Anthropic's AI chatbot, Claude, appears to be experiencing a surge in popularity, coinciding with the heightened public attention surrounding the company's challenging negotiations with the Pentagon.
As initially reported by CNBC, Claude has rapidly ascended the ranks within Apple's US App Store, claiming the top position among free applications. On Saturday evening, it surpassed OpenAI's ChatGPT to secure the coveted number one spot, a leading position it maintained through Sunday morning.
Data provided by SensorTower illustrates Claude's remarkable trajectory; having been positioned just outside the top 100 at the close of January, it spent the majority of February within the top 20. Its ascent accelerated significantly in recent days, climbing from sixth place on Wednesday, to fourth on Thursday, and ultimately reaching first place by Saturday.
A spokesperson for Anthropic confirmed substantial growth, stating that daily signups have consistently set new all-time records throughout the current week. Furthermore, the number of free users has expanded by over 60% since January, while paid subscribers have more than doubled within the current year.
This surge in visibility follows Anthropic's efforts to negotiate protective measures aimed at precluding the Department of Defense from deploying its AI models for purposes such as mass domestic surveillance or the development of fully autonomous weapons. In response, President Donald Trump issued a directive for federal agencies to cease using all Anthropic products, while Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth publicly declared the company a "supply-chain threat."
In a related development, OpenAI later announced its own agreement with the Pentagon, an accord which CEO Sam Altman asserted incorporates similar safeguards concerning domestic surveillance and autonomous weaponry.
This article was originally published on February 28, 2026, and has since been updated to reflect Anthropic's achievement of the number one ranking and to incorporate the latest growth figures provided by the company.
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