The AI app wars

Let’s face it, we’re all a bit obsessed with AI. AI apps are now our digital sidekicks, whether you ask ChatGPT to create a haiku for your cat or use DeepSeek to find out why your WiFI keeps dropping. All of this is before January 2025 when the AI app race will reach a new level. We’ve created a few charts that illustrate the explosive growth, fierce competitiveness, and unprecedented adoption rate of these platforms. Spoiler alert: It’s not about who wins, but how quickly everything is changing.

Firstly, let’s dive into how quickly these platforms are capturing users. The chart showing the time taken to reach one hundred million users is a stark reminder how quickly things are changing in digital world. DeepSeek, ChatGPT and other AI apps stand out for their incredible speed. DeepSeek has surpassed all expectations in just 14 days. It is now one of the fastest growing platforms ever. DeepSeek has been able to meet the demand for AI solutions with a level of intensity never seen before. ChatGPT took 61 days, despite being incredibly fast, to reach 100,000,000 users. Both apps’ rapid growth is more than just a sign of popularity. It’s also a cultural shift. AI, a technology that was once considered a niche, is now a part of everyday life. These apps are leading this change. The race to gain user adoption is no longer just about functionality. It is now about how quickly companies are able to deliver a product which captures the public’s imagination and meets an increasing need. If you compare platforms like TikTok (274days) and WeChat (426) days, their journey to 100million users seems slow. The rapid adoption of AI apps reflects a larger trend: Innovation is accelerating and user expectations are changing faster than ever. This means that the window of opportunity for AI apps is smaller and the stakes higher than ever.

Now, take a look at the daily active users in this chart, and things get even more interesting. The numbers tell a story about the evolution of the AI landscape. Up until January 20th, the user base of both platforms — ChatGPT & DeepSeek — remained relatively stable. On January 20, DeepSeek released its R1 model. This major update was designed to rival ChatGPT-o1. The tech world was alerted almost immediately. By January 26, the media was buzzing about DeepSeek R1, generating interest and increasing user engagement. On January 28, DeepSeek topped both the Chinese app download charts and the US app download charts. This captured everyone’s attention, and emerged as ChatGPT’s most formidable competitor.

The rapid rise is not just a victory for DeepSeek, but also a symbol of a broader shift in the AI app landscape. What is immediately noticeable is the rise of Chinese AI firms: Four of the top ten apps are now Chinese, in stark contrast with just one year earlier, when the AI space was almost exclusively dominated by US companies. The Chinese AI apps of the past were barely known internationally. Apps like DeepSeek Doubao and CapCut have made their presence known on a global level.

In February 2025, ChatGPT and DeepSeek appear to be leading the AI battle, but that could change in a heartbeat. The AI app wars have just begun, regardless of whether you’re on team DeepSeek or ChatGPT. What if you don’t pay attention? You might miss the next big thing. In the world of AI, an underdog today could be a champion tomorrow. Shuang is a Shanghai based tech reporter for Technode.com. She covers AI, tech companies, ecommerce and retail. Find her via e-mail: shuang.jing@technode.com. More by Shuang JING (19659019)