The 5th Top 100 Gen AI consumer apps report

The consumer AI hype is finally settling into a predictable, cutthroat landscape.

According to venture firm a16z's 5th Edition of the Top 100 Gen AI Consumer Apps, the ecosystem is showing clear signs of stabilization. The web list saw only 11 newcomers driven by traffic growth, down from 17 in March 2025. Mobile had a slightly higher turnover with 14 new apps, largely thanks to Apple and Google purging low-effort ChatGPT copycats.

Google splits up, Grok surges, and DeepSeek cools off

For the first time, Google's subdomains were tracked individually, and the tech giant showed up in force on the web list.

Gemini took the #2 spot behind ChatGPT, capturing about 12% of ChatGPT's web visits. But on mobile, Gemini is closing in fast, boasting nearly half as many monthly active users as ChatGPT. Almost 90% of Gemini's mobile users come from Android, leveraging deep system integration compared to ChatGPT's 60% Android share.

Google's developer sandbox AI Studio entered the top 10, while research assistant NotebookLM secured #13. Google Labs hit #39, propelled by a 13% traffic spike after launching the Veo 3 video model in May 2025.

Elon Musk's Grok also pulled off a wild sprint. It climbed to #4 on the web and #23 on mobile, going from zero mobile presence at the end of 2024 to over 20 million MAUs. Grok's mobile traffic shot up nearly 40% in July 2025 alone, powered by the release of Grok 4 and interactive companion avatars like Ani.

On the flip side, DeepSeek's initial frenzy has cooled significantly. Its web traffic is down over 40% from its February 2025 peak, and mobile active users slipped 22%. Meta AI is also struggling to gain organic consumer traction, landing at #46 on the web and missing the mobile cut entirely after a June privacy snafu where user queries appeared publicly.

Chinese exports and the rise of vibe coding

The geographic footprint of top consumer apps reveals a striking division of labor.

In the mobile Top 50, an estimated 22 apps were built by teams in China, though only three primarily cater to the domestic Chinese market. Meitu captured five distinct spots across its editing suite, while ByteDance placed four apps, including Doubao and Cici. On the web side, seven globally exported tools from China—including video generators Hailuo and Kling, as well as Manus and Monica—landed high on the charts.

Vibe coding has also cemented itself as a legitimate consumer category. Lovable vaulted to #22 on the web, with Replit making its debut on the main list.

This isn't just vanity usage: credit card data from Consumer Edge reveals that cohorts for a leading app generation platform retain over 100% of revenue several months after signing up. The trend is lifting infrastructure too, with database provider Supabase experiencing traffic growth directly tied to the vibe coding boom.

Why it matters

For everyday consumers and creators, the takeaway is clear: stop relying solely on standard chatbots. Specialized tools like NotebookLM for synthesis or Lovable for instant app generation deliver far more tangible leverage than raw LLM interfaces.

For the broader industry, the era of competing on general chat is effectively over. Unless you have native mobile distribution like Google, built-in social distribution like Grok, or massive early brand loyalty like ChatGPT and Perplexity, building an unspecialized LLM assistant is a fool's errand. DeepSeek's drop-off proves that benchmark buzz fades quickly without sticky day-to-day utility.

We think the real winners moving forward are taking two distinct paths: Chinese teams mastering specialized, high-engagement creative tools, and app-generation platforms turning non-coders into software builders. When software produces revenue retention over 100%, it means users aren't just playing around—they are building things they are actually willing to pay for repeatedly.