New AI image tools are now helping apps grow faster than regular chatbot upgrades, according to a report from Appfigures. The report says image-focused AI updates generate about 6.5 times more downloads than standard AI model improvements.
In the past, AI apps mostly gained users when they released smarter chatbot models or added features like voice chat. Now, image generation features are becoming the biggest driver of growth.
For example, Gemini gained more than 22 million extra downloads in the 28 days after Google introduced its Nano Banana image model last August. The launch increased downloads by more than four times during that period.
ChatGPT also saw a major boost after launching its GPT-4o image generation model in March last year. The app added over 12 million extra downloads within 28 days. According to Appfigures, that was about 4.5 times more downloads than the app received from updates to GPT-4o, GPT-4.5, and GPT-5 alone.
Other AI apps saw similar results. Meta’s AI app gained around 2.6 million extra downloads after launching its AI video feature called Vibes in September 2025.
However, the report notes that more downloads do not always mean more revenue. Many people install these apps to test the new image tools but never become paying subscribers.
For instance, Gemini’s Nano Banana feature only generated an estimated $181,000 in consumer spending during its first 28 days, despite the huge jump in downloads. Meta AI’s Vibes feature also boosted downloads without bringing in significant revenue.
Among the major apps, only ChatGPT turned the attention into major earnings. Appfigures estimates that OpenAI’s GPT-4o image model helped generate around $70 million in consumer spending within 28 days of launch.
The report also mentioned DeepSeek and its R1 model, which brought in 28 million downloads after launching in January 2025. However, Appfigures said this was different because DeepSeek became popular mainly due to industry curiosity about its low-cost AI training methods, not because of image generation features.
