Sora’s invite-only launch was almost as big as ChatGPT’s public one
OpenAI’s video-generating application, Sora, launched on iOS in the United States and Canada on September 30, 2025, recording significant user adoption that saw it quickly ascend the App Store charts and nearly match ChatGPT’s initial debut.
According to data from app-intelligence firm Appfigures, Sora registered 627,000 iOS downloads in its first seven days of availability. This figure surpasses the 606,000 iOS downloads that ChatGPT recorded during its own first week. The comparison includes the context that ChatGPT’s initial release was limited to the U.S., whereas Sora’s launch encompassed both the U.S. and Canada. Appfigures estimates that Canada accounted for approximately 45,000 of Sora’s total installs. When adjusting for this, Sora’s U.S.-only launch numbers represent about 96 percent of ChatGPT’s initial figures. The adoption rate is notable because Sora is currently an invite-only application, in contrast to ChatGPT, which was publicly available from its launch.
On its first day, Sora accumulated 56,000 installs, which elevated the app to the No. 3 position on the U.S. App Store’s overall chart. By Friday, October 3, it had secured the No. 1 spot. This initial surge placed Sora’s debut ahead of other major artificial intelligence app releases, including Anthropic’s Claude and Microsoft’s Copilot. Its performance was on par with the launch of xAI’s Grok. The app’s rapid uptake occurred despite its restricted access, which requires users to have an invitation to use the service.
OpenAI releases Sora 2, iOS app with real-world inserts
The interest in the application is linked to its underlying technology, the Sora 2 video model, which enables users to generate realistic deepfake videos. Social media platforms have seen a proliferation of content created with the app. Some use cases have generated controversy, such as the creation of deepfakes depicting deceased individuals. This prompted Zelda Williams, daughter of the late actor Robin Williams, to issue a public request for users to stop sending her AI-generated images of her father.
Since its launch, the app has maintained steady download rates. Appfigures data shows that daily downloads on iOS peaked at 107,800 on October 1, 2025. Following this high point, daily installs have fluctuated, reaching a low of 84,400 on October 6 and another point of 98,500 on October 4. These figures reflect continued consumer interest in an application that is not yet fully accessible to the general public.
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