Anthropic’s recent launch of its Claude AI app on iOS appears to have generated significantly less enthusiasm among users compared to the highly anticipated debut of OpenAI’s ChatGPT app earlier this year. According to data from app intelligence firm Appfigures, Claude garnered only 157,000 global downloads in its first week on the App Store, a far cry from the 480,000 installs ChatGPT achieved within the first five days of its U.S. launch.
Anthropic’s Claude AI App Sees Lukewarm Reception on iOS Compared to ChatGPT’s Debut
Unlike ChatGPT, which soared to the top of the App Store charts and became one of the highest-performing new releases of 2023 and the previous year, Claude’s reception has been relatively tepid. The app’s highest ranking among the top free iPhone apps in the U.S. was No. 55 on May 4, just a few days after its debut on May 1. As of last Friday, Claude no longer ranks within the top free iPhone apps in the U.S., instead sitting at No. 51 in the top free Productivity apps category, down from its peak position of No. 5 in the same category.
The data reveals that interest in the new AI app fell sharply after its launch, with downloads dropping from five digits to four digits within a week. This sharp decline suggests that consumer demand and brand recognition for this ChatGPT rival may not be as strong as its predecessor.
It’s worth noting that ChatGPT’s launch came at a time when the market was primed for an official AI companion, with third-party apps capitalizing on the growing interest in AI tools and labeling themselves as “ChatGPT” or “AI chatbot” to attract users. This helped build brand recognition for the ChatGPT name, something Anthropic’s Claude lacks.
Additionally, Claude faces more competition in the AI space than ChatGPT did at its initial launch, with tech giants like Google infusing AI across their product suite, including in their Assistant and iOS search app, as well as rebranding and upgrading their AI chatbot Bard to Gemini. Aggregators like Quora’s Poe also allow AI enthusiasts to experiment with various AI models, including ChatGPT and Claude, in one place.
