ChatGPT Uninstalls Surge Amidst Deal With US Department of War

Key Takeaways:

• According to Sensor Tower data, US app uninstalls for ChatGPT surged 295% DoD (day-over-day) on Saturday, February 28th, 2026, as users responded to OpenAI’s deal with the Department of War. 

  • In contrast, ChatGPT has only averaged a 9% DoD uninstall rate over the past 30 days. 

  • ChatGPT uninstalls continue to climb as criticism mounts, uninstalls are already up 8% DoD on March 3, 2026. ChatGPT’s daily average uninstall rate since its posted partnership with the Department of War is up 200% (2/28/26-3/3/26) vs the previous 30 days (2/27/26-1/28/26). 

• According to Sensor Tower data, Claude is still experiencing a boon from its decision to decline a partnership with the Pentagon. This shift may be most accentuated by the fact that Claude outpaced ChatGPT in US downloads on March 2, 2026, the first time that in Claude’s history. 

• Per Sensor Tower data, ChatGPT saw a slight decline in global downloads on Sunday (3/1/26), down 4% DoD, potentially aligning with broader coverage of OpenAI’s deal with the Pentagon. ChatGPT’s downloads also fell 3% DoD on Monday (3/2/26), while Claude has averaged 17% DoD growth during the same period.  

  • ChatGPT’s global DAUs increased 3% DoD on Monday (3/2/26), while Claude saw DAUs jump 10% DoD during the same period. However, Claude's double-digit growth may also be attributed to the app’s relatively small audience, as ChatGPT’s mobile audience is 60x larger than Anthropic’s Claude. 

• Per Sensor Tower data, Claude saw US downloads jump 37% and 51% DoD on 2/27/26 and 2/28/26, respectively,  aligning with the news that the company would not partner with the Department of War. 

  • While Google Gemini was not involved in the Department of War partnership discussions the app’s US downloads increased 9% DoD during the same period (2/2/7026-2/28/26), a slight increase from the app’s 2% DoD average over the past 30 days (1/28/26-2/27/26). 

• ChatGPT’s download growth is directly correlated to the news of its partnership with the Department of War. On Friday (2/27/26), the app’s US downloads grew 14% DoD. However, as soon as OpenAI announced its military partnership on Saturday (2/28/26), downloads fell by 13% DoD and continued to fall, down 5% DoD on Sunday (3/1/26). 

  • ChatGPT had previously averaged a 2% DoD increase in US downloads over the past 30 days (1/28/26-2/27/26)

• According to Sensor Tower estimates, Claude’s announcement that it would not partner with the Department of War coincided with the app reaching the top spot on the Apple App Store in the US on Saturday (2/28/26). Claude has continued its reign on the top of the charts, remaining in the top spot for the past 4 days, while ChatGPT has dropped one spot during the same period (ranking 2 on the Apple App Store during the same period). 

  • Claude’s surge to the top of the charts highlights the significant momentum that the app has experienced in the past week, jumping over 20 spots vs 2/22/26. Furthermore, Claude has climbed over 100 spots in the Apple App Store over the past 30 days, as the app ranked 124th on January 28th, 2026. 

• Per Sensor Tower data, US consumer perception of ChatGPT after its deal with the Department of War may best be exemplified by the app’s ratings within the Apple App Store. 1-star reviews for ChatGPT surged 775% DoD on Saturday (2/28/26) and has continued to grow 100% DoD on Sunday (3/1/2026). 

  • Similarly, 5-star reviews for ChatGPT fell 50% DoD over the same period (2/28/26-3/1/26).   

• ChatGPT received over 5,000 1-star reviews yesterday (3/2/2026), a 480% DoD increase as negative reviews for the app continue to climb while 5-star reviews fell by 42% DoD during the same period.  

• According to Sensor Tower estimates, Claude's US DAUs climbed 12% DoD on Friday (2/27/26) as consumers responded to the AI company officially not partnering with the DoW.

  • Claude has continued to experience positive user growth, as DAUs increased by 5% and 8% DoD, on 2/28/26-3/1/26, respectively. 

  • Claude also saw in-app subscription (IAP) revenue jump 28% and 25%  DoD on 2/27/26-2/28/26, respectively, which also speaks to the commitment that new users are making in switching to a potentially new preferred AI platform. This may also be highlighted by Claude’s recent release of a memory import feature. 

• ChatGPT’s US DAUs declined by 13% DoD on Saturday (2/28/26). 

  • ChatGPT continued to experience DAU deceleration on Sunday (3/1/26), as DAUs fell 5% DoD. ChatGPT’s US DAUs are down by 2% vs the previous week (2/23/26). 

• Per Sensor Tower data, ChatGPT’s US website visits fell by 16% DoD on Saturday (2/28/26), while website visits have fallen by 17% on Sunday (3/1/26) vs the previous week (2/23/26). 

  • Claude’s US website visits ticked up 3% DoD on Friday (2/27/26), while website visits are currently up 6% vs the previous week on Sunday (3/1/26 vs 2/23/26). 

For more information, request the full report from reports@sensortower.com.