ChatGPT becomes second most downloaded app in the world, trails only TikTok

ChatGPT

• AI Assistants saw 426% growth in time spent in 2025
• ChatGPT became the most downloaded AI app of the year
• Non-gaming app spending surpasses games for the first time

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Artificial intelligence apps had a breakout year in 2025. According to Sensor Tower’s latest global mobile report, AI Assistants were among the fastest-growing app categories across downloads, in-app purchases and total time spent, with ChatGPT emerging as one of the biggest winners on the App Store and Google Play.

Sensor Tower’s State of Mobile 2026 report paints a picture of a mobile market that is no longer defined purely by social media and games. While overall app downloads remained broadly flat compared with 2024, user spending patterns shifted meaningfully.

For the first time, consumers spent more in non-gaming apps than in games. Mobile games revenue still rose 1% year-on-year, even as downloads fell 7%, suggesting a maturing but monetisable audience. The real momentum, however, came from AI-powered tools.

AI Assistants see explosive growth

AI Assistants ranked as the 10th-largest app category globally by total time spent in 2025, but the more striking number was growth. Time spent in the category surged 426% year-on-year, placing it among the top three fastest-growing segments by both downloads and in-app purchase revenue.

Leading that surge was ChatGPT, which saw 148% growth in downloads, 254% growth in in-app purchase revenue, and 426% growth in total time spent.

Those gains propelled ChatGPT to second place in Sensor Tower’s global top 20 apps by downloads. It also became the most downloaded AI app of the year.

Other AI apps riding the wave included Google Gemini, DeepSeek, Doubao, Perplexity, Grok, Meta AI and Microsoft Copilot. Even traditionally non-AI-first apps like Adobe Acrobat Reader appeared in AI download rankings, reflecting how generative features are being layered into mainstream tools.

AI moves into mainstream usage

ChatGPT’s rise was particularly notable in the US. In Q4 2025, it became the ninth most-used app among men, signalling that generative AI is shifting from experimentation to routine use. Meanwhile, social and lifestyle apps such as Pinterest and TikTok remained dominant among women.

Despite AI’s rapid ascent, social media still commands unmatched scale. Sensor Tower reports that consumers spent nearly 2.5 trillion hours on social media apps in 2025, averaging more than 90 minutes per day per user, up 5% year-on-year. TikTok topped global rankings for downloads, in-app purchase revenue and total time spent.

Yet in percentage growth terms, AI Assistants and even emerging subgenres like short drama outpaced legacy categories by a wide margin.

A structural shift in mobile

Sensor Tower’s data stretches back to 2014, and the longer view suggests 2025 may mark an inflection point. AI Assistants are not just growing quickly; they are beginning to reshape spending patterns and user behaviour.

Flat downloads alongside rising revenue indicate deeper engagement and stronger monetisation. The 254% jump in ChatGPT’s in-app purchase revenue suggests users are increasingly willing to pay for AI capabilities, whether through subscriptions or premium features.