Tech Giants Drive Rapid Growth for Generative AI Apps in 2025

More than two years after interest in AI skyrocketed following the release of ChatGPT, demand for AI on mobile is only accelerating. Global downloads for Generative AI apps (including AI Assistants and AI Content Generators) neared 1.7 billion in H1 2025 and in-app purchase (IAP) revenue reached nearly $1.9 billion. Sensor Tower’s State of AI Apps Report 2025 uncovers the latest trends for Generative AI apps, from ChatGPT to DeepSeek to Meta AI.

Generative AI Growth is Only Accelerating

Even more notable than the overall downloads and IAP revenue for Generative AI apps was the half-over-half (HoH) growth rates. Downloads in H1 2025 climbed 67% HoH, the fastest growth since the initial surge in H1 2023. IAP revenue followed a similar pattern with consumers spending double the amount on IAPs in H1 2025 compared to H2 2024. This surge in demand represents a second wave in Generative AI offerings, as new releases from tech giants like Meta AI and Grok compete with the established players like ChatGPT and Google Gemini.

The United States and other primarily English-speaking markets were quick to adopt Generative AI apps following the release of ChatGPT. This resulted in North America initially accounting for roughly 20% of the Generative AI download market. However, as Generative AI apps have gained global traction, North America's share of downloads declined to 11% in H1 2025, though it's worth noting that downloads are still growing rapidly in the region.

Asia has expanded its lead as the top market for Generative AI downloads, including rapid growth in markets like India and China Mainland. Generative AI apps downloads in Asia climbed 80% between H2 2024 and H1 2025, significantly outpacing the 51% growth in Europe and 39% growth in North America over the same period.

IAP revenue for Generative AI apps also climbed rapidly into 2025 across regions, with North America leading the way at $762 million (+74% HoH). Notably, ChatGPT is the dominant player when it comes to app revenue, leading every major market except for China Mainland and accounting for 63% of all Generative AI app revenue in H1 2025.

This demonstrates the clear and huge revenue potential for Generative AI apps across the globe. Latin America (+147% HoH), Asia (+136%), the Middle East (+131%), and Europe (+121%) all saw IAP revenue more than double between H2 2024 and H1 2025.

Can Anyone Challenge ChatGPT’s Grip on the AI Market?

Despite the ever-increasing competition, ChatGPT remained the leader for Generative AI apps in the first half of 2025. It led nearly every major market across downloads, IAP revenue, and monthly active users (MAU) in H1 2025, and maintained a substantial lead globally. ChatGPT’s 470 million global downloads across iOS and Google Play in H1 2025 were roughly 3.7X the next closest competitor (DeepSeek), and it held an even bigger advantage for revenue (more than 12X the next highest Generative AI app).

Average monthly active users was a bit closer, with ChatGPT having roughly double the audience of Adobe Acrobat Reader and Google Gemini. Of course, Adobe Acrobat Reader has built up a large user base for its document editing features prior to its AI additions, and Google Gemini reached a large user base on Android devices.

Even with ChatGPT’s dominance of the market, DeepSeek had an impressive launch in January 2025, competing with the best AI models while requiring lower resources. Through its first six months, DeepSeek garnered more global downloads than any other Generative AI app, including ChatGPT, largely driven by a significant edge in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Other AI apps like Grok and Meta AI are performing well, though the appetite for AI chatbots has increased significantly even over the few years since early players like ChatGPT and Nova launched. As of the end of June 2025, ChatGPT maintained a substantial lead in all-time downloads at 940 million, followed by Google Gemini at 200 million and DeepSeek at 127 million.

Want More Insights on the Latest in AI? Read the Full Report

Read the State of AI Apps Report 2025 covering the latest on how AI is reshaping the mobile and digital advertising spaces, spanning 24 markets in a dynamic, interactive format covering:

• Audience Insights: See how the audience for AI has changed rapidly over the past few years and understand how to support demand for new user cases

• AI Across Verticals: AI is everywhere on mobile. See how top apps are adapting, proactively adding AI features to ward off competition from AI Assistants like ChatGPT.

• App Store Optimization: Discover the latest strategies to boost organic discovery, from screenshots to keywords to custom product pages

• Advertising Trends: Digital ad spend from Generative AI brands is picking up as top players compete for new users

• Advertising Strategies: Find out how top AI Assistants are trying to reach a more casual audience