Only 4.5% of US consumers pay for a leading AI assistant

Nearly half of US consumers use artificial intelligence, but only 4.5 percent had an active personal subscription to ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude in August, according to Andreessen Horowitz’s latest consumer AI ranking. That paid share has roughly doubled in a year, yet most adoption still happens on free tiers.

Spending is highly concentrated. The top 1 percent of payers accounted for almost one-fifth of observed AI spending and averaged about $900 per month. A typical paying user spent around $25. Heavy spenders favored development, automation and creative products such as n8n, Manus, fal, Figma and HeyGen, suggesting professional work drives much of the market’s revenue.

The spending estimates come from US consumer-card panels supplied by YipitData. They do not represent total company revenue, and Gemini could not be separated cleanly from Google’s other subscription products. The results should therefore be read as observed purchasing patterns, not complete financial statements.

ChatGPT remained first in web, mobile and spending rankings, while Claude strengthened its position among paid US subscribers. Across the market, subscriptions and usage fees dominate; advertising and transaction revenue remain uncommon.

The gap between broad use and narrow payment explains why vendors are adding higher-priced professional features and agents that can perform valuable tasks. It also leaves consumer AI dependent on a relatively small group whose willingness to pay is tied to measurable work or creative output.