In a landmark moment for artificial intelligence and mobile apps, ChatGPT becomes the most downloaded app globally for the month of March, officially surpassing long-time chart leaders Instagram and TikTok. This achievement signals a powerful shift in user preferences as AI-powered tools continue to gain mainstream attention.
According to the latest insights from app intelligence firm Appfigures, ChatGPT becomes the most downloaded app for the very first time, excluding mobile games, marking a 28% increase in new installs compared to February. The popular AI chatbot racked up an impressive 46 million new downloads in March alone, officially overtaking social media giants that had traditionally dominated global app store rankings.
ChatGPT Surpasses Instagram and TikTok in Monthly Downloads
Historically, Instagram and TikTok have occupied the top two positions on the global download charts. However, March 2025 saw a dramatic reshuffle as ChatGPT becomes the most downloaded app, pushing Instagram to second place and TikTok to third.
Industry experts suggest that the surge in downloads can be linked to multiple factors beyond the regular hype surrounding AI. March saw significant upgrades to the ChatGPT platform, including a long-awaited update to its image-generation capabilities. This upgrade allowed users to create artwork and memes in the iconic style of Studio Ghibli, the famed Japanese animation studio known for classics like Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro. The viral explosion of Ghibli-inspired AI images on social media platforms likely fueled curiosity and downloads worldwide.
More Than Just Features: A Cultural Shift Towards AI
Interestingly, analysts at Appfigures believe the app’s skyrocketing growth isn’t driven solely by new features. Instead, it’s the increasing cultural relevance of ChatGPT itself that plays a bigger role. According to Ariel Michaeli, Founder and CEO of Appfigures, the AI tool is fast becoming a verb, much like Google did in the early 2000s.
“When people get curious about AI — even when the conversation is about competing tools like Grok or Claude — they usually end up downloading ChatGPT first,” Michaeli explained. “The brand has become almost synonymous with AI.”
This level of name recognition has given OpenAI’s chatbot a distinct advantage over competitors, making it harder for emerging alternatives to gain traction in the crowded AI app marketplace.
The Wider AI and Social App Landscape
The fact that ChatGPT becomes the most downloaded app this month is especially noteworthy given the fierce competition it faced from social media powerhouses. Instagram had previously held the No. 2 spot across both the Apple App Store and Google Play for January and February. TikTok, on the other hand, had enjoyed a surge in downloads earlier in the year, partly driven by fears over a potential U.S. ban amid ongoing discussions between ByteDance and American regulators.
Meanwhile, Meta’s suite of apps continued to hold strong in the global charts. Facebook and WhatsApp rounded out the top five most downloaded apps for March, alongside rising platforms like CapCut, Telegram, Snapchat, and Meta’s Threads.
According to Appfigures, the combined downloads of the top 10 apps for March reached a staggering 339 million, an increase from 299 million the month prior. Despite this impressive figure, ChatGPT becomes the most downloaded app of them all, highlighting the increasing demand for AI-powered solutions among both casual users and professionals.
A Milestone for OpenAI and the Future of AI Adoption
The success story doesn’t end with March. Appfigures also reported that ChatGPT’s total installs grew 148% year-over-year, comparing the first quarter of 2024 to Q1 of 2025. This kind of sustained growth suggests that AI chatbots are no longer a novelty but are fast becoming essential tools in daily digital life.
Whether used for academic research, writing assistance, image generation, or casual Q&A, ChatGPT’s broad utility continues to attract users from all age groups and professions. Its impressive leap to the top of the download charts shows that the world is increasingly embracing AI not just as a concept, but as an everyday assistant.
Final Thoughts
As ChatGPT becomes the most downloaded app in March 2025, the AI revolution shows no signs of slowing down. OpenAI’s flagship product has officially broken into mainstream mobile culture, surpassing even the world’s most addictive social apps.
Whether you’re using it for creative projects, business productivity, or simple curiosity, it seems ChatGPT has carved out a permanent spot on smartphones worldwide. And with new features being added regularly, the gap between human-like digital assistants and human conversation keeps getting narrower.
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