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ChatGPT Reaches One Billion Monthly App Users

It shows surging consumer and workplace use despite rising public concern.

Overview

  • Sensor Tower estimates ChatGPT hit one billion monthly app users in May 2026, making it the fastest app to reach that milestone.
  • Rivals are growing faster year over year, with Sensor Tower estimating Claude up 640% and Meta AI up 973% while ChatGPT rose 62%.
  • Public sentiment has cooled, with a March 2026 Pew Research survey finding half of U.S. adults more worried than excited about AI.
  • Sensor Tower data show sentiment-driven shifts in behavior, including a roughly 295% day-on-day spike in ChatGPT uninstalls after OpenAI’s late-February Pentagon announcement.
  • Commercial pressure is rising as Anthropic and OpenAI move toward public listings while workplace use climbs, with a BCG poll showing 74% of frontline workers regularly use AI.