Elon Musk vs Apple: Is the App Store really favouring ChatGPT over Grok?

The battle for dominance in artificial intelligence (AI) has taken a new turn, this time dragging Apple into the long-running feud between Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Musk, who has been in a bitter rivalry with Altman since leaving OpenAI, has now accused the Cupertino-based tech giant of giving preferential treatment to OpenAI’s ChatGPT while deliberately sidelining his AI chatbot, Grok, in the App Store.

Musk’s claim

Musk took to his platform X (formerly Twitter) earlier this week to lash out at Apple, accusing it of making it “impossible” for Grok to compete with ChatGPT in the App Store’s rankings.

The Tesla CEO has threatened legal action, calling Apple’s alleged practices “an unequivocal antitrust violation.”

According to Musk, while ChatGPT features prominently across multiple curated lists, including Apple’s “Must-Have Apps,” Grok is only visible on the “Top Free Apps” chart, where it currently sits at number five.

“Why are Grok and the X app excluded from every list except raw downloads, while ChatGPT is on every list?” Musk posted, pinning the statement to his X profile. “This is messed up!”

He went further, warning that unless Apple adjusts its policies, he will pursue “immediate legal action” against the company for alleged antitrust violations.

Apple rejects Musk’s claim

Apple has strongly rejected Musk’s accusations. In a statement, the company said its App Store recommendations are driven by objective criteria such as app quality, user ratings, and expert curation.

“We feature thousands of apps through charts, algorithmic recommendations, and curated lists selected by experts using objective criteria,” Apple noted.

The iPhone maker also highlighted that other AI apps, including Perplexity AI and DeepSeek, have topped its rankings in recent months, underscoring its position that no single AI developer receives an unfair advantage.

ChatGPT vs Grok AI

However, a closer look at the App Store does suggest a visibility gap. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, now powered by its latest GPT-5 model, dominates placement across multiple categories.

The AI chatbot not only holds the top position among free apps in several regions but is also promoted in curated sections like “Must-Have” and “Popular Apps.”

On the other hand, Grok, developed by Musk’s AI company xAI, while popular enough to rank highly in downloads, appears to receive less algorithmic and editorial exposure.

This disparity fuels Musk’s argument that Apple’s system gives ChatGPT an edge.

Meanwhile, industry analysts caution that curated placements are influenced by a mix of quality benchmarks, mainstream adoption, and editorial judgment, making it difficult to prove deliberate favouritism.

Musk-Altman’s never-ending feud

What makes this dispute particularly combustible is Musk’s ongoing feud with Sam Altman. Both co-founded OpenAI in 2015 with the stated mission of building AI to “benefit humanity.”

Musk left the company in 2018, later alleging that Altman and OpenAI abandoned their non-profit ideals by forming a for-profit arm and aligning too closely with Microsoft.

Since then, the rivalry has spiraled into lawsuits, public insults, and even a $100 billion takeover attempt by Musk, which OpenAI’s board rejected.

The accusations raise thorny questions: Is Apple’s App Store truly neutral, or does its curation inherently favour bigger, more established players like OpenAI?