OpenAI’s Sora app is struggling after its stellar launch | TechCrunch

After quickly rising to the top of the App Store in October, OpenAI’s video generation app Sora is now struggling. New data suggests the app is seeing a decline in both app downloads and consumer spending, as early hype about the AI ​​video social network wanes.

Powered by OpenAI’s video generation model Sura 2the iOS version had over 100,000 installs on its first day, despite being an invite-only experience. It quickly reached the number 1 position on the US App Store and reached the milestone of 1 million downloads faster than ChatGPT. At the time, Sora’s app was iOS-only and still required an invite, which made its success all the more impressive.

However, in the weeks since Sora’s mobile debut, the app has started to lose traction.

This is evident from data from a market information supplier App figuresSora downloads fell 32% month-over-month in December. That’s concerning because the holidays are typically a boon for mobile apps, as people get 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 has also fallen, down 32% month-on-month from January, Appfigurs 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 cast themselves and their friends as main characters in the videos, if they wish, while shared videos can be remixed by others who can further customize them. The videos can also include music, sound effects, and dialogue to complete the scenes that users create.

In total, Sora’s app has been downloaded 9.6 million times on iOS and Android to date, with $1.4 million in consumer spending. The US accounts for the largest share ($1.1 million) of that figure, followed by Japan, Canada, South Korea and Thailand.

This month, customers spent $367,000 in the Sora app, down from a peak of $540,000 in December.

Sora is no longer in the Top 100 free apps in the American App Store. It currently ranks at number 101. Its highest rank is number 7 in the Photo & Video category. On Google Play in the US, the app is doing worse, as it is number 181 overall among the best free apps.

These numbers 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 together.

For starters, Google’s Gemini, and especially the Nano Banana model, has proven to be stiff competition, causing the Gemini AI app to gain popularity. Sora also competes with Meta AI, whose app launched an AI-powered Vibes video, boosting downloads in October, just as Sora was launching.

At the same time, OpenAI is struggling to contain copyright infringement in Sora. Initially, the company told Hollywood studios and agencies to opt out of Sora’s use of their IP, where studios obviously resists. But without robust copyright controls, users could have created AI videos using popular characters, such as SpongeBob and Pikachu, driving adoption. To appease Hollywood and stave off legal threats, Sora switched from an opt-out to an opt-in model and increased restrictions in the app.

Last month, the doors opened a little wider when OpenAI announced a deal with Disney, allowing users to generate videos in Sora featuring its characters. But so far, that news hasn’t increased Sora installs or consumer spending. (It’s also not necessarily a good look for Disney, considering that some of the depraved videos Sora users had created with his characters.)

Sora 2 was released to a lot of hype, with some calling it a disruption to social media and the TikTok of AI. But many users had no interest in letting others – even their friends – use their likeness to create AI videos. With no familiar faces and restrictions on the use of commercial intellectual property, people’s interest in Sora seems to have faded. Whether the app can make a comeback with more copyright deals or new features remains to be seen.