India’s AI app race heats up as Claude surges and Gemini closes in on ChatGPT

India’s artificial intelligence app market is becoming increasingly competitive, with ChatGPT retaining its lead in user spending while Google’s Gemini strengthens its grip on engagement and Anthropic’s Claude emerges as the fastest-growing major player, according to data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower, as cited by Times of India.

Claude posted the sharpest growth among major GenAI apps in the June quarter, with its downloads in India soaring more than 30-fold year-on-year to 8.5 million in the second quarter of 2026. Consumer spending on the app jumped nearly 19-fold to about Rs 62.2 crore.

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The surge marks a rapid expansion for Claude, which had a relatively small footprint in India until recently.

"Claude stands out with more consistent momentum, with downloads and monthly active users accelerating since early 2026, making it an increasingly notable player despite its smaller user base," said Eve Chen, insights analyst at Sensor Tower.

ChatGPT, meanwhile, continues to dominate monetisation. Consumer spending on OpenAI’s app reached around Rs 112.8 crore in the June quarter, up 36% from a year earlier.

Grok generated about Rs 20.4 crore in consumer spending during the quarter, while Perplexity recorded Rs 5.8 crore and Gemini Rs 1.8 crore.

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Google’s Gemini, however, is making a stronger push on engagement. Its downloads in India more than doubled year-on-year to 18.1 million in Q2 2026, while its share of total time spent across GenAI apps jumped to 18.7% from 4.9% a year earlier.

The numbers point to a market increasingly split across different measures of success: ChatGPT continues to lead when it comes to monetisation, Gemini is rapidly gaining users’ attention, while Claude is expanding at the fastest pace among the major AI apps.

With downloads, engagement and spending all shifting rapidly, India is emerging as an increasingly important battleground for the world’s leading generative AI platforms.