AI Breakout: August 2025
The same six apps lead in August, while four new apps enter the ranking, led by Gemini Code Assist at #7.
Updated October 7, 2026 · Changelog
#1ChatGPT holds the top spot
+3Grok, the biggest climberSource: Torii Research, anonymized and aggregated usage data. Published August 1, 2025. Summary figures computed from the 20 apps in this report.
What kinds of apps
Every edition, by theme →Share of the 20 apps in this edition, by theme. Each app has one theme, assigned by Torii Research from what the product does; AI marks the AI themes. Select a theme to filter the list below. How themes work.
Top of the index
Ranked by usage among AI apps. Rank change compares with the previous published edition.
All 20 apps
These are the top AI apps from the period of July 1 to 31, 2025.
Productivity
ChatGPT
ChatGPT is an AI chatbot developed by OpenAI. It uses natural language processing to understand…
About ChatGPT
ChatGPT is an AI chatbot developed by OpenAI. It uses natural language processing to understand and generate human-like text, enabling it to answer questions, write various creative content, and engage in conversations. It's widely used for information retrieval, content creation, and interactive communication.
Theme: AI assistants · AI-native
Vendor claims: SOC 2, GDPR
Productivity
Claude AI
Claude AI is a large language model developed by Anthropic, designed to be helpful, harmless,…
About Claude AI
Claude AI is a large language model developed by Anthropic, designed to be helpful, harmless, and honest. It's known for its strong conversational abilities, advanced reasoning skills, and adherence to ethical guidelines, making it suitable for a wide range of tasks from content generation to complex problem-solving.
Theme: AI assistants · AI-native
Vendor claims: SOC 2, GDPR
Developer Tools
Cursor AI
Cursor AI is an AI-powered code editor designed to enhance developer productivity. It offers…
About Cursor AI
Cursor AI is an AI-powered code editor designed to enhance developer productivity. It offers features like AI-assisted code generation, bug fixing, and refactoring, allowing developers to write, understand, and debug code more efficiently by leveraging advanced AI capabilities directly within their coding environment.
Theme: AI coding and building · AI-native
Vendor claims: SOC 2, GDPR
Productivity
Grammarly
Grammarly is an AI-powered writing assistant that helps users improve their writing. It checks…
About Grammarly
Grammarly is an AI-powered writing assistant that helps users improve their writing. It checks for grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity, engagement, and delivery errors, offering suggestions to enhance text quality across various platforms and applications, making communication more effective.
Theme: AI content and media · AI-native
Vendor claims: SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR
IT & Security
Zapier
Zapier is an online automation tool that connects your favorite apps, such as Gmail, Slack, and…
About Zapier
Zapier is an online automation tool that connects your favorite apps, such as Gmail, Slack, and Mailchimp. It allows you to automate repetitive tasks without coding, creating workflows between different services. This saves time and increases productivity by streamlining operations.
Theme: Ops, HR, and finance
Vendor claims: SOC 2, GDPR
Productivity
OpenAI
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company. Its mission is to ensure that artificial…
About OpenAI
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company. Its mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. They develop and deploy advanced AI models like GPT-3, DALL-E, and ChatGPT, pushing the boundaries of what AI can achieve in language, creativity, and various applications.
Theme: AI assistants · AI-native
Vendor claims: SOC 2, GDPR
Developer Tools
Gemini Code Assist
Gemini Code Assist is an AI-powered coding assistant designed to help developers write, debug,…
About Gemini Code Assist
Gemini Code Assist is an AI-powered coding assistant designed to help developers write, debug, and optimize code more efficiently. It offers features like intelligent code completion, error detection, and suggestions for improving code quality, streamlining the development workflow for various programming languages.
Theme: AI coding and building · AI-native
Vendor claims: ISO 27001
Analytics & BI
Perplexity AI
Perplexity AI is a conversational AI search engine that delivers direct answers to user queries…
About Perplexity AI
Perplexity AI is a conversational AI search engine that delivers direct answers to user queries with source citations. It aims to provide accurate, up-to-date information by leveraging large language models and web search, offering a more direct and reliable alternative to traditional search engines.
Theme: AI assistants · AI-native
Vendor claims: none listed
Productivity
NotebookLM
NotebookLM is a research and writing assistant that leverages the power of AI to help users…
About NotebookLM
NotebookLM is a research and writing assistant that leverages the power of AI to help users synthesize information, generate ideas, and draft content more efficiently. It can summarize documents, create outlines, and identify key themes, acting as a personalized AI collaborator for various projects.
