Jordan Bevan
In a surprising shake-up of the global app ecosystem, ChatGPT has claimed the title of the most downloaded app in the world for March 2025, overtaking long-standing leaders Instagram and TikTok, according to fresh data from Appfigures.
Marking a significant milestone for OpenAI, ChatGPT registered approximately 46 million downloads across both the App Store and Google Play, narrowly edging out Instagram for the top spot. This surge represents a 28% increase from February and signals a broader trend, with Q1 2025 downloads up a staggering 148% compared to the same period last year. Despite increasing competition from Meta AI and X’s Grok, ChatGPT continues to dominate the AI space, benefiting from its first-mover advantage and solidifying its brand as the go-to tool for AI interactions.
Instagram and TikTok, which have historically held firm grips on the top of the charts, dropped to second and third place, respectively. TikTok still managed to increase its downloads to 45 million in March—up from 42 million in February—but the dominance of the duo may be starting to wane as new players rise in prominence.
Meta’s ecosystem continues to show resilience across the board. Threads, the company’s answer to X (formerly Twitter), re-entered the global top 10 after slipping in February. While Threads remains more popular on iOS—highlighting a potential regional skew toward North America and Oceania—it has shown consistent growth, particularly after Meta reported 320 million monthly active users in January. If the current momentum holds, that number could surpass 350 million by the company’s next earnings report.
Meanwhile, Facebook and WhatsApp also maintained strong download figures, helping Meta secure multiple spots within the top five globally. Despite new entrants gaining ground, Meta’s app suite remains dominant in terms of overall presence.
Elsewhere, Temu continues to attract interest, even amid looming price increases due to anticipated U.S. tariffs. Whether this attention is driven by urgency ahead of cost hikes or broader curiosity remains to be seen.
The broader app market tells a mixed story. While total downloads among the top 10 apps climbed to 339 million in March—up from February—they still lag slightly behind last year’s numbers. This supports a broader industry trend of slowing growth, with the Mobile Downloads Index showing a 14.9% year-to-date decline.
Still, March 2025 marks a turning point: ChatGPT has disrupted the long-established social media app hierarchy, and with AI tools continuing to evolve, the digital landscape may be entering a new era where utility apps challenge entertainment platforms for global dominance.
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