Anthropic took a bold swing during the Super Bowl this year — and it looks like it paid off.
The company’s darkly comedic ads showed people turning to AI chatbots for help, only to be hilariously redirected to “cougar” dating sites or height-boosting insoles. The punchline? Not all AI experiences are created equal. Anthropic positioned its chatbot, Claude, as the cleaner, “no ads” alternative.
Just days later, Claude shot up the charts.
After hovering at No. 41 on the U.S. App Store, Claude climbed into the top 10 and now sits at No. 7 — its highest ranking yet. The jump suggests that Anthropic’s anti-ad messaging resonated, especially as ChatGPT began rolling out ads to free-tier users this week — right on cue with the Super Bowl campaign’s warning.
Downloads Surge After the Big Game
According to data from Appfigures, Claude racked up an estimated 148,000 U.S. downloads across iOS and Android between Sunday and Tuesday following the Super Bowl. That marks a 32% increase compared with the previous three-day stretch (Thursday through Saturday), which saw around 112,000 downloads.
On a daily basis, Claude averaged 49,200 downloads from Sunday through Tuesday — also up 32% from its typical 37,400 daily average for that same window.
The spike likely wasn’t driven by ads alone. Anthropic also recently launched its new Opus 4.6 model, giving users another reason to check out the app. Combined, the product update and high-profile Super Bowl campaign created a perfect moment for renewed attention.
A Much Stronger Debut The Second Time Around
Claude’s current momentum is especially notable given its modest mobile launch.
When the app debuted on iOS in May 2024, the reception was lukewarm. ChatGPT had already established a strong lead in the mobile AI space, pulling in nearly half a million installs in its first five days. Claude, by contrast, reached just 157,000 total global downloads in its first week and never climbed higher than No. 55 on the U.S. App Store charts.
This time, things look different.
Globally, Claude’s downloads rose 15% from Sunday through Tuesday compared with the previous Thursday through Saturday solid growth, though notably smaller than the 32% spike seen in the U.S., according to Appfigures.
Still, cracking the top 10 marks a major milestone for Anthropic’s consumer ambitions. If the Super Bowl gamble proved anything, it’s that taking a public swipe at the AI status quo can be a powerful growth strategy — especially when the timing is just right.
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