Anthropic’s Claude Sees Surge in Daily Active Users and App Installs Following Fallout with Pentagon
Since the fallout with the Pentagon over refusing to allow the government to use its AI systems for mass surveillance of Americans or to power fully autonomous weapons, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has seen a significant rise in Claude’s daily active users on mobile devices and new app installs. Despite being marked as a supply-chain risk, Anthropic’s stance has resonated with many consumers, leading to a surge in popularity for the AI model provider behind Claude.
According to data from app intelligence provider Appfigures, Claude’s mobile app downloads in the U.S. continue to outpace those of ChatGPT. Recent figures from March 2nd show Claude with 149,000 daily downloads compared to 124,000 for ChatGPT, indicating a growing user base for Claude.
While download numbers provide insight into new user acquisition, daily active user metrics offer a glimpse into actual app usage. Market intelligence provider Similarweb reports that Claude’s app on iOS and Android devices saw a significant increase in daily active users, reaching 11.3 million on March 2nd, a 183% increase from the start of the year.
Comparing to other AI apps, Claude has surpassed competitors like Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot in terms of daily active users but still lags behind ChatGPT. However, with its recent growth trajectory, Claude is expected to climb higher in the rankings in the coming months.
Anthropic’s Claude has also seen an increase in web traffic, with a 43% month-over-month growth in February and a 297.7% year-over-year increase. This growth has impacted competitors like ChatGPT, whose web traffic saw a decline during the same period.
Anthropic has highlighted Claude’s success, noting its impressive performance on the U.S. App Store where it holds the top position. Claude has also claimed the top spot in 15 other countries, showcasing its global appeal and popularity.
While ChatGPT’s app uninstalls have been on the rise, Anthropic remains focused on the growth of Claude, with daily active users tripling since the beginning of 2026 and paid subscribers doubling. The company continues to break signup records and maintain its position as a leading AI model provider in the market.
As Claude’s user base and popularity continue to grow, Anthropic remains committed to providing innovative AI solutions while upholding its principles and values.
