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Charted: The Rise of Gen AI Apps
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Key Takeaways
- Generative AI apps are projected to generate over $10 billion in consumer spending in 2026.
- By 2026, Gen AI is expected to rank among the top five mobile app categories by downloads, revenue, and time spent.
Generative AI has rapidly moved from an experimental novelty to a mainstream consumer product. In just a few years, apps powered by large language models and image generators have become daily tools for writing, search, education, and entertainment.
This chart tracks how generative AI apps are climbing the global mobile rankings. The data for this visualization comes from Sensor Tower and reflects combined iOS and Google Play performance globally (with China measured on iOS only). Figures for 2026 are forecasts.
Gen AI Becomes a Top-Tier Mobile Category
According to Sensor Tower, Generative AI apps were projected to approach 4 billion downloads, generate $4.8 billion in in-app purchase revenue, and account for 43 billion hours of time spent in 2025 alone.
By 2026, consumer spending on Gen AI apps is expected to exceed $10 billion, placing the category among the most lucrative on mobile.
As a result, Gen AI is forecast to jump from #10 in downloads in 2025 to #4 in 2026, ranking ahead of established categories like Multimedia & Design Software and Shopping.
| Category Rank by Downloads | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utilities | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Financial Services | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Social Media | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Generative AI | n/a | 15 | 10 | 4 |
| Multimedia & Design Software | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Shopping | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Business & Productivity Software | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| Movies & TV Shows | 10 | 10 | 7 | 8 |
| Travel & Tourism | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Health & Wellness | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| Lifestyle & Services | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Jobs & Education | 12 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
| Antivirus & Security | 6 | 8 | 12 | 13 |
| Dating & Social Discovery | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 |
| Food & Dining Services | 14 | 14 | 15 | 15 |
Sensor Tower projects the category will rise to #3 in in-app purchase revenue by 2026, surpassing popular genres such as Dating & Social Discovery.
This surge reflects growing consumer willingness to pay for AI-powered tools, subscriptions, and premium features as these apps become embedded in everyday workflows.
Time Spent Signals Deepening Engagement
Beyond installs and revenue, user engagement is also accelerating. Gen AI apps are expected to climb to #5 globally by time spent in 2026, outranking major consumer categories including Travel & Tourism, Shopping, and Financial Services.
This trend suggests generative AI is not just being tried, it’s becoming a habit.
ChatGPT Leads the Category
By Q3 2025, ChatGPT had already become the #2 app globally by in-app purchase revenue across iOS and Google Play, trailing only TikTok.
As competitors like Google Gemini and other AI-powered tools expand, the category’s momentum is expected to accelerate further.
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