ChatGPT was the most downloaded non-gaming app in March 2025, surpassing both Instagram and TikTok in a historic moment on the Global App Chart. With 46 million installs, ChatGPT saw a 28% increase from February, the previous month.
This is the first time ChatGPT has ever held the #1 rank for monthly downloads worldwide, which is a big accomplishment for the AI-powered platform that has completely changed the way people engage with AI.
With 45 million downloads in March, the app overtook TikTok, which had ruled global rankings until 2024, to take second place, making its rise in popularity especially noteworthy. Instagram experienced a drop as well, dropping to third place. ChatGPT’s success may be ascribed to several significant product enhancements in addition to its increasing brand awareness.
Users can now produce beautiful images and memes in the recognisable style of Studio Ghibli, the renowned Japanese animation studio, thanks to OpenAI’s first major update to its image generation capabilities in over a year, which was unveiled in March. This created a viral trend on social media platforms in late March and early April. ChatGPT expanded the app’s attractiveness and creative potential by improving its AI voice assistant and easing its image moderation guidelines in addition to these image-generating enhancements.
Undoubtedly, these additional features increased engagement, but Analysts like Appfigures CEO, Ariel Michaeli contend that ChatGPT’s rise has been fuelled by its expanding brand power.
According to Michaeli: “ChatGPT is quickly becoming a household name, much like Google did in the early 2000s. While there’s healthy competition in the AI space, users tend to flock to ChatGPT due to its established brand recognition.”
Further supporting this dominance is the app’s 148% annual download increase from QI 2021 to Q1 2025. In the global rankings, Meta’s suite of apps is still strong, despite ChatGPT’s claim to the #1 spot. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and other Meta platforms like CapCut and Threads all continued to rank in the top ten most downloaded apps.
Due in part to the uncertainty surrounding a possible U.S. prohibition, TikTok had a spike in downloads during its first 2025 boom. Negotiations between U.S. officials and ByteDance, the parent firm of TikTok, have, however, allayed any worries.
BrandSpur digital news platform reports that an improving trend in global app engagement was indicated by the fact that the top 10 non-game applications were downloaded 339 million times in March, a significant rise from 299 million in February. Along with ChatGPT, Instagram, and TikTok, the leading e-commerce apps were joined by Telegram, Snapchat, Meta’s Threads, and the rapidly expanding Temu app.
