# Adoption Index: January 2026

Published January 2, 2026 by Torii Research (Torii). Updated October 7, 2026. Canonical URL: https://www.toriihq.com/research/reports/adoption-index-january-2026

AI is now the primary driver of shadow IT adoption

## What the data says

This report indicates a massive influx of AI-native tools, with tags like `LLM`, `Artificial Intelligence`, and `AI Development` becoming dominant. `OpenAI` saw the most explosive growth with an unprecedented 33 spot jump to rank 10, likely fueled by new releases. This platform-side surge, alongside `ChatGPT (+4)` moving into the top 5 for the first time, confirms a broad employee search for greater productivity leverage.

## At a glance

- Top 3: Zoom (#1), Slack (#2), Atlassian (#3).
- Biggest climbers: ChatGPT, up 5 to #4; Claude AI, up 3 to #12; Slack, up 1 to #2.
- Biggest drops: Docker Hub, down 11 to #29; Canva, down 4 to #16; OneDrive, down 4 to #18.

## What kinds of apps

AI-native apps: 10% (3 of the 30 apps). Share of this edition's apps by theme (one theme per app; definitions at https://www.toriihq.com/research/themes):

- Work suites and collaboration: 50% (15 apps: Zoom, Slack, Atlassian, Google Workspace (G Suite), Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, Jira, OneDrive, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Notion, Microsoft Word, Loom, Miro)
- Developer and data tools: 13% (4 apps: GitHub, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Postman, Docker Hub)
- AI assistants: 10% (3 apps: ChatGPT, OpenAI, Claude AI)
- Design and video: 10% (3 apps: Figma, Adobe, Canva)
- Sales, marketing, and CX: 7% (2 apps: Salesforce, LinkedIn)
- Personal productivity: 3% (1 app: Adobe Acrobat)
- Browsers and search: 3% (1 app: Google Chrome)
- Ops, HR, and finance: 3% (1 app: DocuSign)

## Rankings

Ranked by org-level adoption. Rank change compares with the previous published edition.

| Rank | App | Category | Theme | AI-native | Rank change | Shadow IT index | SOC 2 claimed | ISO 27001 claimed | GDPR claimed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoom | Operations | Work suites and collaboration | No | Same | 18 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2 | Slack | Operations | Work suites and collaboration | No | +1 | 16 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 3 | Atlassian | Project Management | Work suites and collaboration | No | +1 | 25 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 4 | ChatGPT | Productivity | AI assistants | Yes | +5 | 32 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 5 | Google Workspace (G Suite) | IT & Security | Work suites and collaboration | No | -3 | 20 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 6 | Microsoft 365 | Operations | Work suites and collaboration | No | -1 | 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 7 | GitHub | Developer Tools | Developer and data tools | No | -1 | 11 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 8 | Figma | Design | Design and video | No | -1 | 23 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 9 | Google Chrome | IT & Security | Browsers and search | No | -1 | 39 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 10 | OpenAI | Productivity | AI assistants | Yes | New | 36 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 11 | Adobe | Design | Design and video | No | -1 | 23 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 12 | Claude AI | Productivity | AI assistants | Yes | +3 | 46 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 13 | Salesforce | Sales & Marketing | Sales, marketing, and CX | No | -2 | 5 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 14 | Microsoft Teams | IT & Security | Work suites and collaboration | No | -1 | 29 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 15 | Jira | Project Management | Work suites and collaboration | No | +1 | 9 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 16 | Canva | Design | Design and video | No | -4 | 45 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 17 | Amazon Web Services (AWS) | Developer Tools | Developer and data tools | No | Same | 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 18 | OneDrive | Operations | Work suites and collaboration | No | -4 | 37 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 19 | Postman | Developer Tools | Developer and data tools | No | Same | 39 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 20 | Microsoft Excel | Operations | Work suites and collaboration | No | Same | 18 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 21 | Microsoft Outlook | Productivity | Work suites and collaboration | No | New | 25 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 22 | Microsoft PowerPoint | Operations | Work suites and collaboration | No | New | 14 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 23 | Notion | Project Management | Work suites and collaboration | No | New | 43 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 24 | Microsoft Word | Operations | Work suites and collaboration | No | New | 18 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 25 | LinkedIn | Sales & Marketing | Sales, marketing, and CX | No | New | 30 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 26 | DocuSign | Operations | Ops, HR, and finance | No | New | 9 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 27 | Loom | Operations | Work suites and collaboration | No | New | 45 | Yes | No | Yes |
| 28 | Adobe Acrobat | Productivity | Personal productivity | No | New | 37 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 29 | Docker Hub | Developer Tools | Developer and data tools | No | -11 | 36 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 30 | Miro | Productivity | Work suites and collaboration | No | New | 36 | Yes | Yes | Yes |

## Method

Anonymized, aggregated usage data from companies across industries and sizes, reported as percentages, ranks, and scores. No single organization is identifiable. Methodology: https://www.toriihq.com/research/methodology

## Changelog

- 2026-10-07, Correction: Recalculated rank changes against December 2025. 17 of 30 original figures did not match the ranks published in that edition, so every value now compares against it. Apps not in that list show as new.
- 2026-10-07, Update: Moved from toriiresearch.com; title standardized. Torii Research now lives on toriihq.com. It was first published as "Adoption Index Report: January 26" at toriiresearch.com/reports/adoption-index-report-january-26.

## How to cite

Torii Research. (2026, January 2). Adoption Index: January 2026 [Data set]. Torii. https://www.toriihq.com/research/reports/adoption-index-january-2026

Data: https://www.toriihq.com/research/data/adoption-index-january-2026.csv and https://www.toriihq.com/research/data/adoption-index-january-2026.json