Gemini Surpasses ChatGPT on App Store Following Surge in Downloads Driven by New AI Model
September 16,2025 – Google’s Gemini app has climbed to the No. 1 spot on the U.S. App Store, surpassing OpenAI’s ChatGPT, fueled by the popularity of its recently released nano Banana image editor model. The app has experienced a 45% month-over-month increase in downloads, according to data from app intelligence firm Appfigures.
Gemini garnered 12.6 million downloads in the first half of September, a notable jump from the 8.7 million downloads recorded in August. Prior to this month, the app’s highest ranking on the U.S. App Store was No. 3, achieved on January 28, 2025. Following the Nano Banana release on August 26, 2025, Gemini quickly rose to No. 2 on September 8 and then claimed the top position on September 12, where it has remained. Currently, no other dedicated AI applications appear in the App Store’s top 10.
Globally, Gemini has become a top five iPhone app in 108 countries. On Google Play, the app jumped from No. 26 in the U.S. on September 8 to No. 2 as of Monday, though ChatGPT maintains the top spot on the Android platform.
Google reports that Gemini gained 23 million first-time users as the Nano Banana model launched, with those users sharing over 500 million images. Google Gemini and Google Labs VP Josh Woodward shared this data on X (formerly twitter) on September 8.
Consumer spending within the app has also seen substantial growth. Gemini generated $1.6 million in revenue on iOS devices in august, a 1,291% increase from $115,000 in January. As of September 16, the app has already generated $792,000 this month and is on track to match or exceed August’s total.
To date,Gemini has been downloaded 103.7 million times this year and has amassed 185.4 million downloads since its initial launch on android in February 2024 and subsequent expansion to iOS in November 2024.
