Adobe's Firefly downloads drop 50% since Gemini launched AI image editing

New figures show downloads of Adobe’s image app dropped sharply after Google added a free AI editing feature to its Gemini assistant, raising questions about the future of Adobe’s business in this space.

Appfigures, a firm that tracks app downloads, shared information with Business Insider showing a clear pattern. When Google rolled out its Gemini 2.5 Flash model, nicknamed Nano Banana, in August, people rushed to download it.

At the same time, Adobe’s Firefly app, which does similar work with images and video, saw its downloads fall.

Nobody can say for sure that the two things are connected, but the timing lines up closely. Firefly had been doing well since it came out in June. By August, downloads had jumped 150% from the month before, according to Randy Nelson, who leads insights at Appfigures.

Gemini only grew 20% during those same weeks. The numbers cover downloads from both Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

Adobe Firefly sees sharp drop after Nano Banana launch

Things changed fast after Google added Nano Banana to Gemini on August 26. Within a week, Firefly downloads fell by more than half. Gemini downloads shot up instead.

By October 6, the gap had grown even wider. Gemini downloads increased 331% since the last week of July. On the other hand, Firefly lost 68% of downloads, the lowest it had been since Nano Banana arrived, the Appfigures data shows.

Looking at actual download numbers makes the shift even clearer. Gemini pulled in 6.1 million more downloads last week than it did the week the new image tool launched. Firefly, on the other hand, saw 2 million fewer downloads.

The pattern holds up when looking at specific places too. In the United States, Gemini downloads jumped 88% from late September to late October, Appfigures found. Firefly dropped 82% during the same weeks in the US.

Adobe tries to fight back

Adobe tried to respond by adding Google’s Nano Banana to its own Firefly app in September. When Nano Banana first came out, Adobe told Business Insider that putting several different models in one app was better for users because they would not need to switch between apps.

But people still seem to prefer going straight to Gemini. Adobe’s stock price tells part of the story. It has fallen nearly 35% over the past year. The company faces pressure from Google, OpenAI, and other firms building AI tools.

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