The figures come from the seventh edition of a16z's Top 100 consumer AI ranking, which for the first time tracks observed spending on US consumer cards using YipitData panel data. Because the numbers come from panels, they do not represent total revenue, and Gemini is absent from the spending ranking because its revenue cannot be separated from Google's other subscriptions.

Within the small paying base, revenue is heavily concentrated. The top one percent of spenders accounts for nearly a fifth of all observed AI spending, more than the entire bottom half combined, and averages about $900 per month, up 79 percent since early 2025. The typical paying user spends around $25 and has held steady at that level. The big spenders favour building and automation tools such as n8n, Manus and fal alongside creative tools like Figma and HeyGen, which a16z reads as professional use driving the market.

At the top of the rankings, little has changed: ChatGPT leads the web with roughly double Gemini's traffic and six times Claude's. The notable shift is Claude's rise to a clear number three, and it passed Gemini in paid US subscribers in March 2026, though the two have been neck and neck since Google restructured its plans in June. Anthropic also monetises better, with a larger share of Claude users on its priciest tier starting at $100 per month.