Sora hit 1M downloads, faster than ChatGPT

OpenAI's latest innovation, the video-generating app Sora, has made headlines by quickly climbing to the top of the U.S. App Store. In a remarkable debut, Sora achieved 627,000 downloads on iOS within its first week, edging out ChatGPT, which had 606,000 downloads during its inaugural week. Shortly after these figures were revealed, Bill Peebles, the head of Sora at OpenAI, announced that the app had reached an impressive milestone of 1 million downloads across all platforms in under five days. This achievement is particularly noteworthy considering Sora was released in an invite-only mode, while ChatGPT was accessible to the public from the start. Sora's launch was not limited to the U.S.; it also included Canada, albeit with only about 45,000 downloads contributing from our northern neighbor. This means that, based solely on U.S. figures, Sora's performance was approximately 96% of that of ChatGPT’s launch. The app's popularity has been remarkable, especially given that it requires an invitation to access. In its first day alone, Sora recorded 56,000 iOS installs, propelling it to the No. 3 position among overall apps in the U.S. App Store, and by October 3, it had risen to the top spot. Sora's initial success has put it ahead of other notable AI applications, including Claude from Anthropic and Microsoft's Copilot, while also aligning it with xAI's Grok launch. Social media has been buzzing with users sharing videos created with Sora, showcasing its ability to generate realistic deepfakes. However, this feature has raised ethical concerns, leading to requests for restraint from individuals like Zelda Williams, the daughter of the late Robin Williams. Since its release on September 30, 2025, Sora has maintained consistent download numbers, peaking at 107,800 daily installs on October 1. Although the daily downloads have fluctuated, with lows around 84,400 and highs of 98,500, the sustained interest in the app indicates its strong market presence, even as it remains invite-only for many users. Updates from OpenAI continue to provide insights into Sora's rapid growth and the team's efforts to enhance the app with new features and improvements to moderation.