openai’s sora soars to no. 1 on apple’s us app store

OpenAI’s Sora App Gains Rapid Traction

Despite currently being available only via invitation and restricted to users within the United States and Canada, OpenAI’s Sora application for generating AI videos has quickly become a popular download. Initial data indicates that Sora achieved 56,000 downloads on its first day of release.

Currently, the app is positioned as the No. 3 Top Overall application on the Apple U.S. App Store, as reported by app intelligence firm Appfigures.

Surpassing Key Competitors

On October 3rd, Sora ascended to the No. 1 position on the U.S. App Store charts.

This achievement places it ahead of both Google Gemini and OpenAI’s own ChatGPT in terms of download popularity.

[Note: Appfigures later revised its initial estimates in November 2025, increasing the reported day-one installs to 110,000. The original article content is preserved below.]

Installation Numbers and Comparative Analysis

Appfigures estimates that the Sora iOS application accumulated a total of 164,000 installs within its first two days – September 30th and October 1st.

The initial day’s download figure surpasses the launch performance of several other prominent AI applications, including Anthropic’s Claude and Microsoft’s Copilot.

Its debut is comparable to the launch of xAI’s Grok application.

However, ChatGPT and Gemini iOS apps experienced somewhat stronger initial launches, each exceeding 80,000 downloads on their respective first days.

Impact of Limited Availability

Acknowledging that Sora’s invite-only status may influence comparisons, it’s plausible that the app could have garnered even greater install numbers if universally accessible.

Nevertheless, this early performance demonstrates a significant consumer demand for AI-powered video creation tools, particularly those offering a social networking-style user experience.

This has sparked debate within OpenAI, with some advocating for a focus on more complex, humanitarian-focused applications.

Others question whether the creation of AI-generated content, such as deepfakes featuring OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, doesn’t also provide a benefit to society.

Launch Strategy Considerations

To facilitate a more accurate comparison between Sora and other AI applications, Appfigures conducted an analysis focusing solely on U.S. and Canadian downloads.

This approach accounts for the varied launch strategies employed by different AI apps.

For example, ChatGPT initially limited its iOS launch to the U.S., while Grok restricted its iOS release to the U.S., Australia, and India.

Anthropic did not impose geographic restrictions when it initially released its Claude app on iOS.

Detailed Download Comparisons

The analysis revealed that ChatGPT and Gemini had larger launches than Sora, registering 81,000 and 80,000 day-one iOS downloads, respectively.

Sora achieved parity with Grok, with both apps recording 56,000 day-one installs.

The launches of Claude and Copilot were significantly lower, with 21,000 and 7,000 day-one downloads, respectively.

App Store Ranking Performance

By its second day, Sora climbed to the No. 3 position on the U.S. App Store’s overall top app charts.

For context, ChatGPT reached No. 1 on its second day, Grok was No. 4, Gemini was No. 6, Copilot was No. 19, and Claude was No. 78.

This article was first published on October 2, 2025, at 11:24 AM PT and was subsequently updated to reflect the app’s improved ranking on Friday.