ChatGPT makes money

ChatGPT smartphone app has surpassed $2 billion in revenue, earning $2.91 per install, far surpassing competitors like Claude, Copilot, and Grok.

OpenAI has made over $2 billion with its mobile app ChatGPT alone. Photo: Hamara/Shutterstock .

According to a new analysis report from data provider Appfigures , ChatGPT's mobile app on both iOS and Android has generated $2 billion in global revenue since its launch in May 2023. That's roughly 30 times the combined revenue of all its mobile competitors, including Claude, Copilot, and Grok.

This year alone, the ChatGPT app brought in $1.35 billion , up 673% from $174 million in the same period in 2024 (from January to July). On average, the app generates nearly $193 million /month, up sharply from $25 million last year.

That’s 53 times more revenue than its closest competitor, Grok, which has only made about $25.6 million this year. Grok’s estimated average monthly revenue is $3.6 million , just 1.9% of ChatGPT’s.

These figures suggest that rival chatbots still have a long way to go to catch up to ChatGPT’s dominance on mobile, although these numbers don’t tell the full story of AI companies’ total revenue, which also comes from subscriptions on the web and through APIs.

Revenue per download of AI apps. Photo: Appfigures.

This new data provides deeper insight into the appeal of these apps to consumers, who discover and spend money on AI assistants through app stores.

It is worth noting that when Grok launched in November 2023 (after ChatGPT), it initially did not have a standalone version on iOS or Android. Users interacted with the chatbot through the X platform. Grok was only available on mobile devices with its own iOS app in early January 2025 and on Google Play from March 4.

Appfigures also says ChatGPT's lifetime revenue per download is $2.91 , higher than Claude ( $2.55 ), Grok ( $0.75 ), and Copilot ( $0.28 ).

In the US, ChatGPT's revenue per download is even higher, reaching $10 , leading the market and accounting for 38% of the app's total revenue. Germany is the second largest market, contributing 5.3% of ChatGPT's total lifetime revenue.

ChatGPT’s lead is also evident in its download numbers. The app has been installed an estimated 690 million times globally, compared to Grok’s 39.5 million. This figure partly explains billionaire Elon Musk’s recent complaints about the App Store allegedly favoring ChatGPT in the rankings.

ChatGPT's average monthly downloads globally are now approximately 45 million, up 180% from approximately 16 million in the January-July 2024 period.

In 2025 alone, the ChatGPT app was downloaded 318 million times, nearly three times higher than the 113 million it had in the same period last year. However, in terms of installs, India was the top market, accounting for 13.7% of total lifetime downloads, while the US came in second at 10.3%.

Source: https://znews.vn/openai-hot-bac-nho-ung-dung-di-dong-post1577322.html