Top AI Tools of 2025: An Evolving Landscape
An Overview of AI Rivals
According to a new report from venture firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), competitors to ChatGPT, such as Google’s Gemini and xAI’s Grok, are steadily closing the gap with OpenAI’s popular chatbot. This report, in its fifth iteration, spans two and a half years, documenting how consumers are evolving in their use of AI products.
Top AI Products Dominating the Consumer Landscape
For the fifth consecutive time, 14 companies consistently appeared on the list of leading AI products. These include:
- ChatGPT
- Perplexity
- Poe
- Character AI
- Midjourney
- Leonardo
- Veed
- Cutout
- Eleven Labs
- Photoroom
- Gamma
- Quillbot
- Civitai
- HuggingFace
These companies represent a diverse array of AI applications, including general assistance, companionship, image and video editing, voice generation, and productivity.
Notable Additions to the List
Additionally, five other companies—Claude, DeepAI, JanitorAI, Pixelcut, and Suno—have been featured in all but the very first report. They cover categories such as AI companionship, image editing, and music generation.
Google Cementing Its Position
For the first time in this report series, Google claimed four spots among the top generative AI consumer web products: Gemini, AI Studio, NotebookLM, and Google Labs. These products now operate under separate domains, making it easier to track their individual growth.
Gemini has made significant strides, ranking second on mobile devices and closely pursuing ChatGPT, which remains number one. However, Gemini boasts nearly half the number of monthly active users compared to ChatGPT, with a majority of its usage concentrated on Android devices.
Google’s Noteworthy Rankings
On the web, Gemini also holds second place, but accounts for roughly 12% of ChatGPT’s web visits. Meanwhile, Google’s AI Studio, created as a developer sandbox for Gemini models, ranks 10th, and NotebookLM comes in at 13th place. Google Labs, a hub for experimental projects, is positioned at 39th.
xAI’s Grok: Rapid Growth
Grok, from xAI, has been gaining traction rapidly, achieving fourth place on the web and 23rd on mobile. This growth is impressive, especially since Grok only recently transitioned into a standalone app after its initial release on social media platform X. After the launch of Grok 4 in July 2025, user engagement surged by nearly 40%, pushing their monthly active users past 20 million.
Challenges for Meta AI
On the other hand, Meta’s general assistant struggled, ranking 46th on the web and not appearing on the top mobile AI apps list. This decline follows reports that Meta AI was publicly sharing user posts without consent, causing reputational damage.
Trends in the AI App Market
Other applications, like DeepSeek, experienced a decline, dropping over 40% on the web since February 2025. Conversely, competitors like Perplexity and Claude continue to grow steadily, showcasing the volatility in user preferences within the AI landscape.
Chinese AI Apps Making Their Mark
Chinese AI companies are also making notable strides on a global scale. Quark (Alibaba’s AI assistant) ranks 9th on the web and 47th on mobile. ByteDance’s Doubao has impressive placements, ranking 12th on the web and 4th on mobile, while Kimi from Moonshot AI stands at 17th. These apps largely draw their traffic from within China, accounting for roughly 75% of their users.
Conclusion
The AI landscape in 2025 is marked by intense competition and rapid growth. As companies like Google and xAI enhance their offerings, the evolution of user preferences continues to shape the market dynamics.
FAQ
1. Is ChatGPT the most-used AI app?
Yes, ChatGPT is currently the top AI app on both web and mobile platforms.
2. Why isn’t Meta AI performing as well as others?
Meta AI is facing challenges due to reports of publicly sharing user posts without permission.
3. What are the key players in the AI market?
Key players include ChatGPT, Google (Gemini and AI Studio), xAI (Grok), and several others featured consistently in reports.
4. How is Grok performing compared to its competitors?
Grok has gained over 20 million monthly active users and ranks fourth on the web, reflecting significant growth after its latest update.
5. What impact do Chinese AI apps have in the global market?
Chinese AI apps, such as Quark and Doubao, are making notable impacts globally, primarily drawing their user base from within China.
