ChatGPT, DeepSeek and Character AI are the three most widely used generative artificial intelligence (genAI) web applications globally, according to Similarweb data. In May 2025, they reported 5.5 billion, 436.2 million, and 187.1 million users, respectively.
Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that uses advanced language models to understand and generate human-like text. It assists users with tasks like writing, coding, learning, and conversation across a wide range of topics, and kickstarted the genAI boom when it was released in November 2022.
DeepSeek is a large language model (LLM) project developed in China that’s designed to support both code and general-purpose AI tasks with high performance and accuracy. Founded in 2023 as a spin-off from hedge fund High-Flyer, DeepSeek aims to provide an open-source alternative to Western LLMs for developers and researchers.
Character AI is an AI chatbot that lets users create digital characters and interact with them via text, voice messages and calls. It emphasizes roleplaying, entertainment, and long-form dialogue with customizable character behavior.
ChatGPT, DeepSeek and Character AI ranked at the top of Andreessen Horowitz’s recently released Top 100 GenAI Consumer Apps. The bi-annual list features the most-used AI-first web and mobile products.
Top mobile genAI apps
In addition to leading the web app board, ChatGPT also dominated the ranking for mobile genAI apps, with 175 million weekly active users. It was followed by Nova, and Microsoft Edge.
Nova is a cross-platform AI chatbot app built on GPT‑4o and Gemini. It’s designed to provide a natural, conversational experience across multiple platforms, handling everything from casual chats and creative writing to homework help, proofreading, travel planning, and tailored content for marketing or education.
Microsoft Edge is a proprietary cross-platform web browser created by Microsoft and based on the Chromium open-source project. It offers features like vertical tabs, collections, built-in AI tools like Copilot, and strong integration with Windows and Microsoft 365 services.
Emerging trends in genAI
The Andreessen Horowitz report also highlights emerging trends in the genAI industry. It emphasizes the rapid surge of DeepSeek, which has gained attention due to its remarkably low cost of operation and open-source nature, which allows other companies to test and build upon the model to improve it.
DeepSeek’s growth has outpaced many other LLMs, reaching 1 million users in 14 days and then surging past 10 million users in just 20 days.
The report also notes significant progress in AI video technology, following 18 months of foundational development. New entrants to the web rankings in this category include Hailuo (#12), Kling AI (#17), and Sora (#23), joining the already ranked InVideo (#37).
Another major trend is the rise of AI-powered tools for software builders. Within this vertical, two categories have exploded in the past six months.
The first category is agentic integrated development environments (IDEs), such as Cursor, which act as co-pilots for developers, with features like bug checking, autocomplete, and full code generation. Cursor debuted at #41 on the web ranking.
The second category is text-to-web app platforms, which allow non-technical users to create websites or applications by inputting text prompts. Companies like Bolt.new and Lovable are among those that have witnessed the most significant growth, with Bolt reaching US$20 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) in just two months, and Lovable achieving US$1 million in ARR within only eight days of its launch.
Top independent GenAI tools for fintech professionals
The surge in genAI adoption has also led to the emergence of specialized platforms in finance. Among the most notable ones are Fiscal.ai.
Formerly known as FinChat, Fiscal.ai is an all-in-one investment research platform launched in 2023 that combines institutional-grade financial data, analytics, and conversational AI. The technology is designed to handle complex edge cases with best-in-class accuracy and claims more than 350,000 registered users.
Fiscal.ai has secured US$13 million in funding, its latest round being a US$10 million Series A raised in June 2025.
TIFIN is another standout AI company making waves in the finance sector. The Colorado-based company, founded in 2018, applies AI on wealth management, asset management and insurance, providing platforms and applications that support decision-making for investors and financial advisors, as well as operations for wealthtech providers.
Backed by leading investors including J.P. Morgan, Morningstar, Hamilton Lane, Franklin Templeton and SEI, Tifin secured its last funding round in 2022, raising US$109 million in a Series D and bringing its valuation to US$843 million. At the time, the company claimed its products had reached three to four million individuals directly, primarily through its network of approximately 3,000 financial advisors.
Zest AI, founded in 2009, is transforming credit underwriting, leveraging AI to provide more sophisticated and accurate scoring methods. The company’s technology analyzes thousands of data variables, offering a deeper, more nuanced understanding of creditworthiness. It also automates up to 80% of loan applications, driving operational efficiency and enhancing customer experience.
With over 50 patents, Zest AI claims it has developed and deployed over 500 active proprietary AI consumer credit models for lenders. The company says its customers represent 110 million people and US$5.5 trillion in assets under management (AUM).
Other popular genAI tools in the finance sector include Hebbia, which helps users process, organize, and analyze complex data; DataRobot, an agentic AI platform used by more than 1,000 organizations worldwide to build, deploy, and govern AI agents and applications; and FinTral, a suite of state-of-the-art multimodal LLMs tailored for financial analysis.
Featured image: Edited by Fintech News Switzerland, based on image by thanyakij-12 via Freepik
