Nearly one in ten apps that reach the App Store's top charts now says it uses artificial intelligence. That is one of the main findings of a new report from Obelisk Club, which tracked 178,637 iPhone, iPad and Mac apps that appeared in a top chart since October 9, 2026.
How many top App Store apps mention AI?
Of those apps, 17,456, or 9.8 percent, mention AI, GPT, machine learning, generative AI or chatbots in their name or the opening of their description. The concentration is much higher in some categories. In Graphics & Design, 43 percent of charted apps make the claim. Photo & Video follows at 23.4 percent, and Developer Tools at 22.1 percent.
Do apps that mention AI get higher ratings?
Mentioning AI does not appear to help an app's rating much. Among apps with at least 50 ratings, those that mention AI average 4.49 stars. The rest average 4.4. The researchers note that a mention shows an app is marketing itself with AI, not that its features depend on it.
Are paid apps more likely to mention AI?
Paid features are another story. The report found that apps that sell in-app purchases or subscriptions are three times as likely to mention AI as apps that are simply free. The figures were 19.9 percent for the monetized group and 6.6 percent for plain free apps.
Monetization is widespread among free apps. Of 164,056 free-to-download apps in the study, 26.7 percent say in their descriptions that they offer in-app purchases, a subscription, a trial or a Pro unlock. Graphics & Design leads at 60.2 percent, followed by Photo & Video at 56.1 percent. Shopping is lowest at 11.5 percent. Many shopping and news apps belong to businesses that most likely earn their money outside the app, the report said, which helps explain the low figure.
Independent developers hold a large share of the charts. By the report's definition, 67.3 percent of charted apps come from independents. That group's apps rate about the same as those from larger publishers, with both averaging 4.41 stars among apps with at least 50 ratings. Developer Tools has the highest independent share at 76.5 percent, while Games has the lowest at 59.9 percent.
The charts also hold a lot of neglected software. About 70.9 percent of apps were updated in the six months before the data was pulled. But 20.3 percent had gone a year or more without an update, and 9.8 percent had waited more than three years. Books, Reference and News have the most abandoned apps, with 36.3 percent, 33.6 percent and 32.5 percent of their charted titles, respectively. Finance has the fewest, at 10.9 percent.
Reviews point to money as a sore spot. The researchers read 165,735 recent U.S. App Store reviews covering 3,912 apps. Among one- and two-star reviews, the most common complaint concerns subscriptions and price, at 12.7 percent. Bugs and broken features came next at 10.9 percent, followed by login and account problems at 10 percent. A single review can touch several themes, so the shares overlap.
Obelisk Club said it will update the report every quarter. Future editions will track change over time, including which apps move to subscriptions, how quickly the AI share grows and whether abandoned apps return to active development. The charts and data are free to use under a CC BY 4.0 license, with credit to Obelisk Club.
Cet article a été rédigé avec l'assistance de l'IA.
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