ChatGPT has company — and it’s coming fast

India's artificial intelligence app market is becoming highly competitive, with major players vying for dominance in user spending, engagement, and growth. ChatGPT maintains its lead in monetization, while Google's Gemini is rapidly increasing its share of user attention, and Anthropic's Claude is expanding at the fastest pace among major GenAI apps, according to data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.

Claude's downloads in India surged more than 30-fold year-on-year, reaching 8.5 million in the second quarter of 2026, marking a significant expansion for the app. Consumer spending on Claude grew nearly 19-fold to about Rs 62.2 crore during the same period. Analyst Eve Chen notes that Claude's steady growth, despite its smaller user base, makes it a notable player in India's AI app landscape.

Meanwhile, ChatGPT continues to dominate monetization, with consumer spending on OpenAI's app reaching Rs 112.8 crore in the June quarter, a 36% increase from a year earlier. Google's Gemini is making strides in user engagement, with its downloads in India more than doubling year-on-year to 18.1 million, and its share of total time spent across GenAI apps rising to 18.7% from 4.9% a year earlier.

The market is increasingly split across different metrics, with ChatGPT leading in monetization, Gemini gaining user attention, and Claude expanding at the fastest pace. As user spending, engagement, and growth shift rapidly, India is emerging as an important battleground for the world's leading generative AI platforms.