The ChatGPT mobile app seems to be riding a roller-coaster of success. In September, it enjoyed the zenith of its revenue climb, hitting nearly $4.6 million and boasting 15.6 million new downloads. Yet, market data hints at looming clouds on the horizon.
The app's earlier growth trajectory, which was over 30% in both July and August, has decelerated to 20% by September. This could indicate that the potential market willing to splurge $19.99/month on the ChatGPT+ subscription might be reaching its ceiling. This premium tier, offering faster response times and priority perks, has been a major revenue driver, catapulting the app's earnings from $2.1 million in June to September's $4.58 million.
However, competition remains fierce. Ask AI, an AI-driven competitor, holds the revenue crown, outearning ChatGPT. While Ask AI's gross revenue took a slight dip in September, landing at $5.51 million, it still surpasses ChatGPT's figures. Lesser-known AI apps like Genie and AI Chat Smith, though, haven't reached Ask AI's stature.
Dissecting the numbers, ChatGPT's net revenue in September hovered around $3.2 million post-platform fees. Install-wise, the app has accumulated a massive 52.2 million downloads since its inception. The major driving force behind this is Google Play, responsible for 9 million downloads in September alone. Yet, in the revenue game, Apple's App Store takes the lead, contributing $3 million of the total monthly in-app purchases.
Geographically, the U.S. remains ChatGPT's largest market, churning 60% of its total revenues. As the AI chatbot landscape evolves, it will be intriguing to observe if ChatGPT can re-accelerate its growth or if market saturation will further dent its progress.
