OpenAI’s ChatGPT has dethroned social media titans Instagram and TikTok

ChatGPT the most downloaded App

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has dethroned social media titans Instagram and TikTok to claim the title of the world’s most downloaded app for March, according to a report by App Figures. OpenAI’s ChatGPT has dethroned social media titans Instagram and TikTok .

The surge in downloads coincides with OpenAI’s recent introduction of a new image generation tool, which sparked a viral trend of users creating Ghibli-style studio art, the renowned Japanese animation studio known for films such as My Neighbor Totoro .

Millions flocked to the app to experiment with this feature, contributing significantly to its record-breaking download numbers. “According to our estimates, ChatGPT saw 46 million downloads – just a shade higher than Instagram before rounding – in March,” the App Figures report revealed.

This growth is thanks to new tools like upgraded image generation and looser content restrictions. ChatGPT’s surge shows no signs of slowing down. That’s a jump of 28% from February and more than double year-over-year.

TikTok landed in third place with 45 million downloads. It’s a million less than last March but still higher than February. Instagram, usually the champion, clocked in second with 46 million downloads. Both apps are still holding strong, but now, with AI sneaking its way into our daily lives, we can’t say we’re too surprised by this change.

• In addition, OpenAI removed certain safeguards around content moderation for images in March and enhanced ChatGPT’s AI voice feature.
• App figures also noted that ChatGPT’s installs had grown by 148% year-on-year, comparing the first quarter of 2021 to Q1 2025. Instagram had regularly beaten TikTok to the top spot in global app store rankings, having been the No 1 non-game app throughout 2024.
• Instagram’s popularity in the US market has also been growing, particularly among American teenagers. A recent survey by Piper Sandler found that 87% of US teens use Instagram monthly, compared to 79% for TikTok and 72% for Snapchat.