In a significant milestone, OpenAI Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot, ChatGPT, surged to become the most downloaded non-gaming app worldwide in March, outpacing social media giants Instagram and TikTok.
A report by app intelligence firm, Appfigures, revealed that ChatGPT’s downloads skyrocketed by 28% from February. This saw the AI chatbot hit 46 million new installs, marking its strongest month ever, and its first time leading the global chats. Meta-owned Instagram occupied the second place, while Chinese-owned short-form video platform TikTok, settled in the third position.
ChatGPT’s meteoric rise doesn’t come as a surprise, as the chatbot has consistently continued to roll out updates since its launch, making the chatbot mostly preferred amongst users globally. In February this year, the app rolled out a new AI-powered feature called “Deep Research” with ChatGPT, to assist users in handling complex tasks.
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Powered by a version of the upcoming Open Al o3 model that’s optimized for web browsing and data analysis, the feature leverages reasoning to search, interpret, and analyze massive amounts of text, images, and PDFs on the internet, pivoting as needed in reaction to information it encounters.
What sets Deep Research apart is its ability to provide fully documented outputs, complete with clear citations and a detailed summary of its reasoning process. Also, earlier this month, ChatGPT expanded access to its advanced image generation tool, powered by the GPT-4o model, to all ChatGPT users, including those on the free tier.
Previously available to only paying subscribers, this feature enables users to create detailed and photorealistic images directly with the ChatGPT interface. In addition to expanding access to its image generation tool, OpenAI announced plans to release an open-weight AI model with advanced reasoning capabilities, marking its first such release since 2019.
Appfigures highlighted a staggering 148% year-over-year growth for ChatGPT when comparing Q1 2021 to Q1 2025. Meanwhile, the firm suggests that new features weren’t the sole catalyst for March’s surge. “ChatGPT is becoming synonymous with AI, much like Google became a verb for search,” said Ariel Michaeli, Appfigures’ CEO. “Even when buzz surrounds competitors like Grok or DeepSeek, many users seeking AI solutions gravitate toward ChatGPT due to its brand dominance”, he added.
ChatGPT, the groundbreaking AI chatbot launched by OpenAI on November 30, 2022, has seen explosive growth since its inception, solidifying its place as a dominant force in the world of generative artificial intelligence.
Recall that shortly after its release as a research preview, the chatbot became the fastest app ever to reach 100 million monthly active users, a milestone it hit in only two months. By November 2023, it had reached another milestone of 100 million weekly active users, which grew to 300 million by December 2024, then 400 million in February 2025.
ChatGPT, which processes billions of queries daily, continues to break new records, attracting millions of active users across the globe. Currently, it has surpassed 400 million weekly active users globally, representing a remarkable 33% increase from the 300 million mark recorded at the close of 2024.
Notably, ChatGPT’s rollout didn’t just capture users, it caused unease among tech giants and startups, prompting a wave of chatbot launches and upgrades. This saw the rollout of Google’s Gemini, Anthropic Claude, Microsoft Copilot, DeepSeek, and Elon Musk-owned Grok.
As OpenAI continues to innovate and refine its offerings, the future for ChatGPT looks promising. With its already massive user base and consistent revenue growth, with $40 billion in funding from SoftBank, the platform is poised to become even more integral to daily life, both professionally and personally.
The introduction of new features, expansion into enterprise applications, and continued advancements in AI technology will likely push ChatGPT to new heights in the coming years.