Visual Capitalist January 18, 2026
Niccolo Conte

Key Takeaways

  • Generative AI apps are projected to generate over $10 billion in consumer spending in 2026.
  • By 2026, Gen AI is expected to rank among the top five mobile app categories by downloads, revenue, and time spent.

Generative AI has rapidly moved from an experimental novelty to a mainstream consumer product. In just a few years, apps powered by large language models and image generators have become daily tools for writing, search, education, and entertainment.

This chart tracks how generative AI apps are climbing the global mobile rankings. The data for this visualization comes from Sensor Tower and reflects combined iOS and Google Play performance globally (with China measured on iOS only). Figures for 2026 are forecasts.

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Topics: AI (Artificial Intelligence), Apps, Technology
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