Theme: AI assistants · AI-native
Vendor claims: SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR
Developer Tools
Google AI Studio
Google AI Studio is a web-based platform for developers to quickly prototype and build…
About Google AI Studio
Google AI Studio is a web-based platform for developers to quickly prototype and build applications with Google's generative AI models. It offers a user-friendly interface for designing prompts, testing models, and integrating AI capabilities into various projects, streamlining the development process for AI-powered solutions.
Theme: AI coding and building · AI-native
Vendor claims: SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR
Project Management
ClickUp
ClickUp is a comprehensive project management software designed to help teams organize, plan,…
About ClickUp
ClickUp is a comprehensive project management software designed to help teams organize, plan, and track their work efficiently. It offers a wide range of features including tasks, docs, goals, and chat, aiming to consolidate various tools into one customizable platform for enhanced productivity and collaboration across diverse workflows.
Theme: Work suites and collaboration
Vendor claims: SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR
Sales & Marketing
Fireflies.ai
Fireflies.ai is an AI notetaker that records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings. It…
About Fireflies.ai
Fireflies.ai is an AI notetaker that records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings. It integrates with popular conferencing platforms and helps teams automate meeting notes, track action items, and create searchable knowledge bases from conversations.
Theme: AI notes and voice · AI-native
Vendor claims: SOC 2, GDPR
Productivity
Grok
Grok is an AI chatbot developed by xAI, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company. It is…
About Grok
Grok is an AI chatbot developed by xAI, Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company. It is designed to be humorous and rebellious, often answering questions with wit and sarcasm. Grok aims to provide a distinct personality in the AI assistant space, distinguishing itself from more formal language models.
Theme: AI assistants · AI-native
Vendor claims: GDPR
Developer Tools
Kiro
Kiro is a personal finance app designed to help users manage their money effectively. It offers…
About Kiro
Kiro is a personal finance app designed to help users manage their money effectively. It offers features like budgeting, expense tracking, and investment insights, aiming to provide a comprehensive overview of one's financial health. Kiro also provides personalized recommendations for financial growth.
Theme: AI coding and building · AI-native
Vendor claims: SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR
Productivity
Granola
Granola is an AI-powered meeting notepad that transcribes meetings and audio, automatically…
About Granola
Granola is an AI-powered meeting notepad that transcribes meetings and audio, automatically summarizes discussions, and enhances manual notes, helping professionals capture, organize, and share actionable insights without intrusive meeting bots.
Theme: AI notes and voice · AI-native
Vendor claims: GDPR
Design
Midjourney
Midjourney is an AI art generator that transforms text prompts into unique and imaginative…
About Midjourney
Midjourney is an AI art generator that transforms text prompts into unique and imaginative images. It's a powerful tool for artists, designers, and creatives to explore new visual concepts and bring their ideas to life with artificial intelligence.
Theme: AI content and media · AI-native
Vendor claims: GDPR
Productivity
OpenRouter
OpenRouter is a unified API for large language models, offering access to various models from…
About OpenRouter
OpenRouter is a unified API for large language models, offering access to various models from different providers through a single integration. It simplifies development by abstracting away the complexities of multiple APIs, allowing developers to easily switch between and compare models for their AI applications.
Theme: AI coding and building · AI-native
Vendor claims: GDPR
Productivity
Notion Mail
Notion Mail seamlessly integrates your email with your Notion workspace, transforming how you…
About Notion Mail
Notion Mail seamlessly integrates your email with your Notion workspace, transforming how you manage communication. It allows you to save emails, collaborate on content, and track tasks directly within your Notion pages, streamlining workflows and centralizing information for enhanced productivity.
Theme: Personal productivity · AI-native
Vendor claims: SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR
Operations
ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs is a leading AI voice technology company offering advanced text-to-speech and voice…
About ElevenLabs
ElevenLabs is a leading AI voice technology company offering advanced text-to-speech and voice cloning. It enables users to generate realistic, natural-sounding speech in various voices and languages, making it ideal for content creation, audiobooks, and accessibility tools.
