{
  "schema": 1,
  "series": "state-of-ai-tools",
  "period": "2026-10",
  "asOf": "2026-10-13",
  "provenance": "manual-from-post",
  "trustVariant": "site",
  "postSlug": "state-of-ai-tools-october-2026",
  "headline": [
    "catalog.published",
    "domain.post_chatgpt_share",
    "tld.ai",
    "pricing.freemium",
    "price.month.median",
    "price.undisclosed",
    "platform.web_only_share",
    "platform.api_share"
  ],
  "figures": {
    "catalog.published": {
      "label": "AI tools published in the catalog",
      "value": 3264,
      "display": "3,264",
      "unit": "count",
      "n": 3264
    },
    "catalog.categories": {
      "label": "Top-level categories with at least one tool",
      "value": 23,
      "display": "23",
      "unit": "count",
      "n": 23
    },
    "domain.with_record": {
      "label": "Tools whose domain has a registry record (RDAP)",
      "value": 2842,
      "display": "2,842",
      "unit": "count",
      "n": 2842,
      "denom": 3264
    },
    "domain.post_chatgpt_share": {
      "label": "Domains registered on or after November 30, 2022, the day ChatGPT launched",
      "value": 67,
      "display": "67%",
      "unit": "share_pct",
      "n": 1907,
      "denom": 2842
    },
    "domain.under_1y_share": {
      "label": "Domains registered less than a year before the snapshot",
      "value": 20,
      "display": "20%",
      "unit": "share_pct",
      "n": 581,
      "denom": 2842
    },
    "domain.under_2y_share": {
      "label": "Domains registered less than two years before the snapshot",
      "value": 36,
      "display": "36%",
      "unit": "share_pct",
      "n": 1027,
      "denom": 2842
    },
    "domain.median_age": {
      "label": "Median domain age",
      "value": 3,
      "display": "3 years",
      "unit": "years",
      "n": 2842
    },
    "tld.com": {
      "label": "Tools on a .com domain",
      "value": 1226,
      "display": "1,226",
      "unit": "count",
      "n": 1226,
      "denom": 3264
    },
    "tld.ai": {
      "label": "Tools on a .ai domain",
      "value": 1135,
      "display": "1,135",
      "unit": "count",
      "n": 1135,
      "denom": 3264
    },
    "pricing.freemium": {
      "label": "Tools with a free plan and paid plans above it (freemium)",
      "value": 1832,
      "display": "1,832",
      "unit": "count",
      "n": 1832,
      "denom": 3264
    },
    "pricing.paid": {
      "label": "Paid-only tools",
      "value": 900,
      "display": "900",
      "unit": "count",
      "n": 900,
      "denom": 3264
    },
    "pricing.free": {
      "label": "Free tools with no paid tier",
      "value": 322,
      "display": "322",
      "unit": "count",
      "n": 322,
      "denom": 3264
    },
    "pricing.contact": {
      "label": "Tools priced on request only",
      "value": 210,
      "display": "210",
      "unit": "count",
      "n": 210,
      "denom": 3264
    },
    "price.undisclosed": {
      "label": "Tools that charge but publish no entry price",
      "value": 540,
      "display": "540",
      "unit": "count",
      "n": 540,
      "denom": 2942
    },
    "price.month.n": {
      "label": "Tools that publish a monthly entry price",
      "value": 1876,
      "display": "1,876",
      "unit": "count",
      "n": 1876,
      "denom": 2402
    },
    "price.month.median": {
      "label": "Median cheapest monthly plan",
      "value": 16.7,
      "display": "$16.70",
      "unit": "usd_month",
      "n": 1876
    },
    "price.month.p25": {
      "label": "25th percentile, cheapest monthly plan",
      "value": 9,
      "display": "$9",
      "unit": "usd_month",
      "n": 1876
    },
    "price.month.p75": {
      "label": "75th percentile, cheapest monthly plan",
      "value": 29,
      "display": "$29",
      "unit": "usd_month",
      "n": 1876
    },
    "price.month.mode": {
      "label": "Most common cheapest monthly plan",
      "value": 19,
      "display": "$19",
      "unit": "usd_month",
      "n": 113
    },
    "price.month.median_freemium": {
      "label": "Median cheapest monthly plan, freemium tools",
      "value": 13.9,
      "display": "$13.90",
      "unit": "usd_month",
      "n": 1279
    },
    "price.month.median_paid": {
