ChatGPT has achieved this significant scale at a time when the app is taking Claude head on in its race to capture more users
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
OpenAI’s ChatGPT has become the fastest app to ever reach 1 billion global Monthly Active Users (MAUs) as of May 2026, and India makes up 20 per cent of this cohort, data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower has showed. More than 200 million of these ChatGPT MAUs are from India, data shows.
The share of Indian user base is up to 20 per cent currently from 13 per cent in second quarter of 2025 (2Q25) and 11 per cent in 2Q24, showcasing increasing adoption of ChatGPT app by smartphone users in India, Abe Yousef, Senior Insights Analyst, Sensor Tower, told businessline.
ChatGPT has achieved this significant scale at a time when the app is taking Claude head on in its race to capture more users. As of May 2026 (QTD 2Q26), Sensor Tower pegs Claude global MAUs at 56 million. Thanks to OpenAI’s headstart, ChatGPT is thus far ahead of Gemini (472 million), DeepSeek (68 million), Meta AI (61 million), Grok (50 million), Perplexity (44 million) and Copilot (31 million).
Pioneering Effect
ChatGPT has in many ways become synonymous to Generative AI being the first such tool experienced by customers. This has helped OpenAI achieve this milestone in roughly three years post-launch. “Comparatively, it took Google Maps, Google Chrome, Messenger, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram each between 5-8 years to cross 1 billion global app MAUs,” Yousef, said.
However, ChatGPT has not been the fastest growth. Meta AI (973 per cent) and Claude (640 per cent) are leading ChatGPT’s growth rate of 62 per cent in year-over-year MAU growth through QTD 2Q26.
“Claude’s growth could be driven by significant model advancements (and enhanced capabilities) in the past year or rising consumer sentiment after the announcement of OpenAI’s partnership with the Department of War in 1Q26,” Yousef said.
Race To Top
Further, heightened competition and advancements in other AI models have weighed on ChatGPT user engagement.
Data indicates that ChatGPT users who installed Claude in the first quarter of 2026 spent 5 per cent less time on ChatGPT one month post-install of Claude, when compared to average time spent in the prior eight months. Advancements in Claude’s model capabilities and brand positioning over the past year could be driving this trend, Yousef notes.
Published on June 4, 2026
