Hayz Labs · https://hayzlabs.com/reviews/top/ai-apps/
reviews · top 20 list · checked 19 Oct
Top 20 AI apps
The everyday apps people actually use: assistants, note takers, dictation, music and pictures.
Best: Claude and ElevenLabs (tied, scoring 80). 5 of 20 scored.
Scored ones first, highest score first; on a tie, the more widely used. Unscored ones follow, by how widely they are used. Open the Table to see the number that placed each one and how it was scored.
- 1ClaudeAnthropic
Free runs Sonnet 5.5, near the top for coding and hard questions. Pay for Pro for agents and for writing with Opus 5.5.
Best for Free help with coding and hard questions; Pro for agent work and writingYou give up Free plan's model is weaker at creative writing; usage limits are not given in numbers
80ChecklistFree - 2ElevenLabsElevenLabs
Natural-sounding narration and voiceovers from text; the free plan has no commercial license.
Best for Creators who need narration or voiceovers read from a scriptYou give up Trains on your data by default; opting out covers only new data
80ChecklistFree - 3ChatGPT (GPT-6)OpenAI
Good for agent work and coding on Plus with GPT-6 Astra. For writing, Gemini AI Pro and Claude Pro score higher.
Best for People who want one app for agent tasks and coding on the $20 Plus planYou give up Writing scores 50
70Checklist$20/mo - 4Gemini appGoogle
Good for writing on AI Pro with 3.8 Flash; weak at coding and hard questions, where Claude and ChatGPT score higher.
Best for People who already pay Google for storage and want a writing helperYou give up Free plan runs a much weaker model; usage limits are not published in numbers
70Checklist$19.99/mo - 5PerplexityPerplexity
Good for cited web answers on Pro with GPT-6.1 Sol; skip it if you want free help, where Claude scores higher.
Best for Quick web research where you want sources to check each answerYou give up Trains on chats by default; opting out does not remove data already collected
70Checklist$17/mo - 6DeepSeek appDeepSeek
Free, on a new model that Arena's open data doesn't rank yet. Your data is stored in China.
Best for Free everyday chat and coding help for work that isn't sensitiveYou give up Not scored yet; training opt-out is an email request, not a setting
Not scored yetFree - 7GrokxAI
xAI's assistant in its own app and on X, free or from $8/month. No score yet: xAI doesn't say which model runs.
Best for People who use X and want chat, voice and image tools on one planYou give up xAI names no model for any plan; usage limits are given only as multiples
Not scored yetFree - 8CapCutByteDance
Popular video editor for phone and web with built-in AI features.
Best for Editing video on phone or web with Seedance AI video in the same appYou give up Free plan has no AI video; trains on your data with no opt-out described
Not scored yetFree - 9Suno v6Suno
Suno's new song models; v6-mini is free, but free songs can't be downloaded and your uploads can train it.
Best for Anyone curious about making songs from a text prompt, starting freeYou give up Commercial rights need a paid plan; uploads can train it, with no opt-out described
Not scored yet$8/mo - 10QuillBotQuillBot (Learneo)
Cheap paraphrasing, grammar and summaries for students; free paraphrasing stops at 100 words.
Best for Students who want cheap paraphrasing and grammar fixesYou give up Not scored yet; whether it trains on your text is not stated in our sources
Not scored yetFree - 11Microsoft CopilotMicrosoft
Free Microsoft assistant; 365 plans add it to Word and Excel. No score yet: Microsoft doesn't name its models.
Best for Microsoft 365 subscribers who want AI help inside Word, Excel and OutlookYou give up No named model, so not scored; the new app doesn't say if your chats train AI
Not scored yetFree - 12GammaGamma
Turns a prompt or document into slides; the free plan exports to PPTX and Google Slides.
Best for Turning notes or a document into a quick first slide deckYou give up Trains on your content by default (opt-out in settings); paid prices not shown
Not scored yetFree - 13Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM)Google
Free tool that answers from the files you upload, with up to 50 sources a notebook. Skip it for open web research.
Best for Students studying or questioning their own PDFs, notes and linksYou give up Answers from your sources, not the open web; daily limits not published in numbers
Not scored yetFree - 14Meta AIMeta
Free assistant in Meta's apps; your chats can shape your ads. No score yet: Meta doesn't say which model runs now.
Best for WhatsApp, Instagram or Facebook users who want quick free answers thereYou give up Your chats can shape the ads you see, with no switch described to stop it
Not scored yetFree - 15PhotoroomPhotoroom
Photo editing for product shots; there is no standing free plan, only a free trial.
Best for Anyone who needs quick, clean product shotsYou give up Pro is $7.50/mo billed yearly; trains on your photos unless you opt out; not scored
Not scored yetFrom $7.50/mo - 16ManusManus
An agent that runs long web and file tasks for you; the free plan gives 300 credits a day.
Best for Handing long web and file tasks to an agent on a cloud computerYou give up Ownership is in flux; not scored; we could not read its training policy
Not scored yetFree - 17Kling AIKuaishou
Popular AI video app; not scored until its current model has a fresh independent ranking.