      "label": "Median cheapest monthly plan, paid tools",
      "value": 25,
      "display": "$25",
      "unit": "usd_month",
      "n": 595
    },
    "platform.web_share": {
      "label": "Tools that run in a browser",
      "value": 92,
      "display": "92%",
      "unit": "share_pct",
      "n": 3014,
      "denom": 3264
    },
    "platform.web_only_share": {
      "label": "Tools that are a website and nothing else",
      "value": 53,
      "display": "53%",
      "unit": "share_pct",
      "n": 1718,
      "denom": 3264
    },
    "platform.api_share": {
      "label": "Tools with a public API",
      "value": 28,
      "display": "28%",
      "unit": "share_pct",
      "n": 906,
      "denom": 3264
    },
    "company.named": {
      "label": "Listings that name the operating company",
      "value": 2745,
      "display": "2,745",
      "unit": "count",
      "n": 2745,
      "denom": 3264
    },
    "company.country_known": {
      "label": "Tools with the company's country recorded",
      "value": 1675,
      "display": "1,675",
      "unit": "count",
      "n": 1675,
      "denom": 3264
    },
    "company.countries": {
      "label": "Countries recorded",
      "value": 62,
      "display": "62",
      "unit": "count",
      "n": 62
    },
    "closures.tracked": {
      "label": "Tools the alive check has reached at least once",
      "value": 3263,
      "display": "3,263",
      "unit": "count",
      "n": 3263,
      "denom": 3264
    },
    "closures.confirmed": {
      "label": "Tools marked shut down or acquired",
      "value": 1,
      "display": "1",
      "unit": "count",
      "n": 1,
      "denom": 3263
    },
    "closures.suspected": {
      "label": "Tools that failed one check and await the second",
      "value": 9,
      "display": "9",
      "unit": "count",
      "n": 9,
      "denom": 3263
    },
    "closures.fetch_blocked": {
      "label": "Tools that block automated checks",
      "value": 137,
      "display": "137",
      "unit": "count",
      "n": 137,
      "denom": 3264
    },
    "trust.ge70_share": {
      "label": "Tools with a Trust score of 70 or more",
      "value": 74,
      "display": "74%",
      "unit": "share_pct",
      "n": 2431,
      "denom": 3264
    }
  },
  "tables": {
    "domain_year": {
      "columns": [
        "year",
        "tools"
      ],
      "rows": [
        [
          "2018 or earlier",
          564
        ],
        [
          "2019",
          68
        ],
        [
          "2020",
          78
        ],
        [
          "2021",
          99
        ],
        [
          "2022",
          158
        ],
        [
          "2023",
          541
        ],
        [
          "2024",
          379
        ],
        [
          "2025",
          518
        ],
        [
          "2026",
          437
        ]
      ]
    },
    "pricing_model": {
      "columns": [
        "pricing_model",
        "tools",
        "share_pct"
      ],
      "rows": [
        [
          "freemium",
          1832,
          56
        ],
        [
          "paid",
          900,
          28
        ],
        [
          "free",
          322,
          10
        ],
        [
          "contact",
          210,
          6
        ],
        [
          "free_trial",
          0,
          0
        ]
      ]
    },
    "price_month_buckets": {
      "columns": [
        "bucket",
        "tools"
      ],
      "rows": [
        [
          "Under $10",
          597
        ],
        [
          "$10 to $19.99",
          535
        ],
        [
          "$20 to $29.99",
          332
        ],
        [
          "$30 to $49.99",
          194
        ],
        [
          "$50 to $99.99",
          119
        ],
        [
          "$100 or more",
          99
        ]
      ]
    },
    "price_month_by_category": {
      "columns": [
        "category",
        "category_name",
        "tools",
        "monthly_prices",
        "p25_usd",
        "median_usd",
        "p75_usd"
      ],
      "rows": [
        [
          "marketing-growth",
          "Marketing & Growth",
          292,
          227,
          19,
          29,
          56
        ],
        [
          "image",
          "Image Generation & Editing",
