a16z published its sixth consumer AI ranking and expanded the methodology to include AI-powered products such as Canva, Freepik, CapCut, Notion, Picsart, and Grammarly. Watch bundled AI features inside mainstream products as standalone image and video categories get tighter.
The methodological shift is the real news. In a16z’s method change, the firm says it now counts products where AI is core to the experience even if the product was not born as an AI app. That reframes the market for creative readers: bundled AI inside design, editing, and productivity software is no longer treated as a side story.
The full report linked from a16z’s post full ranking makes that visible in the top tier. On web, Canva sits at No. 3 behind only ChatGPT and Gemini, while Notion reaches No. 9 and Freepik No. 11. On mobile, CapCut is No. 2 and Canva No. 4, putting creator tools alongside general assistants rather than in a separate “creative AI” lane ranking charts.
The web chart in a16z’s web chart shows a broad creative stack, not one dominant medium. Canva at No. 3 is the clearest signal that AI-assisted design has gone mainstream. Freepik at No. 11 gives stock, image generation, and asset workflows a bigger footprint than many standalone AI startups. Suno at No. 15 and ElevenLabs at No. 29 show audio still holding space, while removebg at No. 16 suggests narrow utility tools can still scale if they fit daily production.
Freepik’s own post Freepik rank leans into that validation, calling itself the No. 11 most-used gen AI product worldwide. A follow-up from CEO Joaquín Cuenca adds a concrete business angle: he says Freepik is the first European company on that list and “maybe correlated, bootstrapped” Cuenca quote.
a16z’s thread says creative tools are consolidating: image generation has shrunk from seven ranked products in the first edition to three now, and video has compressed too creative consolidation. That does not mean creative demand is shrinking. It suggests users are staying inside bigger surfaces that already handle design, editing, writing, and generation together.
The chart backs that up. CapCut, Canva, Freepik, Notion, Grammarly, Photoroom, Pixelcut, VEED, Higgsfield, KlingAI, and Midjourney all appear on the same web list web chart, but the highest positions belong to platforms that wrap multiple creative actions into one workflow. Even Lenny Rachitsky’s reaction to the chart highlights removebg’s rank and Google AI Studio beating Lovable as surprises surprises, reinforcing how utility and integrated creation tools are outperforming some more hyped categories.
Creators are moving from V8 calibration complaints to darker film-still scenes, fashion shots, and worldbuilding tests, with ECLIPTIC remakes showing stronger depth and lighting. Retest saved SREF recipes if you rely on V8 for cinematic ideation.
releaseTopview added Seedance 2.0 to Agent V2, pairing multi-scene generation with a storyboard timeline and Business Annual access billed as 365 days of unlimited generations. That moves longform video workflows toward editable sequences instead of stitched clips.
workflowCreators are moving from V8 calibration complaints to darker film-still scenes, fashion shots, and worldbuilding tests, with ECLIPTIC remakes showing stronger depth and lighting. Retest saved SREF recipes if you rely on V8 for cinematic ideation.
workflowA shared workflow converts GTA-style stills into photoreal images with Nano Banana 2, then animates them in LTX-2.3 Pro 4K using detailed material, skin, vehicle, and camera prompts. Try it for trailer-style previsualization if you want more control at lower cost.
workflowShared Nano Banana 2 workflows now cover turnaround sheets, distinctive facial traits, and photoreal rerenders that keep the framing of a reference image. Use one prompt grammar for concept art, editorial portraits, and animation prep.
🚨 The @a16z consumer AI Top 100 is back! For the sixth time, we ranked consumer AI websites and mobile apps by usage (monthly unique visits and MAUs). This edition, we changed the rules. Here's why - and what the new list says about where consumer AI is heading 👇
None of the above should be taken as investment advice; please see a16z.com/disclosures/ for more information.
Freepik is now the #11 most-used Gen AI Product Worldwide We got here by reinvesting and staying focused on what matters to us: building the best creative platform for professionals worldwide Thanks to every creator, team, and enterprise that trusts us We keep building
