Lead
ChatGPT has emerged as the clear leader in the global AI app market, recording 546.15 million monthly active users (MAUs) as of April 2025. The next closest apps—Quark with 108.2 million and Doubao with 84.8 million—trail by a wide margin, underscoring ChatGPT’s outsized reach amid surging consumer adoption of generative AI tools.
Key Figures
- ChatGPT: 546.15M MAUs
- Quark: 108.2M MAUs
- Doubao: 84.8M MAUs
- deepseek.ai: 68.5M MAUs
- Nova: 51M MAUs
ChatGPT’s user base is more than five times larger than its nearest competitor, highlighting a substantial moat in brand recognition, product accessibility, and cross-platform availability.
Market Context
Global interest in AI applications continues to accelerate, with mainstream users turning to chat interfaces for search, writing, coding assistance, and productivity. The latest rankings point to a diversifying landscape: while ChatGPT remains dominant, apps like Quark and Doubao are gaining traction, reflecting strong regional adoption patterns and the rapid rollout of AI-powered mobile utilities.
Why It Matters
- Consumer adoption at scale: Hundreds of millions of monthly users signal that AI assistants are moving from early adopters to the mass market.
- Competitive momentum: Rising MAUs for alternative apps suggest growing competition in features, speed, and localization.
- Ecosystem effects: High usage can drive more developer integrations, third-party extensions, and enterprise pilots.
Market Impact
The concentration of MAUs around a handful of AI platforms could shape standards for privacy, safety, and model interoperability. It may also influence monetization models, from subscription tiers to API-driven enterprise offerings. As usage grows, app performance, latency, and reliability become critical differentiators.
Looking Ahead
Expect further shifts in rankings as new models, mobile-first features, and regionalized experiences enter the market. With ChatGPT setting the pace at over 546 million MAUs, the competitive landscape will likely center on user experience, cost efficiency, and specialized vertical features throughout 2025.