OpenAI has made waves in the tech world with the launch of its new app, Sora, designed for creating AI videos. Despite being an invite-only application and initially limited to users in the U.S. and Canada, Sora has quickly gained traction. On its very first day, the app amassed an impressive 56,000 downloads and has rapidly climbed the ranks to become the No. 3 Top Overall app on Apple’s U.S. App Store, as reported by app intelligence provider Appfigures.
By October 3, Sora achieved the remarkable milestone of becoming the No. 1 app on the U.S. App Store, surpassing notable competitors such as Google Gemini and OpenAI's own ChatGPT. In total, Sora's iOS app recorded 164,000 installs during its first two days, which included September 30 and October 1. This launch performance puts Sora ahead of other major AI app releases like Anthropic’s Claude and Microsoft’s Copilot, matching the launch figures of xAI’s Grok.
While Sora's initial performance is commendable, it is important to note that the app is still in an invite-only phase. This limitation may skew comparisons to other AI applications. For instance, both ChatGPT and Google Gemini had stronger launches with more than 80,000 downloads on their first day. Had Sora been available to a broader audience, it is conceivable that the download numbers could have been even higher.
Despite its limited access, Sora's successful launch indicates a growing demand for AI video tools that offer a more social networking-like experience. This trend has sparked some debate within OpenAI, as some team members believe the company should prioritize tackling more complex problems that directly benefit humanity. However, the app's popularity suggests that tools like Sora can also provide value to users, even through innovative content such as deepfakes featuring OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
To provide a fair comparison, Appfigures conducted an analysis that focused solely on the U.S. and Canadian downloads of various AI apps. Each app has adopted different launch strategies, influencing their initial performance. For example, ChatGPT initially launched exclusively on iOS for U.S. users, while Grok expanded its reach to users in Australia and India as well. Conversely, Anthropic did not specify any geographic restrictions when launching its Claude app last year.
In terms of day-one downloads, Sora tied with Grok at 56,000 installs, outperforming Claude's 21,000 and Copilot's 7,000 downloads. By day two, Sora climbed the U.S. App Store charts to become the No. 3 overall top app, showcasing its rapid acceptance among users. To put this in perspective, ChatGPT reached the No. 1 spot on its second day, while Grok landed at No. 4, Gemini at No. 6, Copilot at No. 19, and Claude at a distant No. 78.
Originally published on October 2, 2025, this article has been updated to reflect Sora's impressive ranking following its launch.
