ChatGPT crosses 1 billion monthly active users in record time

ChatGPT Crosses 1 Billion Monthly Active Users, Setting New Record for App Growth

OpenAI’s ChatGPT has reached 1 billion global monthly active app users, becoming the fastest application in history to hit the milestone, according to estimates from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower published on Tuesday.channelnewsasia

The AI chatbot achieved the feat in May, roughly three years after its November 2022 launch, surpassing the pace set by apps including Google Maps, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, Sensor Tower said.channelnewsasia

A Race Toward Dominance

The milestone arrives amid intensifying competition in the AI market. Anthropic’s Claude, ChatGPT’s closest rival, had 56 million global monthly active app users as of the second quarter to date, with year-over-year growth of approximately 640 percent — far outpacing ChatGPT’s 62 percent growth rate over the same period, according to Sensor Tower.channelnewsasia

Sensor Tower also found that U.S. ChatGPT users who installed the Claude app in the first quarter of 2026 spent 5 percent less time on ChatGPT one month after installation, compared with their average usage in the prior eight months.channelnewsasia

IPO Ambitions

Both companies are now moving toward public markets. Anthropic confidentially filed for a U.S. initial public offering on Monday, while Reuters has reported that OpenAI is also preparing to file for an IPO in the coming weeks.channelnewsasia

ChatGPT’s trajectory from launch to 1 billion users has been remarkably steep. The app reached 1 million users within five days of launch and 100 million monthly active users within two months. OpenAI announced in February 2026 that ChatGPT had reached 900 million weekly active users and 50 million paying subscribers.techcrunch