After quickly reaching the top of the App Store in October, OpenAI’s video creation app Sora is now struggling. New data suggests the app is falling in both app downloads and consumer spending as early hype about the AI video social network wears off.
Powered by OpenAI’s video production model Sora 2the iOS version surpassed 100,000 installs on the first day, despite being an invite-only experience. It soon reached No. 1 in the US App Store and reached the 1 million downloads milestone faster than ChatGPT. At the time, Sora’s app was iOS-only and still required an invite, making its success all the more impressive.
However, in the weeks since Sora’s mobile debut, the app has started to lose traction.
According to data from the market information provider Appfiguresdownloads of Sora fell 32% month-over-month in December. This is worrying because holidays are usually a boon for mobile apps, as people are gifted with new smartphones and often have time off from work, allowing them to install new apps and games.
The decline continued in January 2026, with installations falling 45% month-on-month to 1.2 million. Consumer spending also fell, down 32% month-on-month from January, Appfigures said.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Like an AI-flavored TikTok, Sora allows users to create AI videos using prompts. A unique feature allows users to feature themselves and their friends as main characters in videos if they wish, while shared videos can be mixed by others who can further customize them. Videos can also include music, sound effects, and dialogue to complement user-created scenes.
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Overall, Sora’s app has seen 9.6 million downloads on iOS and Android and $1.4 million in consumer spending to date. The US accounts for the majority ($1.1 million) of this amount, followed by Japan, Canada, South Korea and Thailand.
This month, customers spent $367,000 on the Sora app, down from a peak of $540,000 in December.
In the US App Store, Sora is no longer ranked in the Top 100 Overall Free Apps. It is currently ranked #101. Its highest rank is #7 in Photo & Video category. On Google Play in the US, the app fares worse, ranking No. 181 overall among the top free apps.
These figures are still too high to write off the app as “dead”, but they are worrying.
The decline is likely due to a number of factors working in tandem.
For starters, Google’s Gemini, and especially the Nano Banana model, has proven to be tough competition, helping the Gemini AI app gain popularity. Sora also competes with Meta AI, whose app released an AI-powered Vibes video boosting its downloads in October, just as Sora was taking off.
At the same time, OpenAI struggled with curbing copyright infringement in Sora. Initially, the company told Hollywood studios and agencies that they would have to opt out of using their IP in Sora, which of course studios saw reaction. But without strong copyright controls, users were able to create AI videos using popular characters like SpongeBob and Pikachu, which led to adoption. To appease Hollywood and stave off legal threats, Sora switched from an opt-out to an opt-in model and increased restrictions on the app.
Last month, the doors opened a little wider as OpenAI announced a deal with Disney that allowed users to create Sora videos featuring its characters. But so far, that news hasn’t boosted Sora installations or consumer spending. (Also, not necessarily a good look for Disney, considering some of the crappy videos Sora users had made with his characters.)
Sora 2 was released to much fanfare, with some calling it a upheaval in AI social media and TikTok. However, many users had no interest in letting others – even their friends – use their likeness to make AI videos. With no familiar faces and restrictions on using commercial IP, people’s interest in Sora seems to have faded. Whether the app can come back with more copyright deals or new features remains to be seen.
