Twice a year, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) publishes “The Top 100 Gen AI Consumer Apps” report, and it is a must-read for those keeping up with the scene. In the 7th edition published yesterday, there’s a new chart for the top 50 consumer AI apps “By Revenue” – what are people actually paying for? Yes, this is much more interesting than the “By Unique Monthly Visits” chart which is more to track free user stats. I use these charts and other data to understand market trends and to shape my AI workshop content.
Some thoughts:
🔵 Google Gemini should be in the chart but it’s probably not possible to track as the revenues are scattered across so many Google products. Google is reducing free usage of its apps to increase profits, so enjoy them while you can.
🔵 Superhuman (formerly Grammarly) is No. 4? Wow. As a writer, I have been dismissive of Grammarly, but the app has evolved into a productivity AI assistant. Superhuman needs to fix its very confusing homepage though.
🔵 Higgsfield AI (No. 5) is huge for still images and video generation. I hear many production studios are using it now, regardless of all the outcry from artists who reject AI. Many of the top paid apps are for content creation – Suno, HeyGen, Midjourney, Runway…
🔵 MeshyAI (No. 31) is new to me and it is AMAZING. It turns any visual into an editable 3D object. I tested it with a few visuals and was stunned to see what would take several days of Blender work being rendered with full textures in a few minutes. This completely changes the game for 3D stills and animation, and puts many 3D model builders out of work.
🔵 Vibe coding apps Replit and Lovable are still in the top 10. However, I wonder how long they will survive, given that the big boys (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude) are making it easier for consumers to build apps, websites, and work solutions.
🔵 I’m impressed by Plaud (No. 16). Transcription apps are generally free to use, but this Chinese company has managed to carve a niche with its sleek hardware that ties you into a monthly subscription for transcription.