Anthropic's Claude Gains Momentum with Paid Consumers, Challenging ChatGPT's Dominance

A notable shift is underway in the AI market, as consumers who pay for AI services are increasingly opting for Anthropic's Claude. According to trend data from Indagari, a company that analyzes credit card transactions, Claude's paying customer base and revenue have been growing steadily since the start of the year. The data, which covers weekly transactions from 2025 through May 10, 2026, shows a 75% increase in Claude's revenue from paid consumers since January 2026. This growth has been consistent, even after a surge in March when Anthropic refused to allow its models to be used for mass surveillance and autonomous weapons.

Online education platform DataCamp has also seen a significant spike in interest in Claude, with the term becoming the most searched on its site. Demand for Claude courses has outpaced ChatGPT by three to one among self-directed consumers, with an 18-fold increase in the last 30 days. While ChatGPT remains the most popular AI with consumers, Claude's growth is impressive and indicates a widening user base for Anthropic. As both OpenAI and Anthropic prepare to become public companies, the latest data suggests that Anthropic is gaining ground on ChatGPT in terms of consumer revenue and awareness.

Despite a recent ban by the US government on the use of Anthropic's most powerful models by non-Americans, the company's growth trajectory remains unchanged, with every available data point indicating continued expansion of its consumer and enterprise user base.

Source: TechCrunch