Theme: AI content and media · AI-native
Vendor claims: SOC 2, GDPR
Operations
n8n
n8n is a powerful open-source workflow automation tool that helps you connect various apps and…
About n8n
n8n is a powerful open-source workflow automation tool that helps you connect various apps and services to automate tasks. It allows you to build complex workflows visually, without writing code, enabling seamless data transfer and process orchestration across different platforms.
Theme: AI agents · AI-native
Vendor claims: GDPR
Source: Torii Research, anonymized and aggregated usage data. Published August 1, 2025. Summary figures computed from the 20 apps in this report.
What the data says
ChatGPT and Claude AI stay at #1 and #2, and Cursor AI moves up to #3, swapping places with Grammarly.
Four apps are new to the ranking: Gemini Code Assist at #7, Kiro at #14, OpenRouter at #17, and n8n at #20.
Notion Mail has the biggest drop, down 7 places to #18. Shadow risk edges up: the median Shadow IT index is 57, and two new entries, OpenRouter at 74 and Gemini Code Assist at 71, are the only apps above 70.
This AI Breakout report offers a real-time look at which pure-play AI tools gained the most traction across organizations during July 1-31, 2025. The findings are based on aggregated usage data from companies of all sizes, real adoption patterns, not projections. With a quarter of the ranked apps being new entrants, this month’s data reveals how quickly the AI landscape is reshaping itself.
Bottom line
The rapid appearance of new entrants, particularly in development and creative categories like coding assistants and generative media, shows ongoing volatility in the AI stack. To stay ahead, organizations need real-time visibility, updated inventories, and proactive discovery to manage costs, security, and adoption.
The data
Show the full data table (20 rows)
| Rank | App | Category | Theme | AI-native | Rank change | Shadow IT index | SOC 2 claimed | ISO 27001 claimed | GDPR claimed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ChatGPT | Productivity | AI assistants | Yes | Same | 34 | Yes | No | Yes |
| 2 | Claude AI | Productivity | AI assistants | Yes | Same | 56 | Yes | No | Yes |
| 3 | Cursor AI | Developer Tools | AI coding and building | Yes | +1 | 41 | Yes | No | Yes |
| 4 | Grammarly | Productivity | AI content and media | Yes | -1 | 38 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 5 | Zapier | IT & Security | Ops, HR, and finance | No | Same | 37 | Yes | No | Yes |
| 6 | OpenAI | Productivity | AI assistants | Yes | Same | 41 | Yes | No | Yes |
| 7 | Gemini Code Assist | Developer Tools | AI coding and building | Yes | New | 71 | No | Yes | No |
| 8 | Perplexity AI | Analytics & BI | AI assistants | Yes | -1 | 62 | No | No | No |
| 9 | NotebookLM | Productivity | AI assistants | Yes | -1 | 46 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 10 | Google AI Studio | Developer Tools | AI coding and building | Yes | -1 | 67 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 11 | ClickUp | Project Management | Work suites and collaboration | No | +1 | 49 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 12 | Fireflies.ai | Sales & Marketing | AI notes and voice | Yes | +1 | 62 | Yes | No | Yes |
| 13 | Grok | Productivity | AI assistants | Yes | +3 | 65 | No | No | Yes |
| 14 | Kiro | Developer Tools | AI coding and building | Yes | New | 62 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 15 | Granola | Productivity | AI notes and voice | Yes | -1 | 59 | No | No | Yes |
| 16 | Midjourney | Design | AI content and media | Yes | +2 | 58 | No | No | Yes |
| 17 | OpenRouter | Productivity | AI coding and building | Yes | New | 74 | No | No | Yes |
| 18 | Notion Mail | Productivity | Personal productivity | Yes | -7 | 63 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 19 | ElevenLabs | Operations | AI content and media | Yes | -4 | 55 | Yes | No | Yes |
| 20 | n8n | Operations | AI agents | Yes | New | 52 | No | No | Yes |
Free to quote with attribution to Torii Research and a link to this page. A plain-text version is at ai-breakout-august-2025.md.
How to read this index
- Rank
- Position by real usage among AI-driven apps in this edition.
- Rank change
- Places gained or lost versus the previous published edition. New marks an app that was not in that edition.
- Shadow IT index
- How often the app is left unsanctioned, 0 to 100.
Definitions in the glossary; formulas and limitations on the Methodology page.
Changelog
- CorrectionRewrote the takeaways from this edition's data.
- ClarificationStandardized the data source description.
- UpdateMoved from toriiresearch.com; title standardized.