ChatGPT Crowned Most Downloaded App Globally in March, Edging Out Social Media Giants
San Francisco, CA – April 11, 2025
In a stunning shift, ChatGPT has claimed the title of the world’s most downloaded app for March 2025, overtaking longtime heavyweights Instagram and TikTok. The AI chatbot, developed by OpenAI, racked up an estimated 46 million downloads across iOS and Android, a 28% surge from February, according to app intelligence firm Appfigures. This marks the first time ChatGPT has topped global monthly charts, signaling a cultural pivot toward AI tools as everyday essentials.
The numbers tell a compelling story. Instagram, which had dominated the non-gaming app charts throughout 2024, slipped to second place, while TikTok trailed at third. Appfigures reported that ChatGPT’s installs soared 148% year-over-year for Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2024, fueled by a March rollout of enhanced features. A major upgrade to its image-generation capabilities, allowing users to create Studio Ghibli-style art and memes, went viral, sparking a frenzy of downloads. “It’s not just tech—it’s becoming a verb,” said Appfigures CEO Ariel Michaeli. “People don’t say ‘AI’ anymore; they say ‘ChatGPT.’”
The app’s rise wasn’t without context. Relaxed content moderation policies and an improved AI voice feature in March broadened its appeal, though some critics raised concerns about unchecked outputs. Still, the public’s enthusiasm drowned out the noise—X posts buzzed with users sharing AI-crafted images, from whimsical Totoro knockoffs to surreal memes. “ChatGPT’s basically my new art buddy,” one user tweeted, capturing the zeitgeist. The app’s brand power also seemed to absorb excitement around rival AI tools like Grok or DeepSeek, funneling curious users straight to OpenAI’s doorstep.
Social media titans felt the heat. Instagram’s teen-driven dominance—87% monthly usage among U.S. teens, per Piper Sandler—couldn’t fend off ChatGPT’s momentum, despite its steady 2024 reign. TikTok, meanwhile, faced headwinds from U.S. ban fears earlier this year, though President Trump’s dealmaking has kept it alive. Meta’s Facebook and WhatsApp held firm in the top five, but the top 10 also saw e-commerce upstart Temu and editing app CapCut, hinting at shifting user priorities.
For OpenAI, the milestone caps a wild ascent. From 100 million monthly users in January 2023 to a projected 4 billion website visits by year’s end, ChatGPT’s grip on the digital landscape is tightening. Yet, as Michaeli noted, “Brand recognition makes it tough for others to catch up.” As AI weaves deeper into daily life—whether for art, answers, or amusement—ChatGPT’s March triumph suggests it’s not just an app, but a movement, reshaping how the world clicks.
By Staff Writer, Tech Trend Tribune