ChatGPT’s growth slows down despite millions of downloads: Here’s what went wrong

ChatGPT

ChatGPT’s explosive mobile app growth may finally be slowing down. A new report by app analytics firm Apptopia suggests that the AI chatbot’s mobile app has reached its peak in terms of new user growth, with downloads and engagement starting to flatten out after months of rapid expansion.

According to Apptopia’s data, global downloads of the ChatGPT app have slowed since April, with October projected to see an 8.1% month-over-month decline in new installs. To be clear, the app is still seeing millions of daily downloads worldwide, but its growth rate — the pace at which new users are joining — appears to be tapering off.

The report also highlights changing user behavior, especially in the U.S. The average time spent per user has dropped by 22.5% since July, and average sessions per user are down 20.7%, suggesting that users are spending less time in the app and opening it fewer times per day.

Interestingly, Apptopia notes that user churn — the number of people uninstalling or abandoning the app — has stabilized. This means that while fewer new users are coming in, ChatGPT is retaining its loyal, core audience, most likely those who now use it as a productivity tool rather than a novelty.

Analysts say there could be several reasons behind the slowdown. Competition from Google’s Gemini, which saw a spike in downloads after launching its “Nano Banana” image model in September, is one factor. Another could be the changes OpenAI made to ChatGPT’s tone and behavior earlier this year — updates that made it less sycophantic and less chatty, potentially making interactions feel less “human.”

However, Apptopia clarifies that ChatGPT’s engagement was already declining before Gemini’s rise, suggesting that the initial experimentation phase with the app may be over. Users now appear to open ChatGPT only when needed, rather than out of curiosity.

For OpenAI, the takeaway is clear — novelty alone can’t drive growth anymore. To reignite momentum, the company may need to add new features, invest in marketing, or rethink how the app fits into people’s daily digital habits.