Guess: What are the most popular AI apps and websites? Ok, it was easy, it's chatgpt.
Andreessen Horowitz has just published a semi-annual list of top AI products, offering some surprises besides chat GPT and Gemini.
The top 50 list is split into two versions: web products and apps. ChatGpt outperforms both versions, but the more you move to the list, the more you have a few real differences.
The most used AI app from March 2025 to August 2025. Andreesen Horowitz
According to AZ16 partner Olivia Moore, who compiled the list, the web data is based on Sisirweb analysis and Sensor Tower app data. It spans the past six months.
The first thing that pops up at me on both lists is that many of these I've never heard of, even with very high names on the list. Part of that is because some of these are primarily aimed at Chinese users. This is what was created by bytedance and ranked 4th in the mobile app list.
In the YouTube video, Moore explains that this is because certain popular AI tools like ChatGPT are banned in China, and there are other common AI tools that replace them with many Chinese users. Quark, an assistant at Alibaba, is one of these, and Kimi is all in the top 20. Moore points out there is another category of products built in China, but it is intended for use in the world such as Deepseek, Kling, and Seaart.
Some of these popular apps are not completely groundbreaking new Bibecord Tools; They are basically face filter apps to clean up your selfies (Faceapp, BeautyPlus, and a few more). I was personally pleased that PL@ntnet, the plant identification app I use in my garden, has reached 50th place on the app list.
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But what stuck with me the most is the companion chatbots, both on the web and on the app, out of these top 50 products. In this image, Moore highlighted all the apps that are web companion chats. This is 20% of the list.
Top AI products for the web, circled with “Companionship” products. Andreesen Horowitz
Please note: Companion Chat is one of the most common uses for ChatGpt, the first product on the list. Elon Musk's Grok is also quite expensive for newcomers, and is heavily promoting the new “Ani” and other character companion chat features.
These stand out particularly at me, especially as the potential dangers of AI companion chatbots, especially for young people, have been in the news recently. The New York Times spoke this week about a teenage boy who committed suicide after talking to ChatGpt for months. His parents are now suing Openry. (The company said in a blog post Tuesday that it is working on new safeguards to handle sensitive situations.)
Meta is also facing scrutiny about how AI products chat with teens and children after the Reuters report unveiled internal guidelines that said it's okay for AI to chat romantically with children. (Meta spokesman said the guidelines have been changed, but that should never be allowed.) Now, several senators are demanding answers from Meta.
What frowns me a little is that companion chat is as much trouble as possible, it seems to be one of the most popular (and advantageous) things for AI companies right now.
We need to wonder if public opinion about these companion AI apps will change in next year or two. And these lists could be very different in the future.
