ChatGPT's mobile app growth may have reached its peak, according to a recent analysis by Apptopia, a leading third-party app intelligence firm. While new user growth is still significant, with millions of downloads per day, the percentage change in global downloads has slowed since April.
Declining Growth Rate
Apptopia's estimates indicate that ChatGPT's mobile app growth rate has plateaued over the past month, suggesting that its overall pace of growth may be slowing. This slowdown could be attributed to increased competition and changes to its AI model's characteristics. In addition, average time spent per daily active user (DAU) in the U.S. has dropped 22.5% since July, and average sessions per DAU are also down by 20.7%.
User Engagement Trends
These declining metrics suggest that U.S. users are spending less time in ChatGPT's app and opening it fewer times per day. However, user churn in the U.S. has stabilized during this period, indicating that the app is retaining its core users and seeing fewer one-time visitors.
Factors Contributing to Slowdown
Several factors could have contributed to ChatGPT's slowdown, including competition from Google's Gemini and changes in user engagement following an April update designed to make the chatbot's AI model less sycophantic. The August release of GPT-5, which was said to be less personable, may also have played a role.
Long-Term Strategy Needed
To boost its core metrics again, OpenAI will need to invest in app marketing or release new features, just as other established mobile apps do. ChatGPT can no longer rely solely on novelty alone to drive growth. By doing so, it can reinvigorate user engagement and maintain a strong presence in the market.