AI companion apps are becoming the new trend in the mobile app market. According to the latest data from app intelligence company Appfigures, demand for specialized AI "companion" apps is growing rapidly, in addition to well-known products like ChatGPT and Grok. Among 337 active and revenue-generating AI companion apps globally, 128 new apps were launched in 2025 alone.

According to Appfigures' analysis, this mobile AI market segment generated $82 million in revenue in the first half of 2025, and it is expected to exceed $120 million in total revenue by the end of the year.

Companion Apps Redefine AI Interaction

Different from general chatbots, AI companion apps allow users to converse with customized characters, including friends, lovers, boyfriends or girlfriends, fantasy characters, etc., through human-like AI interactions. Appfigures defines this market segment as apps where users can interact with pre-set or user-generated synthetic characters designed to have realistic personalities.

Popular apps in this field include Replika, Character.AI, PolyBuzz, Chai, and others.

Downloads and Revenue Soar Together

As of July 2025, the global downloads of AI companion apps on the Apple App Store and Google Play reached 220 million. In the first half of 2025, downloads increased by 88% year-over-year, reaching 60 million.

In terms of revenue, as of July 2025, AI companion apps have generated $221 million in consumer spending globally. So far this year, the revenue from these apps has grown by 64% compared to the same period in 2024.

Data shows a clear concentration of revenue: the top 10% of AI companion apps account for 89% of the revenue in this category. Additionally, about 10% (33 apps) have lifetime consumer spending exceeding $1 million.

Value Per Download Has Significantly Increased

The revenue value per download has also risen significantly, increasing from $0.52 in 2024 to $1.18 so far in 2025, an increase of $0.66. This trend indicates that users' willingness to pay for AI companion apps is growing stronger.

Big Companies Enter the Market, "AI Girlfriend" Demand Dominates

Although specialized AI companion apps are performing strongly, major tech companies are also entering this market. In July, xAI's Grok introduced AI companion features, including anime-style male and female characters and a sassy 3D fox.

At the same time, after ChatGPT upgraded to GPT-5, many users expressed sorrow over losing emotional connections with the old model, highlighting the extent of users' reliance on AI companionship. To address these and other concerns about GPT-5 performance, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman temporarily reinstated the 4o model.

Google also entered this market last year by hiring the founder of Character.ai, Noam Shazeer. The Character.ai app continues to operate and still has tens of millions of monthly active users.

According to Appfigures' data, the most popular AI companion apps are those targeting users seeking "AI girlfriends." Among currently active apps in the market, 17% of the app names contain the word "girlfriend," compared to only 4% that include "boyfriend" or "fantasy." Words such as anime, soulmate, and lover are mentioned less frequently.

Appfigures noted that since 2022, there may be many other AI companion apps that have been launched on app stores, but they have been removed due to insufficient attention in terms of revenue or downloads. However, these apps are not included in their analysis.

The rapid growth of this market reflects a strong user demand for personalized and emotionally engaging AI interaction experiences, and it also signals that AI companion apps could become one of the important directions for the commercialization of artificial intelligence.