ChatGPT remains the world’s most popular consumer AI product, but rivals like Google’s Gemini and xAI’s Grok are rapidly gaining ground, according to a new Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) report analyzing two and a half years of consumer AI adoption data.
The fifth edition of the report tracked usage across top 50 AI products based on data from Similarweb and Sensor Tower. Among the top-performing platforms: ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Perplexity, Claude, Character AI, Midjourney, Leonardo, Eleven Labs, Quillbot, HuggingFace, and others.
Gemini Emerges as ChatGPT’s Biggest Challenger
For the first time, Google claimed four spots on the top AI product list:
- Gemini ranked No. 2 on both mobile and web, now capturing 12% of ChatGPT’s web traffic and nearly half its mobile monthly active users (MAUs) — driven largely by Android adoption, which makes up 90% of Gemini’s mobile base.
- AI Studio, a Gemini-based developer sandbox, entered at No. 10.
- NotebookLM, Google’s research assistant, ranked No. 13.
- Google Labs, home to experimental projects like Flow and Project Mariner, debuted at No. 39.
xAI’s Grok Surges to Fourth Place
Grok, developed by Elon Musk’s xAI and integrated into X (formerly Twitter), has quickly become a top contender:
- Ranked No. 4 on the web and No. 23 on mobile.
- Now boasts 20 million MAUs after the Grok 4 upgrade in July 2025, marking 40% growth in a single month.
Meta AI Lags Behind Amid Privacy Backlash
Meta AI, despite integration across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, ranked only No. 46 on the web and failed to break into the top mobile apps. Adoption slowed after reports revealed Meta AI shared some user posts publicly without consent, eroding trust among consumers.
Other Key Movers in the AI App Ecosystem
- Perplexity AI and Claude (Anthropic) continued steady growth on both web and mobile.
- DeepSeek, once a fast riser, saw a 22% drop on mobile and a 40% decline in web traffic since February 2025.
- Chinese players like Quark, Doubao (ByteDance), and Kimi (Moonshot AI) dominate usage in Asia, with 75% of traffic originating from China.
- 22 of the top 50 mobile AI apps were developed in China, though only three — Doubao, Cici, and Gauth — are primarily used there.
Shifting Competitive Landscape
The a16z report highlights a more fragmented consumer AI market:
- ChatGPT remains dominant but faces intensifying competition.
- Gemini’s Android integration gives Google an adoption advantage globally.
- Grok’s deep tie-in with X’s social graph positions it uniquely for community-driven growth.
- Meta AI’s trust issues and DeepSeek’s stalled momentum demonstrate that growth isn’t guaranteed, even with massive resources.
Finally, a16z notes an influx of 14 newcomers on the mobile list — the most ever in a single update — reflecting app store crackdowns on ChatGPT clones and a wave of more original, differentiated AI products.
