OpenAI’s Sora Surpasses ChatGPT’s iOS Debut with Record-Breaking Launch

OpenAI’s new video-generation app Sora has achieved a stronger first week on the U.S. App Store than the company’s own ChatGPT, according to new data from Appfigures. The analytics firm reported 627,000 iOS downloads for Sora in its first seven days, surpassing ChatGPT’s 606,000 downloads during its debut week.

Bill Peebles, OpenAI’s head of Sora, confirmed the app reached one million downloads in under five days, outpacing ChatGPT’s growth despite Sora’s invite-only access. Available exclusively on iOS across the U.S. and Canada, Sora’s adoption is particularly notable given its limited rollout.

The app’s popularity surged after launch on September 30, 2025, quickly reaching the №1 overall position on the App Store. Using the Sora 2 video model, the app enables users to create hyper-realistic AI-generated videos — cementing its status as one of OpenAI’s fastest-growing products to date.

James Dargan

James Dargan is a writer and researcher at The AI Insider. His focus is on the AI startup ecosystem and he writes articles on the space that have a tone accessible to the average reader.

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