Pi Network's App Studio Sees 21,700 dApps Launched Since Mid-2025

Pi Network’s App Studio has rapidly become a pivotal component of its expanding ecosystem, with users swiftly developing and launching over 21,700 decentralized applications (dApps) since its inception in mid-2025. This surge includes more than 7,600 chatbot applications and over 14,100 custom apps, showcasing the platform's accessibility to non-developers. The no-code foundation of the App Studio aligns with the broader Web3 movement, emphasizing decentralization, inclusiveness, and community-driven tooling.

The App Studio was first introduced during the Pi2Day 2025 Ecosystem Challenge, which provided users with an opportunity to learn and utilize new tools within the Pi Network. The challenge consisted of eight steps, guiding users through various parts of the ecosystem. Over 2.6 million people joined the challenge, with more than 761,000 completing all the steps. This early success demonstrates the rapid pace of the Pi community and the strong interest in developing practical tools and services on the platform.

One of the goals of Pi Network is to make technology simple and open to everyone. The App Studio is designed to help achieve this by using easy tools that do not require coding experience. It also uses artificial intelligence (AI) to support users as they build. Many of the existing apps cover essential topics such as health, education, productivity, and entertainment. Notable projects developed through AI-assisted workflows include Pi-Tris, a puzzle game, Healthy Life, a wellness advice chatbot, and BLACKHOLE, an astronomy-focused assistant.

The Pi Network has also introduced the Ecosystem Directory Staking system, allowing users to stake their PI tokens to enhance an app’s visibility. Over 37.7 million PI tokens were staked during the launch window, with 25 million still staked. This system converts community interest into economic backing, where app visibility is determined by community value rather than paid ads or ranking algorithms. Over 1,450 apps have been supported by this system, with over 16,700 unique stakers participating. This approach is similar to mechanisms used in Web3 social platforms, where user actions and stakings determine what gets noticed. However, the lack of app vetting means quality remains variable, and users must self-assess content risks.

Despite the surge in app development, the PI token's price remains unstable. Community-tracked data shows the token fell from above $0.47 on July 15 to a low of $0.435 by July 17, marking an 8% drop in just two days. Although there were short-lived recoveries, the token struggled to hold momentum, remaining around the $0.45 mark as of July 21. This volatility is mainly speculative due to the token's closed mainnet status and lack of listing on major centralized exchanges, limiting liquidity. The price of PI is user-supplied and lacks verified exchange data, creating uncertainty about its market value. In contrast, other tokens like Worldcoin (WLD) and CORE DAO (CORE) launched with direct listings and price visibility, gaining both developer traction and investor trust faster. This puts Pi Network at a disadvantage despite its growing ecosystem.

Market sentiment is divided on the real utility of the apps developed on Pi Network. While community participation is strong, experts remain cautious about whether these apps generate meaningful utility or simply reflect activity inflation. Creating a chatbot or mini-game in minutes is impressive, but questions remain about user retention, problem-solving capabilities, and measurable economic impact. Some observers view Pi App Studio more as a growth-hacking mechanism than a genuine innovation layer. However, the project deserves credit for pioneering mass access to crypto tools, enabling tens of thousands of non-coders to create and launch apps, a rare feat in the space. Until the open mainnet transition, Pi Network will likely remain a community-led, closed-loop ecosystem, dynamic and highly active, but challenging to evaluate from a financial standpoint. The model of building with and for the community, especially with such scale, may prove invaluable if the team executes a successful open mainnet transition.