DeepSeek's App Store No. 1 run undermines Musk's claim that Apple blocks non-ChatGPT AI apps from topping charts

Elon Musk claims Apple has rigged the App Store to prevent AI apps other than ChatGPT from reaching the No. 1 spot, calling it an antitrust violation. However, evidence contradicts this assertion. DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company, reached No. 1 on Apple’s free apps chart in January 2024, briefly dethroning ChatGPT. This occurred months after OpenAI and Apple announced their partnership in June 2024. Further undermining Musk’s claim, Perplexity hit No. 1 in India’s App Store on July 17, according to a post by CEO Aravind Srinivas. Sensor Tower data also indicates that xAI’s Grok app reached the No. 1 position on the free apps chart for two days in February 2024, shortly after Grok-3 was made free. A Polymarket bet confirming this outcome was resolved as “Yes,” and screenshots from X users at the time show Grok in the top spot. Musk’s Grok app currently ranks No. 5 on the Apple App Store’s free apps list—four positions below ChatGPT. Despite this, Musk has repeatedly blamed Apple for blocking competition, even threatening legal action. Yet, multiple AI apps have successfully climbed to the top of the rankings independently. While ChatGPT remains one of the most downloaded apps, with over 29 million downloads in a single 28-day period, it was not the most downloaded app of 2024—Temu held that title. Additionally, X, formerly Twitter, reached No. 1 on Apple’s free News apps chart in August 2025, with Reddit in second place, showing that Musk’s apps can still achieve top rankings on other Apple charts. The data suggests that Apple’s App Store is not inherently closed to non-ChatGPT AI apps. While ChatGPT has maintained a long-running dominance, other AI applications have managed to break into the top spot, challenging Musk’s narrative.