ChatGPT beats all competitors in revenue generation from users: Report

Individual users worldwide have spent a total of $2 billion on the ChatGPT mobile app for iOS and Android since its launch in May 2023, according to a report published on Saturday, 16 August.

In 2025, revenue of the application grew 673 per cent year-over-year.

The app has also witnessed explosive growth in 2025, clocking 318 million downloads so far this year — 2.8 times higher than during the same period last year, TechCrunch reported.

India leads in adoption, accounting for the highest lifetime installs at 13.7 per cent, followed by the US at 10.3 per cent. However, American users generated over 38 per cent of ChatGPT’s global revenue, reflecting far higher spending power. Average spending per download in the US stood at $10, while in Germany it was 5.3 per cent of the global total.

Users typically make payments for premium features, such as the ChatGPT Plus subscription at $20 per month, which provides access to advanced models like GPT-5, higher usage limits, and enhanced functionality.

ChatGPT also outperformed all competitors in lifetime revenue per install, averaging $2.91. Anthropic’s Claude followed at $2.55, while Elon Musk’s Grok averaged $0.75. Microsoft’s Copilot app trailed far behind at just $0.27 per install.

Analysts suggested Grok’s underperformance was largely due to its late entry into the mobile app market. The standalone iOS app from Musk’s xAI only launched in January 2025, with Android support added in March — a delay that hindered its momentum in the competitive app economy.

Meanwhile, Musk, the founder of xAI, claimed that OpenAI’s ChatGPT ranks first on the Apple Store because of Apple’s favouritism, while his apps, X and xAI’s Grok, are sidelined.

Apple denied allegations that its App Store algorithms or curated lists favour ChatGPT over Musk’s offerings.

“The App Store is designed to be fair and free of bias,” the company insisted, adding that recommendations are based on charts, algorithms, and expert editorial curation using objective criteria, according to multiple media reports.

GPT‑5 is available to all users, with Plus subscribers getting more usage and Pro subscribers getting access to GPT‑5 Pro, a version with extended reasoning for even more comprehensive and accurate answers.

With IANS inputs