Sora by OpenAI Climbs to Third Spot on US App Store

OpenAI's Sora video app has become a viral sensation, despite its current invite-only status and limited availability to users in the U.S. and Canada at launch. According to app intelligence firm Appfigures, Sora garnered 56,000 downloads on its first day, quickly climbing to become the No. 3 Top Overall app on the U.S. App Store.

The company estimates that Sora's iOS app accumulated approximately 164,000 installs during its initial two days, September 30th and October 1st.

This first-day performance surpasses the launch figures of other major AI applications, including Anthropic's Claude and Microsoft's Copilot, and rivals the debut of xAI's Grok. Meanwhile, OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini had slightly stronger initial launches, each achieving at least 80,000 downloads on day one.

It's worth noting, however, that since Sora remains invite-only, this comparison may not be entirely fair. The new video app could have potentially attracted even more downloads if it were openly available to all users.

Despite this limitation, the strong early response signals robust consumer demand for AI video tools that offer a social networking-like experience. (This development comes despite some internal concerns at OpenAI, where some employees advocate for prioritizing more complex challenges that benefit humanity. But who's to say that people aren't enjoying deepfake videos featuring OpenAI CEO Sam Altman humorously asking, "Are my piggies enjoying their slop?")

To ensure a meaningful comparison between Sora and other AI applications, Appfigures conducted an analysis focusing exclusively on U.S. and Canadian downloads. This approach accounts for the varying launch strategies adopted by different AI apps. For example, ChatGPT initially launched on iOS with restrictions to U.S. users only, while Grok limited its iOS release to the U.S., Australia, and India. In contrast, Anthropic did not specify any geographic limitations when it introduced its Claude app on iOS last year.

For a more accurate like-for-like comparison, Appfigures adjusted the data to concentrate solely on U.S. downloads for each app, including Canadian downloads where available at launch.

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The analysis revealed that both ChatGPT and Gemini experienced larger launches than Sora, with 81,000 and 80,000 first-day iOS downloads respectively. Sora matched Grok's first-day installation numbers at 56,000, while significantly outperforming the launches of Claude and Copilot. The former achieved 21,000 first-day downloads, while the latter managed only 7,000.

Sora also secured a prominent position on the U.S. App Store's top charts, reaching No. 3 overall by its second day. For context, ChatGPT reached No. 1 on its second day, while Grok reached No. 4, Gemini reached No. 6, Copilot reached No. 19, and Claude reached No. 78.