          289,
          148,
          8.3,
          10,
          19
        ],
        [
          "video",
          "Video",
          273,
          186,
          9.99,
          15,
          23.25
        ],
        [
          "chat-assistants-agents",
          "Chatbots, Assistants & Agents",
          262,
          147,
          9.99,
          17.91,
          25
        ],
        [
          "text-writing",
          "Text & Writing",
          239,
          133,
          8,
          10,
          19
        ],
        [
          "design-creative",
          "Design & Creative",
          216,
          135,
          9,
          13.5,
          20
        ],
        [
          "audio-voice-music",
          "Audio, Voice & Music",
          215,
          134,
          8,
          10,
          19
        ],
        [
          "coding-development",
          "Coding & Development",
          179,
          122,
          12.6,
          20,
          25
        ],
        [
          "business-finance-legal",
          "Business, Finance & Legal",
          127,
          53,
          15,
          25,
          49
        ],
        [
          "customer-support",
          "Customer Support & Service",
          95,
          60,
          29,
          39,
          99
        ],
        [
          "data-analytics",
          "Data & Analytics",
          92,
          50,
          15,
          29,
          49
        ],
        [
          "sales-crm",
          "Sales & CRM",
          91,
          54,
          29,
          49,
          99
        ]
      ]
    },
    "platforms": {
      "columns": [
        "platform",
        "tools",
        "share_pct"
      ],
      "rows": [
        [
          "web",
          3014,
          92
        ],
        [
          "api",
          906,
          28
        ],
        [
          "ios",
          423,
          13
        ],
        [
          "android",
          362,
          11
        ],
        [
          "desktop",
          298,
          9
        ],
        [
          "chrome_ext",
          251,
          8
        ],
        [
          "slack_app",
          62,
          2
        ],
        [
          "vscode_ext",
          25,
          1
        ]
      ]
    },
    "company_country": {
      "columns": [
        "country_code",
        "country",
        "tools"
      ],
      "rows": [
        [
          "US",
          "United States",
          825
        ],
        [
          "GB",
          "United Kingdom",
          127
        ],
        [
          "IN",
          "India",
          60
        ],
        [
          "SG",
          "Singapore",
          58
        ],
        [
          "DE",
          "Germany",
          54
        ],
        [
          "CA",
          "Canada",
          45
        ],
        [
          "CN",
          "China",
          45
        ],
        [
          "FR",
          "France",
          40
        ],
        [
          "AU",
          "Australia",
          37
        ],
        [
          "IL",
          "Israel",
          37
        ]
      ]
    }
  },
  "warnings": [
    "Transcribed by hand from the published post: the October 13 queries were not kept, so these figures cannot be re-derived from a snapshot. From November each edition is built from a read-only export.",
    "Trust: the post's median of 78 and its bands read each certificate's expiry as of the tool's last check. Only the figure it gives under the site's reading, expiry against the snapshot day, is carried here: 2,431 tools (74%) at 70 or more.",
    "Domain endings: the post names .com, .ai, .io, .app, .co and .net, but its count for all other endings does not add up to the catalog total, so no ending table is carried; the .com and .ai counts are.",
    "76 .ai domains share a registry date of December 15 or 16, 2017, a date in the registry's records rather than each purchase; they are counted as 2018 or earlier.",
    "No tool is recorded as free_trial: trial terms are kept in the pricing note, not the model.",
    "Effect scores are not published as a distribution: for 98% of the catalog the score rests on two of its four signals."
  ]
}
