ChatGPT’s mobile app has surpassed $3 billion in gross consumer spend on iOS and Android, according to new data from app intelligence firm Appfigures. The milestone is a testament to how quickly paid AI has evolved from early experiments on phones to being a mainstream utility, where frictionless subscriptions and use have helped stoke the growth.
A breakneck revenue curve fueled by rapid adoption
Most of the total came in the latest year, with about $2.48 billion spent through the mobile app during that period, according to Appfigures’ analysis. That is a 408 percent leap over the $487 million that the app generated in its previous year following an initial $42.9 million in its first months on the market. The curve appears less a gradual upward climb than a step function enabled by an expanding user base and continuously improving features that give users new reasons to upgrade.
- A breakneck revenue curve fueled by rapid adoption
- Faster than streaming heavyweights in consumer spend
- Rivals and the AI app race show a widening revenue gap
- Why mobile is such a good AI moneymaker for subscriptions
- What $3B is telling you about the mobile AI market
- Mind the methodology behind Appfigures’ store estimates
It’s worth noting that these numbers only track consumer in-app purchases. They don’t include web subscriptions and enterprise contracts, so the $3 billion mark is a mobile-specific signal rather than a comprehensive view of ChatGPT’s revenue footprint.
Faster than streaming heavyweights in consumer spend
ChatGPT’s sprint to $3 billion beat its entertainment app peers. But, notes Appfigures, Disney+ took approximately 42 months to achieve that level of consumer spend while HBO Max did it in about 46 months. It’s not a perfect apples-to-apples comparison — pricing, content economics, and category dynamics are different — but it underscores how rapidly consumer willingness to spend on AI-driven utility has solidified for mobile.
The conversion path also helps. Mobile stores place the user on an express lane, with familiar billing, and when leveraged well, friction is reduced to a couple taps. For AI tools that become daily habits — drafting emails, summarizing articles, tutoring, coding on the go — those frictions count.
Rivals and the AI app race show a widening revenue gap
None of the AI chat apps xAI (also known as Replika) were close to ChatGPT’s revenue trajectory when they began monetization, according to Appfigures’ comparative tracking. The wider market for AI assistants is still fractured, but the data indicates a two-speed market: category leaders that are seeing acceleration in paid adoption versus a long tail that is looking for more durable monetization.
That gap may also yawn wider as incumbents build up platform effects. ChatGPT’s mobile business so far has been propped up by subscriptions like ChatGPT Plus for $20 a month and a Pro tier for heavy users priced at $200 per month. And beyond subscriptions, an expanding developer ecosystem and new GPT “store”-type marketplace suggest future revenue-sharing mechanisms as well as discovery loops competitors will have to live up to.
Why mobile is such a good AI moneymaker for subscriptions
Mobile mixes three pluses: regular billing, daily use, and a broad audience. In-app purchases eliminate payment friction, push notifications encourage repeat usage, and apps reside on devices users are already checking around the clock. Consumer spend has traditionally tilted toward iOS, particularly for subscription utilities, though Appfigures didn’t break out the platform share for this milestone.
The model is widening, too. In addition to subscriptions, AI systems are experimenting with other levers: developer fees, marketplace economics, and ads integrated into artificial intelligence surfaces. For context, Google’s been testing ad placements in AI Overviews, shopping results, and other AI-infused surfaces as it moves parts of its search business. Then, if advertising is an accepted layer on the AI interface, mobile could throw harder monetization punches by way of format-rich sessions filled with intent.
What $3B is telling you about the mobile AI market
The milestone of $3 billion of mobile consumer spend for paid AI shows that it can be more than an early adopter product. It also repositions the unit economics conversation: consumer revenue is meaningful, even if net proceeds fall lower after platform fees and even if inference costs are a moving target. The next obstacle is durability — to keep churn low as features multiply and rivals develop parity.
Look for three signals:
- cohort retention of paid tiers
- health of the GPT marketplace for third-party builders
- the mix shift between consumer and enterprise lines
As long as mobile keeps converting infrequent users into paying subscribers and the developer ecosystem expands, this revenue flywheel will turn even faster — and it’ll look like a much shorter ride to profitability.
Mind the methodology behind Appfigures’ store estimates
Like all marketplace estimates, methodology is crucial. Appfigures’ numbers refer to store intelligence information and are an estimate of gross consumer spend on in-app purchases. They are a solid directional indicator; however, they do not account for web sales, enterprise contracts, or any negotiated platform fee agreements. Nonetheless, the signal of $3 billion is a nice, clean, mobile-only sign that AI has shifted from curiosity to paid utility for an enormous global user base.
