Consumer demand for mobile AI chatbot apps seems to be declining, as evident from the lukewarm reception of Anthropic’s Claude app compared to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. While ChatGPT quickly gained popularity and became one of the highest-performing new releases in 2023, Claude struggled to make a mark.
Appfigures data reveals that Claude reached a peak rank of No. 55 among Apple’s top free iPhone apps in the U.S., shortly after its launch on May 1st. However, it has now dropped out of the top free iPhone apps list, currently ranking at No. 51 in the top free Productivity apps. In contrast, ChatGPT reached No. 3 overall and No. 1 in the Productivity category just one week after its release.
The decline in Claude’s downloads is evident, with a steep drop from five-digit numbers to four-digit numbers within a week after its launch. This significant decrease suggests that there may not be the same level of consumer demand or brand recognition for Claude as there is for ChatGPT.
The majority of Claude’s downloads come from three key markets: the U.S., Japan, and the U.K. The U.S. accounts for 50% of Claude installs, followed by Japan at 11% and the U.K. at 8%. However, even in these markets, interest in Claude seems to have faded quickly.
One possible reason for the lackluster performance of Claude is the presence of third-party apps that falsely labeled themselves as “ChatGPT” or “AI chatbot” before ChatGPT’s official release. These apps, although not affiliated with OpenAI, managed to generate significant consumer spending and raise awareness about the ChatGPT brand. This pre-existing brand recognition is something that Claude lacks.
Furthermore, Claude faces stiffer competition in the AI space compared to ChatGPT’s initial launch. Google has integrated AI into its products like Assistant and the iOS search app, even rebranding its own AI chatbot Bard to Gemini. Additionally, platforms like Quora’s Poe allow AI enthusiasts to experiment with various AI models, including ChatGPT and Claude, in one place.
In conclusion, while ChatGPT continues to enjoy widespread popularity and success, Claude’s performance has been lackluster. Factors such as the absence of brand recognition, increased competition in the AI space, and declining consumer demand for mobile AI chatbot apps may have contributed to Claude’s underwhelming reception.