ChatGPT is running the table this year, and Apple’s newest rankings just made it official. On Wednesday, the company dropped its annual list of the most downloaded apps and games, and OpenAI’s chatbot claimed the No. 1 spot among free iPhone apps in the U.S. for 2025.
It marks a major leap for the AI tool. ChatGPT landed at No. 4 last year, when Chinese shopping app Temu held the crown. And in 2023, even with a strong iPhone debut that May, the app didn’t break into the top 10 at all. For 2025, it now sits ahead of Threads, Google, TikTok, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Google Maps, Gmail, and Google’s Gemini.
The shift shows how quickly AI has settled into people’s everyday tech routines. As Apple’s report points out, the fact that ChatGPT is outpacing social networking standbys and utilities like Google Maps “indicates how deeply AI has penetrated people’s everyday lives here in the U.S.” It also highlights “the potential for OpenAI to disrupt Google’s tight hold on the search market on mobile devices, as more people turn to a chatbot for answers first.”
There were early hints that ChatGPT was headed for a No. 1 finish. Back in March, it became the most downloaded app globally, topping TikTok and Instagram.
Apple also released updated rankings for paid apps, iPhone and iPad games, and Apple Arcade titles. Block Blast! led the free iPhone games, Minecraft topped paid games, YouTube ranked as the top free iPad app, and Roblox dominated free iPad games.
