced Ghibli-style image generator created waves among AI enthusiasts across social media platforms due to its iconic Japanese AI-centric art form, prompting them to generate animated simulations of their original images.
Per a new Appfigures report, download numbers for apps (games are excluded):
- ChatGPT: 46 million downloads (13M on iOS, 33M on Android)
- Instagram: 46 million downloads (5M on iOS, 41M on Android)
- TikTok: 45 million downloads (8M on iOS, 37M on Android)
Ultimately, it was ChatGPT’s dominance on the iPhone’s App Store charts that assisted it squeak across the finish line with a narrow victory.
Appfigures Founder and CEO Ariel Michaeli stated, “It’s starting to feel like ChatGPT is becoming a verb, a lot like how Google did in the 2000s, to the point where many don’t think ‘AI’ but rather ChatGPT.”
“So when there’s excitement about AI — even about competition like Grok, Manus AI, or DeepSeek — many who are not swimming in this topic come for AI but really download ChatGPT,” Michaeli added.
ChatGPT was the top app in Apple’s App Store, while TikTok was only number six—Instagram didn’t even make the top 10.
