On October 16, 2026 the AI assistants ChatGPT, Claude, Grok and Perplexity hold the top of the US Productivity grossing chart. They are brands, and we show no range for them, only the rank and ratings. 20 of the top 20 sell a subscription, with a median month at $17.99. Ranks 51 to 100 make $81–323K a month, our estimate, not Apple data.
AI assistants on top
Chatbots take four places in the top 10, ChatGPT, Claude, Grok and Perplexity, and Gemini sits at rank 13. Next to them are older services like Gmail, Dropbox, CamScanner and Yahoo Mail, which sell cloud storage and an ad-free plan. We show no range for the whole top 10. These are brands and old large services, people often pay for them on the web, and our rating growth method runs low for them. ChatGPT has 11,313,295 ratings.
The top 20 have a median of 722,220 US ratings. The fewest belong to Pocket at rank 18, just 6,720. It came out in 2025, the clearest exception to the rule that apps reach the top with hundreds of thousands of ratings.
| Rank | App | How it charges | US ratings | Released | Our monthly estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ChatGPT | subscription | 11,313,295 | 2023 | major brand, method runs low |
| 2 | Claude by Anthropic | subscription | 279,701 | 2024 | major brand, method runs low |
| 3 | Gmail - Email by Google | subscription | 2,445,282 | 2011 | long-running, method runs low |
| 4 | Grok AI | subscription | 1,510,343 | 2025 | major brand, method runs low |
| 5 | Dropbox: Cloud Storage Backup | subscription | 918,092 | 2009 | long-running, method runs low |
| 6 | Perplexity - AI Search & Chat | subscription | 515,215 | 2023 | major brand, method runs low |
| 7 | CamScanner - PDF Scanner App | subscription | 1,945,932 | 2010 | long-running, method runs low |
| 8 | WeTransfer: Transfer Files | subscription with a weekly plan | 79,209 | 2021 | major brand, method runs low |
| 9 | Yahoo Mail: Your Email & Inbox | subscription | 4,825,884 | 2012 | long-running, method runs low |
| 10 | Grammarly: AI Keyboard & Voice | subscription | 226,239 | 2017 | major brand, method runs low |
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
20 of the 20 top grossing apps sell a subscription, and 4 of them offer a weekly plan, such as WeTransfer, Summary and ChatOn. None of the leaders sells one-time purchases only. In the free chart 5 of the top 20 sell nothing on the App Store. These are Microsoft Authenticator, Google Sheets, Meta AI and other big-company products that earn from business plans or from something other than the app.
Subscriptions here cost more than in most categories we checked. The median month is $17.99 and the median year $79.99, so a year costs as much as 4.4 months. The paid chart lives its own life. Calculators for electricians and installers lead it, QuickBend is first at $6.99, with Things 3 and Scrivener close by. Professionals pay once for a tool, and the top 20 median is $7.49. No paid app made the top 100 grossing.
| What is sold | Median | Range | Apps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly subscription | $8.49 | $2.99–$9.99 | 4 |
| Monthly subscription | $17.99 | $0.99–$29.99 | 11 |
| Yearly subscription | $79.99 | $5.99–$214.99 | 12 |
| Paid upfront, top 20 | $7.49 | $0.99–$23.99 | 20 |
In-app purchase lists on the app pages, US App Store, Oct 16, 2026.
What a chart rank is worth
We could estimate 59 apps of the top 100 once brands and old large services are left out, and 35 have a range starting at $100K a month or more. No app of the top 10 remains after that, so it gets no median. Ranks 11–25 make $523K–2.1M. The biggest earner by our estimate is Goodnotes, handwritten notes, at $2.8–11M, even though it sits at rank 100. The rank reflects US purchases, while our estimate is worldwide.
Below rank 25 the money is flatter. Ranks 26–50 make $312K–1.2M and ranks 51–100 $81–323K. This is where dictation, document scanners, meeting notes and password managers sit. The lower half of the top 100 starts at about $161K a month at the middle of our estimate.
How newcomers get in
17 of the top 100 came out in 2025–2026, and 2 of them are in the top 20. These are Grok at rank 4 and Pocket at rank 18, the app for a wearable AI recorder. Lower down sit Manus at rank 43 and Wispr Flow, voice dictation into any text field, at rank 46. The youngest app in the top 100 is Muse from Meta, released September 8, 2026.
The top 20 hold firm, 19 of today's 20 leaders were there on September 24, 2026. From September 24, 2026 to October 16, 2026, 7 new apps entered the top 100.
Niches inside the category
Newcomers do better next to AI on a narrow job. Meeting notes with transcripts (Otter, Summary, Plaud), dictation (Wispr Flow), reading text aloud (Speechify). A general chatbot from a big company doesn't replace such an app when it keeps recordings and works with the microphone and files.
Related articles and breakdowns
- How much text-to-speech PDF reader apps make, and how to build one without a server
- Will ChatGPT replace your app? We checked 134 niches
Niches of this category in the book
- Read your PDFs and books aloud, Speechify, $1–3M
Niche leader and its monthly range by our estimate. Book 50 iPhone app niches, Oct 16, 2026.
Appto checks your Productivity niche on fresh App Store data, shows the leaders and their money range, draws the screens, writes the code and prepares the App Store page in every language. After launch Appto shows each sale as it happens and helps you answer reviews.
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 productivity apps make?
By our estimate on October 16, 2026, US grossing ranks 11–25 make a median $523K–2.1M a month and ranks 51–100 make $81–323K. We show no range for ChatGPT and other AI assistants from big companies, our method runs low for them. It is our estimate, not Apple data.
What do the Productivity leaders charge for a subscription?
A median $17.99 a month and $79.99 a year, and 4 of the top 20 offer a weekly plan (US App Store, October 16, 2026).
Is there room for a new AI app?
17 apps of the top 100 came out in 2025–2026. Wispr Flow is at rank 46 and Manus at rank 43 (October 16, 2026). A narrow job with recordings and files holds up better than another chatbot.
Do paid apps sell in this category?
Yes, professional tools do. QuickBend leads the paid chart at $6.99 and the top 20 median is $7.49. On October 16, 2026 no paid app made the top 100 grossing.
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