On October 16, 2026 the top of the US Graphics & Design grossing chart belongs to AI Maker, released in November 2025, at $1.4–5.5M a month by our estimate. The top 20 hold 5 apps from 2025–2026, and 11 of the 20 leaders sell a weekly plan. Ranks 51–100 make $50–199K a month, not Apple data.
Newcomers on top
This is the only category we checked where a newcomer holds rank 1. AI Maker turns photos into AI clips and art, came out November 16, 2025 and has 19,569 ratings. Next to it are Kling AI at rank 3 and Pose at rank 4, both from 2025. Three places in the top seven belong to interior design from a room photo, AI Home Design, Home AI and AI Remodel.
Rank 2 is Cricut Design Space, the app for cutting machines. We show no range for it, it came out in 2014, adds few new ratings, and our method runs low for such apps. The top 20 median is 40,660 ratings, one of the lowest medians, only seven of the 26 categories we checked are lower.
| Rank | App | How it charges | US ratings | Released | Our monthly estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AI Maker: Photo Video Filters | subscription | 19,569 | 2025 | $1.4–5.5M |
| 2 | Cricut Design Space | subscription | 745,601 | 2014 | long-running, method runs low |
| 3 | Kling AI: AI Image&Video Maker | subscription with a weekly plan | 31,671 | 2025 | $395K–1.6M |
| 4 | Pose: AI Photo Video Generator | subscription | 145,673 | 2025 | $286K–1.1M |
| 5 | AI Home Design: Interior DecAI | subscription with a weekly plan | 34,079 | 2024 | $243–971K |
| 6 | Home AI - AI Interior Design | subscription with a weekly plan | 160,519 | 2024 | $196–784K |
| 7 | AI Remodel — Interior Design | subscription with a weekly plan | 24,753 | 2024 | $228–912K |
| 8 | Pixelcut: AI Photo & Video | subscription | 220,792 | 2020 | $344K–1.4M |
| 9 | ReShoot: AI Face Photo Editor | subscription with a weekly plan | 17,487 | 2025 | $155–622K |
| 10 | Tattoo AI - Tattoo Design | subscription with a weekly plan | 50,993 | 2024 | method doesn't apply |
Apple, US top grossing chart, Oct 16, 2026. Ratings and release years from iTunes Lookup. Monthly range by our estimate for Sep 16, 2026–Oct 16, 2026, not Apple data.
How these apps charge
11 of the 20 top grossing apps sell a week, more than half, and 9 more keep monthly and yearly plans. The free chart uses weeks even more, 14 of its top 20. Almost the whole free top 20 is widgets, wallpapers, icons and drawing through the camera, and only Google Flow sells nothing.
A week costs $9.00 at the median, a month $12.99 and a year $39.99. The year is cheap, about 3.1 months, because the category takes most of its money by the week. Artist tools hold the paid chart. Procreate Pocket leads at $5.99 and also sits at rank 69 in top grossing. Nomad Sculpt and ibis Paint above $15 are nearby.
| What is sold | Median | Range | Apps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly subscription | $9.00 | $1.19–$24.99 | 11 |
| Monthly subscription | $12.99 | $4.99–$24.99 | 9 |
| Yearly subscription | $39.99 | $19.99–$119.99 | 11 |
| Paid upfront, top 20 | $5.99 | $0.99–$24.99 | 20 |
In-app purchase lists on the app pages, US App Store, Oct 16, 2026.
What a chart rank is worth
There is less money here than in Photo & Video. Of 78 estimated apps in the top 100, 35 have a low end of $100K a month or more. The top 10 median is $264K–1.1M, ranks 11–25 $129–517K.
Ranks 26–50 make $54–215K and ranks 51–100 $50–199K. Camera drawing apps earn more than many top 10 neighbors. AR Drawing at rank 12 makes $567K–2.3M by our estimate, PicTrace at rank 19 $601K–2.4M.
How newcomers get in
33 apps of the top 100 came out in 2025–2026, 5 of them in the top 20. Below the top 20 newcomers come in waves. Home and garden design from a photo (House AI, Home Style AI, AI Garden Design), drawing through the camera (ARtie Lab, Drawsy) and AI video (Dreamina, Sorax, RevReel).
The top 100 refreshes fast. From September 24, 2026 to October 16, 2026, 12 new apps entered it, among them Google Flow, released September 9, 2026. Two of the top 20 changed in that time, 18 of 20 stayed.
Niches inside the category
A small team has three clear shelves here. Widgets, wallpapers and icons for the home screen, drawing through the camera with a sketch overlay, and interior design from a photo. The first two need no server for generation, the third does. The widget niche is in the book.
Related articles and breakdowns
- Can a new app still break through on the App Store in 2026? Five examples with numbers
Niches of this category in the book
- Widgets, wallpapers and icons as one set, ThemePack, $1–3M
Niche leader and its monthly range by our estimate. Book 50 iPhone app niches, Oct 16, 2026.
Appto checks your Graphics & Design niche on fresh App Store data, draws the screens in several directions to choose from and writes the code. If the app needs image generation, Appto sets up an AI server on your Cloudflare account, and the provider key never goes into the app.
Where the numbers come from
The US App Store snapshot was taken on October 16, 2026. Appto estimates revenue from 30 days of rating growth in six countries. In half of the cases the estimate is within 2x of the real figure, in four out of five within 3x, and for large apps it tends to run low. Ads, web sales and Google Play are not included. More on the method and on niches by category.
Questions
How much do graphics and design apps make?
By our estimate on October 16, 2026, the US top 10 grossing have a median of $264K–1.1M a month and ranks 51–100 $50–199K. AI Maker makes $1.4–5.5M. It is our estimate, not Apple data.
Can a new app become number one in the category?
It already has. AI Maker came out November 16, 2025 and on October 16, 2026 holds rank 1 of the US grossing chart. The top 20 hold 5 apps from 2025–2026.
What does a weekly subscription cost in design apps?
$9.00 at the median, a month $12.99 and a year $39.99 (US App Store, October 16, 2026). 11 of the 20 top grossing apps sell a week.
Why is Cricut's estimate so low at rank 2?
Our estimate counts revenue from rating growth, and Cricut collects ratings slowly. For such apps it likely runs low (October 16, 2026).
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