OpenAI's ChatGPT remains the world's most widely used artificial intelligence chatbot by user numbers. However, new estimates from IDC suggest Anthropic may generate more annual revenue despite serving a much smaller audience. The findings show different business models across the fast-growing AI industry.
IDC Research Vice President Arnal Dayaratna estimated that ChatGPT has more than 900 million weekly active users worldwide. The estimate places OpenAI well ahead of other consumer AI chatbot providers.
IDC also estimated that Google Gemini serves between 200 million and 250 million weekly active users. Meanwhile, Anthropic's Claude has between 40 million and 60 million weekly active users. These figures show that OpenAI remains the largest consumer-facing AI platform by a wide margin.
Dayaratna said OpenAI has built multiple revenue streams across consumer subscriptions, workplace seats, APIs, and platform services. IDC estimates OpenAI generates between $30 billion and $40 billion in annualized revenue. Consumer subscriptions account for about $10 billion to $13 billion, while API and platform services contribute as much as $20 billion.
Reports published earlier this month also stated that OpenAI generated $5.7 billion in revenue during the first quarter of 2026 while spending about $3.7 billion. Separate reports added that the company's net loss reached about $39 billion during 2025.
Although Anthropic serves far fewer users, IDC estimates its annualized revenue stands between $40 billion and $50 billion. Consumer subscriptions contribute less than $2 billion, according to the research firm.
Most of Anthropic's revenue comes from enterprise subscriptions, Claude Code seats, API usage, and other developer-focused workloads. This business mix differs from OpenAI's larger consumer-focused platform.
Dayaratna said, "Usage scale tells a different story from revenue mix." He added that Claude's business is more focused on enterprise and developer customers than consumer adoption.
Anthropic also referred to its May 2026 company blog which announced its annualized revenue run rate exceeded $47 billion. The company used this update to support IDC's broader revenue estimates.
Counterpoint Research reported similar findings in its April 2026 analysis. The firm estimated Anthropic captured 31.4% of global large language model revenue during the first quarter of 2026. OpenAI followed with an estimated 29% market share.
Counterpoint also estimated Anthropic generated average monthly revenue of $33.30 per user. OpenAI generated about $2.20 per user during the same period. At the same time, Counterpoint estimated OpenAI had approximately 900 million monthly active users compared with about 65 million for Anthropic.
Both OpenAI and Anthropic have reportedly started confidential preparations for possible future public offerings. In May, Anthropic completed a $65 billion Series H funding round that valued the company at $965 billion.
The latest estimates present two different measures of success in the AI industry. OpenAI continues to lead by user reach, while IDC estimates suggest Anthropic currently earns more revenue through enterprise customers and developer services. "Usage scale tells a different story from revenue mix," Dayaratna said, reflecting the different strategies followed by both companies.
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