The ChatGPT mobile application has achieved a significant milestone, accumulating $3 billion in global consumer spending. This data, provided by app intelligence firm Appfigures, encompasses total expenditures across both iOS and Android platforms since the app’s initial release on iOS in May 2023.
Image Credits:Appfigures
A significant portion of this spending occurred in the current year. Global consumers reportedly spent an estimated $2.48 billion on the ChatGPT mobile app in 2025, marking a 408% increase from the $487 million spent in 2024. In its debut year, 2023, the app generated $42.9 million, subsequently experiencing a 1,036% growth to reach the 2024 total.
Image Credits:Appfigures
These figures indicate a rapid increase in consumer adoption when compared to other widely used applications. For example, ChatGPT reached the $3 billion consumer spending mark in 31 months, while TikTok, a leading earner, required 58 months to achieve the same, according to Appfigures’ information shared with TechCrunch.
The app also surpassed major streaming services such as Disney+ and HBO Max in reaching this milestone, with those platforms taking 42 months and 46 months, respectively, to hit $3 billion.
Image Credits:Appfigures
In contrast, xAI’s Grok exhibits a revenue trajectory similar to ChatGPT’s when compared against other AI competitors.
Grok launched in late 2023 for X Premium Plus subscribers and became more widely accessible last year. When examining the rate of consumer spending among AI applications, Grok most closely mirrored ChatGPT’s cumulative revenue at comparable stages of monetization. (This trend is visible in the accompanying chart, which aligns AI app spending from their respective monetization start dates.)
Image Credits:Appfigures
Although $3 billion in spending signifies substantial consumer engagement, it is not the sole metric for assessing AI app adoption or future revenue potential.
Mobile users of ChatGPT are purchasing paid subscriptions, such as the $20 per month ChatGPT Plus or the $200 per month ChatGPT Pro for advanced functionalities. However, AI applications can generate income through various other channels, including developer services and, potentially ads for ChatGPT in the near future. Furthermore, ChatGPT recently introduced a form of app store, which the company indicates will be monetized eventually, as stated in its blog post.
Meanwhile, Google is investigating the possibility of shifting its successful search advertising model to AI-driven search, integrating ads into AI Mode, AI Overviews, AI shopping, and an increasingly AI-enhanced Discover page, among other initiatives.
Anthropic is targeting the business sector and is reportedly projected to achieve $70 billion in revenue by 2028.
