Andreessen Horowitz’s latest consumer AI report reveals that Google’s Gemini and xAI’s Grok are narrowing the gap with ChatGPT. The findings, which haven’t hit mainstream headlines yet, are sparking excited (and anxious) chatter on social media.
If you follow AI Twitter, you might have noticed an unusual trend this morning: die‑hard ChatGPT fans posting charts that don’t put their favourite tool at the top. The reason? A new Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) report showing that rivals like Gemini and Grok are eating into ChatGPT’s dominance. Published late last night, the report has set off a wave of takes, memes and debates across X, Reddit and even Hacker News. Yet it has slipped under the radar of mainstream tech coverage. Here’s why the ranking shake‑up matters, and what it says about the future of AI tools.
The Top AI Products List
In its fifth consumer AI landscape report, a16z analysed two and a half years of data from Similarweb and Sensor Tower to rank AI products by web and mobile usage. Fourteen companies appear on the list of top generative AI products for the fifth consecutive time, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Poe, Character AI, Midjourney, Leonardo, Veed, Cutout, ElevenLabs, Photoroom, Gamma, QuillBot, Civitai and Hugging Face. Five others — Claude, DeepAI, Janitor AI, Pixelcut and Suno — made every report except the first.
Google’s Surge
For the first time, Google claimed four spots on the top web products list, thanks to separate domains for Gemini, AI Studio, NotebookLM and Google Labs. The separation allows analysts to track adoption of each service individually. On mobile, Gemini is closing the gap with ChatGPT; although it still has roughly half as many monthly active users, nearly 90 percent of them are on Android. On the web, Gemini places second, generating about 12 percent of ChatGPT’s visits.
AI Studio, a developer sandbox for building with Gemini models, debuted at No. 10 on the web list, while NotebookLM (a notebook tool) landed at No. 13. Google Labs — a catch‑all for experimental projects — ranked No. 39. The strong showing underscores how aggressively Google is packaging and promoting its AI offerings.
Grok’s Meteoric Rise
Elon Musk’s Grok is the other breakout star. A year ago, Grok existed only as an embedded feature in X. Now it ranks fourth on the web and 23rd on mobile. According to the report, Grok reached over 20 million monthly active users after the release of Grok 4 in July 2025, which sparked a 40 percent month‑over‑month growth. The surge can partly be attributed to Grok’s edgier tone — the model is known for its anti‑woke leanings — and to its integration with X’s real‑time data. Enthusiasts on X are gleefully posting screenshots of Grok’s off‑beat answers and comparing them to ChatGPT’s more guarded responses.
Meta AI and Other Players
Not every challenger is rising. Meta AI remains stuck at 46th place on the web and failed to crack the top 50 mobile apps. Analysts note that a recent controversy over Meta AI sharing users’ posts publicly hurt adoption. Meanwhile, startups like Lovable and Replit debuted on the list, reflecting the growing popularity of “vibe‑coding” platforms that help users build simple projects quickly.
Chinese companies also feature prominently. Products like Quark, Doubao and Kimi appear in the top 20 web list. On mobile, 22 of the top 50 apps were developed in China, although only a handful primarily serve the Chinese market. This highlights how China’s AI sector is exporting its tools globally.
The Online Reaction
Social media exploded when the report dropped. On X, users posted graphs showing Gemini nipping at ChatGPT’s heels. Memes with photos of ChatGPT looking nervously over its shoulder went viral. Grok fans flooded the timeline with examples of the chatbot’s quirky sense of humour, and Google’s developer community celebrated the recognition of AI Studio and NotebookLM. On Reddit’s r/ChatGPT, some threads accused a16z of overhyping Google due to its investment portfolio. Others pointed out that ChatGPT still dwarfs its competitors in absolute usage.
YouTube creators quickly produced videos with click‑bait titles like “ChatGPT Is Dead? Not So Fast.” Some emphasised that while growth rates matter, ChatGPT still enjoys first‑mover advantage and brand recognition. The overall sentiment, however, was that competition is heating up, and users stand to benefit as companies innovate to attract them.
Implications for Developers and Consumers
The ranking shake‑up has real implications. Developers building on AI platforms may reconsider which ecosystems to prioritise. Google’s AI Studio offers integrated tools for deploying Gemini models; its high ranking suggests an expanding developer base. Grok’s rapid growth, combined with its anti‑woke persona, may attract creators who prefer edgier, less constrained outputs. Meanwhile, ChatGPT’s dominance is no longer unquestioned, which could motivate OpenAI to accelerate feature updates or price adjustments.
For consumers, more competition means more choice. Users can select the assistant that best fits their needs, whether it’s Gemini’s fact‑focused answers, Grok’s candidness or ChatGPT’s polished tone. The report also signals that Chinese AI apps are becoming mainstream outside China, exposing users to new interfaces and capabilities. Want to see how Google is blending AI into everyday tools? Our piece on Google Translate’s AI language‑learning upgrade explores how the company is turning its translation app into a language‑learning coach, illustrating the broader trend of embedding AI across consumer products.
FAQs
What is the a16z AI report?
It’s a recurring analysis of consumer AI products that tracks web and mobile usage using data from Similarweb and Sensor Tower.How far behind is Gemini compared to ChatGPT?
On mobile, Gemini has roughly half the monthly active users of ChatGPT but is rapidly closing the gap. On the web, it has about 12 percent of ChatGPT’s visits.Why did Grok’s usage skyrocket?
Grok gained over 20 million monthly active users after Grok 4’s release, representing around 40 percent growth. Its integration with X and its anti‑woke tone attract users seeking an alternative to mainstream chatbots.Which other AI tools are rising?
Google’s AI Studio (No. 10 on the web list) and NotebookLM (No. 13) debuted strongly. Vibe‑coding platforms like Lovable and Replit also made the list.Why is Meta AI struggling?
Meta AI ranked No. 46 on the web and didn’t make the top 50 mobile apps. A controversy over sharing users’ posts publicly hurt its adoption.
