Image AI Models Drive App Growth, Surpassing Chatbot Upgrades

# Introduction to Image AI Models

The latest report from app intelligence provider Appfigures reveals a significant shift in the factors driving growth for AI mobile apps. Image model releases are now outpacing traditional model updates, generating 6.5x more downloads. This trend indicates a change from the earlier days when the release of new models powering conversational experiences, such as chatbots, drove more demand.

The Rise of Image Models

The data shows that the introduction of image models by ChatGPT and Gemini led to tens of millions of new downloads. For instance, Google's Gemini saw an additional 22+ million downloads in the 28 days following the introduction of its Gemini 2.5 Flash image model. This launch resulted in a more than 4x increase in downloads over the same period. Similarly, ChatGPT added over 12 million incremental installs in the 28 days after the introduction of its GPT-4o image model, which is roughly 4.5x more downloads than it saw for its GPT-4o, GPT-4.5, and GPT-5 model releases.

Other Model Releases

Other model releases followed similar trends, albeit on a smaller scale. Meta AI's introduction of its AI video feed Vibes added an estimated 2.6 million incremental downloads in the 28 days after its September 2025 release. Although this is technically a video model, it ultimately revolves around visual content, not just text.

Limitations of Additional Downloads

However, the report cautions that additional downloads don't always translate into increased mobile revenue. Instead, new image model releases give people a reason to install the app and try out its improved image-generation capabilities, but this doesn't necessarily mean they will convert to paying subscribers. For example, Appfigures noted that Nano Banana drove only $181,000 in estimated gross consumer spending during the 28-day window following its release, despite producing a larger spike in downloads than ChatGPT's 4o image model release.

Revenue Generation

Among the three, only ChatGPT turned the increased attention into actual dollars, with its 4o image-generation model leading to an estimated $70 million in gross consumer spending over the 28 days after its launch, compared with its prior baseline. In contrast, Meta AI's launch of Vibes also led to additional downloads but did not result in meaningful revenue.

DeepSeek Analysis

The company also looked at DeepSeek in its analysis but found that it did not fit the pattern. While DeepSeek R1 drove 28 million downloads after its January 2025 release, this was not a typical model comparison event. This was DeepSeek's breakout moment, when it went from being relatively unknown to an overnight sensation as the tech industry learned about the techniques it used to train its AI models at a fraction of the cost of its competitors.

Conclusion

The release of image models is now driving growth for AI mobile apps, with these releases generating significantly more downloads than traditional model updates. While this does not always lead to increased revenue, it gives users a reason to install and try out the app's improved image-generation capabilities. As the AI landscape continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how this trend develops and whether other AI models can replicate the success of image models in driving app growth.