Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) has released the third edition of its “Top 100 Gen AI Consumer Apps” report. This report analyzes current trends in consumer generative AI products and identifies popular applications.
Summary of Key Insights
- Dominance of Creative Tools
- 52% of the web-listed companies focus on content creation or editing.
- 58% of new entrants fall into the creative tools category.
- Top new entrants: Luma, Viggle, SeaArt, Udio.
- Suno saw the biggest rank jump, from #36 to #5.
- Rise of Video and Music
- Image generation accounts for only 41% of the top content creation sites.
- New video-focused entrants: Luma, Viggle, Vidnoz.
- New music-focused entrant: Udio.
- Popularity of Image and Video Editing on Mobile
- 22% of mobile apps are in the image and video editing category.
- Existing creative tools like Meitu, SNOW, and Adobe Express are transitioning to AI.
- Challengers to ChatGPT
- ChatGPT maintains the top spot in both web and mobile.
- Perplexity has risen to third place on the web.
- Claude has entered the web rankings at fourth place.
- Luzia debuted at 25th place on mobile.
- Bytedance’s Entry into the AI Market
- Web-based AI products: Gauth, Coze, Doubao.
- Mobile products: Hypic, Cici.
- Emerging Category: Aesthetics and Dating
- New apps like LooksMax AI, Umax, and RIZZ have emerged.
- These apps offer suggestions for improving appearance and assist in writing dating app messages.
- Role of Discord
- Discord traffic acts as an indicator of app growth.
- Midjourney maintains the top spot in invitation traffic among all Discord servers.
- AI companies are using Discord for content creation, community building, and customer support.
Keeping pace with the rapidly expanding world of consumer generative AI products involves dynamically and quickly adapting, whether by building new workflows, exploring real use cases, or experimenting with innovative tools. Amid continuous product launches, investment announcements, and exaggerated features, it’s crucial to identify which generative AI apps people actually use, which behaviors and categories are gaining popularity among consumers, and which AI apps people continue to return to.
We invite you to explore the third edition of the “Top 100 Gen AI Consumer Apps,” presented by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). Founded in 2009 by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, a16z is a venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California. As of April 2024, it manages approximately $42 billion in assets, making it one of the largest venture capital firms globally.
Every six months, a16z conducts a deep data analysis to rank the top 50 AI-based web products (based on monthly unique visitors) and the top 50 AI-based mobile apps (based on monthly active users). In this edition, about 30% of the companies are new compared to the March 2024 report.
Beyond the focus on logos and rankings, this report reveals notable trends related to new and expanding categories, emerging competitors, and user engagement patterns.
Key Insights: The Dominance of Creative Tools and the Rise of Video and Music
Creative tools continue to capture significant consumer interest. Among the web-listed companies, 52% focus on generating or editing content in various formats such as images, videos, music, and voice. Of the 12 new entrants, 58% belong to the creative tools sector.
Notably, four of the top five new entrants are Luma (#14), Viggle (#21), SeaArt (#29), and Udio (#33). The music generator Suno saw the most significant leap, climbing from #36 to #5 over the past six months.
While most content creation tools focused on images in previous reports, other formats such as video and music have shown substantial growth over the last six months. Only 41% of the top content creation sites now focus on images. In the video category, new entrants include Luma, Viggle, and Vidnoz, while Udio is a new entrant in the music category. Both formats have seen significant improvements in output quality over the past year.
Mobile Trends: Popularity of Image and Video Editing
In the mobile sector, image and video editing are the most common use cases. Twenty-two percent of the mobile apps in the rankings fall into this category, making it the second-largest product category. Users are highly interested in editing content on their phones, with existing creative tools such as Meitu (#9), SNOW (#30), and Adobe Express (#35) transitioning to generative AI, securing high ranks.
Competition Among AI Assistants: Challenging ChatGPT
ChatGPT continues to hold the number one spot in both web and mobile. However, competition for the top consumer assistant position is intensifying. Perplexity has risen to third place on the web, establishing itself as an AI-based search engine that provides accurate and concise answers in real time. According to Similarweb data, Perplexity slightly surpasses ChatGPT in visit duration (over seven minutes), indicating deeper user engagement.
Anthropic’s Claude, a direct competitor to ChatGPT, has entered the top five by securing fourth place on the web. On the mobile side, AI assistant Luzia debuted at 25th place. Luzia primarily targets Spanish-speaking users, initially starting as a WhatsApp-based chatbot before launching a standalone mobile app in December 2023.
Bytedance’s Foray into the AI Market
TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, is entering the web-based AI product market. New apps making their debut in this edition include the edtech platform Gauth (#44), bot builder Coze (#45), and general assistant Doubao (#47). Doubao also made its way into the mobile rankings, securing 26th place.
Emerging Category: Aesthetics and Dating
The report introduces a new category: aesthetics and dating. New entrants like LooksMax AI (#43), Umax (#44), and RIZZ (#49) have made their mark in the mobile rankings. These apps analyze user photos, provide suggestions for enhancing attractiveness, and offer conversation suggestions for dating apps.
Impact of Discord: A Predictor of Growth
In many cases, activity on Discord serves as a key indicator of potential growth in web and mobile rankings. Midjourney continues to lead in invitation traffic among all Discord servers, showcasing the platform’s active use of Discord. Many AI companies utilize Discord for content creation, community building, and customer support.
Conclusion
This report highlights that the new generation of AI-based products and companies are growing faster and engaging more deeply with users than ever before. Over the next decade, AI is expected to become a fundamental component defining the leading companies across various categories.
Links: Top 50 Gen AI Consumer Web Products
Links: Top 50 Gen AI Consumer Mobile Apps
