Anthropic's AI assistant Claude appears to have gained significant momentum amid the public focus on the company's tense discussions with the U.S. Department of Defense. Recent data shows Claude has surged to the top of the free app charts on Apple's U.S. App Store. By Saturday evening, it had overtaken OpenAI's ChatGPT to secure the number one position, which it maintained through Sunday morning.

According to figures from SensorTower, Claude was ranked just outside the top 100 apps at the end of January. Throughout most of February, it remained within the top 20, but its ascent accelerated dramatically in recent days. The app moved from sixth place on Wednesday, to fourth on Thursday, before finally reaching the top spot on Saturday.

Anthropic reports a substantial increase in user engagement. A company spokesperson stated that daily new signups have set an all-time record each day this week. Since January, the number of free users has grown by more than 60%, and paid subscriptions have more than doubled so far this year.

This surge in popularity follows a series of high-profile events. Anthropic had sought contractual safeguards to prevent the Department of Defense from utilizing its AI models for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weaponry. In response, President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to cease using all Anthropic products, and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth declared the company a supply-chain threat.

Subsequently, OpenAI announced its own partnership with the Pentagon. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stated that this agreement includes specific protections concerning domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons systems.

This information was originally published on February 28, 2026, and has since been updated to include details of Claude's rise to the top app ranking and the company's recent growth metrics.