Sora’s US iOS Launch Rivals ChatGPT’s Debut Week
▼ Summary
– Sora achieved 627,000 iOS downloads in its first week, surpassing ChatGPT’s 606,000 U.S.-only first-week downloads.
– When adjusted for the U.S. market only, Sora’s launch was about 96% of ChatGPT’s due to Canada contributing 45,000 installs.
– Sora’s performance is notable because it remains invite-only, unlike ChatGPT’s more accessible launch.
– The app quickly climbed to No. 1 on the U.S. App Store, outperforming other AI apps like Claude and Copilot.
– Sora’s video generation, including realistic deepfakes, has sparked viral social media use and ethical concerns.
The debut of OpenAI’s video generation tool, Sora, has made a remarkable entrance on the U.S. iOS App Store, with fresh statistics from Appfigures revealing its first-week download figures surpassed those of ChatGPT’s initial launch period. According to these estimates, Sora accumulated approximately 627,000 iOS downloads within its first seven days, slightly edging out the 606,000 downloads recorded by ChatGPT in its comparable debut week.
It is important to recognize that this comparison isn’t entirely balanced. ChatGPT was initially released only in the United States during its first week, while Sora launched simultaneously in both the U.S. and Canada. Appfigures data indicates Canada contributed roughly 45,000 installs to Sora’s total. If only U.S. numbers are considered, Sora’s launch week would represent about 96% of ChatGPT’s initial performance, making the two launches remarkably close in scale.
What makes Sora’s adoption particularly noteworthy is its invite-only access model, a significant contrast to the more open availability of ChatGPT at its launch. This restricted access makes the strong download numbers even more impressive from a market penetration perspective.
Sora’s ascent was rapid. On its very first day, the app garnered 56,000 installs, quickly propelling it to become the third most downloaded app overall in the U.S. App Store. Its momentum continued, and by Friday, October 3, it had secured the number one spot. This powerful debut performance allowed Sora to outpace the initial launches of other prominent AI applications like Anthropic’s Claude and Microsoft’s Copilot, placing it on a similar trajectory as xAI’s Grok.
A casual review of social media platforms provides ample anecdotal evidence supporting the download statistics. Videos created with Sora, which utilizes the new Sora 2 model to produce highly realistic content, have become ubiquitous. The tool’s capability to generate convincing deepfakes has led to widespread use, including the creation of videos featuring deceased individuals. This specific application has drawn public concern, notably from Zelda Williams, daughter of the late Robin Williams, who has asked people to refrain from sending her AI-generated depictions of her father.
Appfigures data shows a pattern of steady adoption for Sora since its market release on September 30, 2025. The analytics indicate that daily iOS downloads peaked on October 1, 2025, with an impressive 107,800 downloads. While the numbers have fluctuated since then, ranging from a low of 84,400 installs on October 6 to 98,500 on October 4, they remain robust for an application that maintains a gated, invitation-based access system.
(Source: TechCrunch)
