The news: Anthropic’s AI assistant Claude surged to the No.1 spot in Apple’s US and Canada App Stores, overtaking OpenAI’s ChatGPT, per Sensor Tower’s Top Charts. ChatGPT still leads all apps for Android users, while Claude is No. 4 in the US and No. 2 in Canada as of this writing.

An Anthropic spokesperson told EMARKETER that free Claude users are up more than 60% since January. 

“On Feb 8, Claude was No. 42. Since then, it’s remained in the top 10 nearly every single day—and is now a top-10 productivity app on iOS in 80 countries, up from just one country at the start of 2025. Paid subscribers have more than doubled this year,” the spokesperson said.

• The rapid ascent, which saw Claude jump from sixth place to first on iOS in four days, appears linked to the company’s public dispute with the US Department of Defense (DoD) over ethical AI safeguards. 
• The clash, along with OpenAI’s subsequent Pentagon agreement, has positioned Claude as a privacy-focused alternative to competitors perceived as more willing to integrate with defense agencies. 

Zooming in: Anthropic sought contractual safeguards to prevent the DoD from using its models for mass surveillance or autonomous weapons, Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey stated in a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

• In response, the Trump administration directed federal agencies to halt Anthropic product usage, and Hegseth designated the company a supply-chain threat.
• OpenAI then announced its deal, stating that it includes protective measures similar to Anthropic’s regarding surveillance and weaponization.
• Multiple Reddit users said in Subreddits that they’ve canceled ChatGPT Plus, deleted accounts, or are planning to switch to Claude because of the Pentagon agreement.

Implications for marketers: Claude’s surge in users demonstrates that corporate values and AI ethics are now product features. Trust is a competitive advantage, so brands must evaluate their AI partners not just on model capability, but on their data governance and ethical usage policies. 

Corporate adoption lags consumer trends—enterprise migrations across hundreds of seats take time. But if businesses follow consumers to Claude, the adoption boost for Anthropic could be significant.

Marketers should prepare for a landscape where the conflict-free AI model becomes a primary selling point, particularly for brands serving privacy-conscious or ethics-minded demographics.