The Explosive Rise of AI App Spending (2022–2026)

Published

October 16, 2026 5:49 am

By

Jenna Ross

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• Athul Alexander

The following content is sponsored by Plasma

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The Explosive Rise of AI App Spending (2022–2026)

Key Takeaways

• Generative AI app spending grew nearly 200-fold between the first quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2026.

• Globally, spending on generative AI apps reached nearly $2 billion in the first quarter of 2026.

• Spending in North America accounts for 39% of the global total.

Generative AI apps are becoming big business. In the first quarter of 2026, consumer spending on these apps approached $2 billion, highlighting the growing market for paid AI tools.

This graphic, created in partnership with Plasma, visualizes the surge in generative AI app spending since 2022, broken down by region.

Consumers Are Pouring Money Into AI Apps

Spending on generative AI apps, including assistants, companions, and content generators, has exploded. Revenue grew nearly 200-fold between the first quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2026.

The data includes paid downloads, in-app purchases, and subscriptions.

RegionQ1 2022 RevenueQ1 2026 Revenue

North America$6.6M$730.0M

Europe$1.6M$521.0M

Asia$1.0M$330.0M

Latin America$0.2M$143.0M

Middle East$0.1M$88.4M

Oceania$0.3M$49.7M

Africa$0.1M$16.9M

Total$9.8M$1,879M

Source: SensorTower. iOS and Google Play combined. iOS only for China. Revenue is gross — inclusive of any percent taken by the app stores. This does not include any revenue from advertisements or third-party purchases. Numbers may not sum to the total due to rounding.

North America has the largest share of revenue, at 39% of the global total. Specifically in the U.S., the share of users that pay has risen significantly for certain AI apps. For instance, 8% of iOS ChatGPT users were premium as of May 2026, up from 4% in May 2024.

Regional Market Shares of AI App Spending

While North America accounts for the largest proportion, its share of spending has gone down over time.

RegionQ1 2022 Market ShareQ1 2026 Market ShareChange in Percentage Points (p.p.)

North America67.0%38.9%-28.1 p.p.

Europe16.5%27.7%+11.2 p.p.

Asia9.8%17.6%+7.8 p.p.

Latin America1.8%7.6%+5.8 p.p.

Middle East1.2%4.7%+3.5 p.p.

Oceania3.1%2.6%-0.5 p.p.

Africa0.5%0.9%+0.4 p.p.

Numbers may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

Meanwhile, the market share of nearly every other region has increased. Europe, Asia, and Latin America have seen the largest percentage point increases in AI app spending.

More Money, and Time, Being Spent Globally

As generative AI capabilities increase, people are paying more for apps globally.

They’re also spending more time on them. Worldwide, time spent on generative AI apps reached 36 billion hours in the first half of 2026, which is equivalent to more than four hours for every person on Earth.

And the average number of days people use ChatGPT per month reached 13.5 in April, surpassing both Reddit (12.6 days) and Threads (10.2 days).

As AI apps become more integrated into everyday life, spending on these tools could continue to grow.

Now your AI tools can pay you back. Get up to 5% back on AI spend, and a ChatGPT Go subscription, with a Plasma One Core card.

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Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/sp/pla02-ai-app-spending-explosive-growth-2022-to-2026/