What to know:
- XChat topped the US App Store within hours, overtaking ChatGPT and Claude on launch.
- The app offers encryption, AI tools, and no phone signup, with large group chat support.
- X Money rollout with Visa and licenses in 40+ states supports payments expansion.
XChat climbed to No. 1 on the US App Store within hours of its iPhone launch, passing ChatGPT and Claude on the free app chart. The debut gave Elon Musk’s X an early boost for its standalone messaging app push.
The ranking supports X’s effort to link messaging, artificial intelligence, and payments under one brand. It also placed XChat ahead of two major AI assistants during its first run.
X head of product Nikita Bier shared the App Store ranking in an X post on Saturday. The screenshot showed XChat in first place, ChatGPT in second, and Claude in third.
Also Read: Elon Musk’s xAI Sues Colorado Over New AI Regulation Law in 2026
XChat Expands With Encryption and Growth
Bier reposted the chart with a short caption. He has been with X since last year to spearhead consumer growth. He previously assisted TBH and Gas in making it to the top of the App Store.
The chart move provided XChat with a good presence in a saturated app market. ChatGPT had been at the top of the free apps list most of the previous year. Claude kept close behind.
XChat is written in Rust and employs what X calls Bitcoin-style encryption. The app enables encrypted chats, voice calls, video calls, and file transfers.
The application does not need users to create an account using their phone number. That provides XChat with an alternative entry model compared to phone-based signups.
Group chats have a capacity of 481 members. X is aiming at marking a limit of 1,000 members within the next few weeks. The growth would enable bigger communities to utilize it.
Grok is also introduced into XChat. It allows the user to request the assistant to summarize files and write messages. The feature introduces AI assistance within the chats.
The launch is important since XChat can be integrated into the broader product stack of Musk. Elon Musk had earlier commented in an X post that X had already implemented encrypted messages, audio and video calls, and file transfers.
X Money Plans Support XChat Expansion
Musk added that X Money would be coming soon. It is a wallet being constructed using Visa. The initial aspect it would concentrate on would be peer-to-peer transfers.
The support of cryptos will be released later. The presence of that roadmap might bring payment tools nearer to XChat users upon the arrival of X Money.
X has acquired licenses as a money transmitter in over 40 states in the US. The approvals eliminate a regulatory barrier to payments.
XChat is a new messaging company that enters a market dominated by established companies. It would be competing with WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal. PayPal and Venmo might be later added to the comparison with payments.
To traders, the connection between Cashtags, group chats, and X Money may gain significance. It can put the discussion and payments on markets within the same X ecosystem.
The second test follows the launching of X Money. The lead that XChat has in the App Store is temporary, and it might be more difficult to maintain that lead once the interest in the launch subsides.
Also Read: Anthropic Claude Mythos Breach Sparks Crypto AI Security Fears in 2026
Be the first to comment