ChatGPT is approaching 1 billion weekly active users, bringing OpenAI close to a milestone it had originally expected to reach by the end of 2025.
The latest figure was reported by The Information on July 29, citing information shared internally by OpenAI. The company is now about seven months behind its original target, although ChatGPT remains one of the fastest consumer technology products to approach 1 billion weekly users.
The scale is difficult to separate from the cost. OpenAI generated $5.7 billion in revenue during the first quarter of 2026, but its negative 122% non-GAAP operating margin implies an operating loss of about $1.22 for every dollar of revenue. ChatGPT is becoming a global consumer platform while the economics required to serve, improve and defend that platform remain deeply negative.
ChatGPT Has Added Nearly 600 Million Weekly Users Since Early 2025
OpenAI has not publicly confirmed that ChatGPT has crossed 1 billion weekly active users. The latest report says the product is nearing the threshold.
Another 1 billion figure has already circulated. In June, Reuters reported that the ChatGPT app reached 1 billion monthly active users in May, based on Sensor Tower estimates. Monthly app users and weekly users across ChatGPT are different measurements and should not be treated as the same milestone.
The weekly growth curve still shows how quickly ChatGPT has expanded.
| Date | Weekly active users | Source |
| February 2025 | More than 400 million | OpenAI data reported by Reuters |
| September 2025 | 700 million | OpenAI research |
| December 2025 | More than 800 million | OpenAI enterprise report |
| March 2026 | More than 900 million | OpenAI funding announcement |
| July 2026 | Nearing 1 billion | The Information |
OpenAI said in March that ChatGPT had more than 900 million weekly active users and over 50 million subscribers. The company also claimed that ChatGPT generated six times more monthly web visits and mobile sessions than the next-largest AI app.
The current report therefore points to less than 100 million additional weekly users over roughly four months. That is still substantial growth at this scale, although it also explains why the 1 billion target arrived later than OpenAI expected.
One Billion Users Does Not Resolve OpenAI’s Cost Problem
ChatGPT’s reach gives OpenAI a distribution advantage that most software companies cannot replicate. The platform can introduce search, coding, shopping, advertising and workplace tools to hundreds of millions of existing users without building a new audience for each product.
OpenAI is already trying to convert that reach into more revenue. The company said in March that it was generating about $2 billion per month, while enterprise products accounted for more than 40% of revenue. It also reported more than $100 million in annualized revenue from an advertising pilot within six weeks.
Revenue growth has not yet produced operating leverage. OpenAI’s first-quarter revenue reached $5.7 billion, while its negative 122% non-GAAP operating margin implied an operating loss of roughly $6.95 billion for the quarter.
A separate report carried by Reuters said OpenAI burned $3.7 billion in cash during the same period. These figures measure different things. Operating loss includes the costs recognized in the company’s adjusted accounts, while cash burn tracks the money that left the business. Both show that rapid user and revenue growth has not removed the funding pressure.
The economic question is moving beyond whether people want ChatGPT. Nearly 1 billion weekly users provide strong evidence of demand. The harder issue is whether OpenAI can lower inference costs, raise paid conversion and expand higher-margin business products faster than usage increases its computing bill.
Anthropic Is Turning Enterprise Demand Into Faster Revenue Growth
OpenAI remains far larger in consumer reach, but Anthropic is building a different advantage through enterprise customers, developer tools and coding workflows.
Anthropic said its annualized revenue run rate crossed $47 billion in May. OpenAI’s most recent comparable disclosure placed its annualized revenue near $25 billion earlier in 2026, although run-rate figures can change quickly and do not represent booked full-year revenue.
The gap reflects how the companies monetize different parts of the market. ChatGPT’s audience includes hundreds of millions of free users whose activity creates computing costs before it produces revenue. Anthropic has concentrated more heavily on companies paying for Claude, Claude Code and API access.
That focus is showing up in buyer data. Axios reported that Anthropic captured more than 73% of spending among first-time corporate AI buyers in Ramp’s February data, up from an even split with OpenAI only ten weeks earlier.
Anthropic’s consumer footprint remains much smaller. Sensor Tower estimated that Claude had 56 million monthly active app users during the second quarter through early June. Its year-over-year growth of about 640% nevertheless outpaced ChatGPT’s 62%.
OpenAI therefore leads the consumer market by a wide margin while facing stronger pressure in the area most likely to improve margins. Enterprise contracts can produce larger and more predictable revenue per customer than free consumer usage, especially when AI tools become embedded in coding and business workflows.
Market Share Can Fall While ChatGPT Keeps Growing
ChatGPT approaching 1 billion weekly active users may appear inconsistent with reports that its AI assistant market share has fallen below 50%. The two trends can occur at the same time.
Absolute users measure the size of ChatGPT’s audience. Market share measures that audience relative to competitors. ChatGPT can continue adding users while Gemini, Claude and other services grow faster from smaller bases.
The fragmentation also reflects multi-app behavior. A person may use ChatGPT for general questions, Claude for coding and Gemini through Google products. Installing a rival does not automatically mean abandoning ChatGPT, although Sensor Tower found that US users who installed Claude spent 5% less time in ChatGPT one month later.
This makes engagement quality more important than the headline user count. OpenAI needs to know how often people return, which tools they use, how many free users become subscribers and whether enterprise adoption deepens. A weekly user who opens ChatGPT once contributes differently from a paying customer who relies on it throughout the working day.
Why the 1 Billion Milestone Still Matters
Missing the target by seven months weakens the original forecast, but it does not erase the scale of the achievement. ChatGPT launched in November 2022 and is now close to becoming a weekly habit for roughly one in eight people worldwide.
The milestone also clarifies OpenAI’s central trade-off. Consumer distribution gives the company reach, data, brand recognition and multiple paths to monetization. Serving that audience demands enormous computing capacity, while competitors can target narrower, higher-value workflows without carrying the same free-user burden.
OpenAI does not need every user to pay. It needs paid subscriptions, advertising, enterprise contracts and lower serving costs to improve faster than the expense of maintaining its lead. The next meaningful test is whether those revenue streams can narrow the operating loss while weekly usage continues to rise.
FAQs
How Many Weekly Active Users Does ChatGPT Have in 2026?
ChatGPT is nearing 1 billion weekly active users as of July 2026, according to The Information. OpenAI’s latest official disclosure in March placed the figure above 900 million.
Has ChatGPT Reached 1 Billion Users?
The ChatGPT app reached 1 billion monthly active users in May 2026, according to Sensor Tower data reported by Reuters. ChatGPT has not yet publicly confirmed 1 billion weekly active users.
Is OpenAI Profitable in 2026?
No. OpenAI recorded a negative 122% non-GAAP operating margin in the first quarter of 2026. Based on $5.7 billion in revenue, that implies an operating loss of about $6.95 billion.
Has Anthropic Overtaken OpenAI in Revenue?
Anthropic reported a $47 billion annualized revenue run rate in May, above OpenAI’s most recent comparable figure of about $25 billion. Run-rate revenue is a projection based on recent sales and is different from recognized full-year revenue.
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