Best for Making AI video with lip sync and motion control tools in one appYou give up Paid prices not confirmed; no training opt-out described; not scored yet
Not scored yetNo public price - 18GensparkGenspark
An agent workspace that makes slides, sheets and docs from a prompt.
Best for Making slides, sheets and docs from one prompt in one workspaceYou give up Credit use can add up fast; the free tier now has a lifetime cap; not scored
Not scored yetNo public price - 19Midjourney V8.2Midjourney
Paid image tool for a distinctive look; no blind leaderboard ranks it, and images are public below the $60 Pro plan.
Best for Artists and designers who want a distinctive look and will pay for itYou give up No API; your images are public unless you pay at least $60 a month
Not scored yet$10/mo - 20Wispr FlowWispr
Popular voice dictation that types cleaned-up text in any app; free for 2,000 words a week, Pro $15/month.
Best for People who write lots of email and messages and would rather talkYou give up Needs the internet, with no on-device option; training default not stated
Not scored yetFree
| # | Name | Score | What placed it | Price | Best for | You give up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ClaudeAnthropic · Closed · our review | 80Our checklist | #3 AI website by visits (a16z Top 100)What it rests onTheir figure: a16z Top 100 7th ed (Aug 2026): #3 consumer AI on web. reused review (coding): Free on Sonnet 5.5, arena WebDev #3 of 145 today -> job 2, model 2, value 2, privacy 1, limits 1 = 8 Report a mistake | Free; Pro $20/mo ($17/mo billed yearly) | Free help with coding and hard questions; Pro for agent work and writing | Free plan's model is weaker at creative writing; usage limits are not given in numbers |
| 2 | ElevenLabsElevenLabs · Closed | 80Our checklist | #25 AI website by visits, #10 by spending (a16z Top 100)What it rests onTheir figure: a16z 7th ed (Aug 2026): web #25, spending #10. checklist (voice): Eleven v4 Turbo AA text-to-speech arena #1 of 96 -> job 2, model 2, value 2 (free plan), privacy 1 (opt-out), limits 1 = 8 Report a mistake | Free (10k credits/mo); Starter $6/mo | Creators who need narration or voiceovers read from a script | Trains on your data by default; opting out covers only new data |
| 3 | ChatGPTOpenAI · Closed · our review | 70Our checklist | #1 AI app by web visits, phone users and spending (a16z Top 100)What it rests onTheir figure: a16z 7th ed (Aug 2026): #1 on web, mobile and spending. reused review (agents): Plus with GPT-6 Astra, arena Agent #2 of 52 today -> job 2, model 2, value 1, privacy 1, limits 1 = 7 Report a mistake | Free; Plus $20/mo | People who want one app for agent tasks and coding on the $20 Plus plan | Writing scores 50 |
| 4 | GeminiGoogle · Closed · our review | 70Our checklist | Top 50 AI app by web visits and phone users (a16z Top 100)What it rests onTheir figure: a16z 7th ed (Aug 2026): web+mobile top 50; ChatGPT has about 2x its web visits. Today AI Pro ($19.99) lists Gemini 4 Argon (arena Text Expert #3, preliminary) so research also 7; no change. Report a mistake | Free; Google AI Plus $4.99/mo | People who already pay Google for storage and want a writing helper | Free plan runs a much weaker model; usage limits are not published in numbers |
| 5 | PerplexityPerplexity · Closed · our review | 70Our checklist | Listed by web visits, phone users and spending (a16z Top 100)What it rests onTheir figure: a16z 7th ed (Aug 2026): on web, mobile and spending lists (6th ed web #8). checklist (research): Pro (model list of 17 Oct) has GPT-6.1 Sol, 2nd of 42 on Arena's Search board with style control (Arena open dataset, published 13 Oct) -> job 2, model 2, value 1 ($17/mo yearly), privacy 1, limits 1 = 7; Max ($167/mo) scores 6 Report a mistake | Free; Pro $17/mo billed yearly | Quick web research where you want sources to check each answer | Trains on chats by default; opting out does not remove data already collected |
| 6 | DeepSeekDeepSeek · Closed · our review | Not scored | Top 50 AI app by web visits and phone users (a16z Top 100)NotesTheir figure: a16z 7th ed (Aug 2026): web+mobile top 50 (6th ed web #4). not scored: the app moved to V4.1-Flash-1017 on 17 Oct, and Arena's open dataset (webdev split, published 2026-09-11) has no row for that version yet Report a mistake | Free | Free everyday chat and coding help for work that isn't sensitive | Not scored yet; training opt-out is an email request, not a setting |
| 7 | GrokxAI · Closed · our review | Not scored | Top 50 AI app by web visits and phone users (a16z Top 100)NotesTheir figure: a16z 7th ed (Aug 2026): web+mobile top 50 (6th ed web #5). not scored: xAI does not say which Grok model the app uses on any plan Report a mistake | Free; Plus $8/mo | People who use X and want chat, voice and image tools on one plan | xAI names no model for any plan; usage limits are given only as multiples |
| 8 | CapCutByteDance · Closed | Not scored | Top 50 AI app by web visits and phone users (a16z Top 100)NotesTheir figure: a16z 7th ed (Aug 2026): web+mobile top 50 (6th ed web #17, mobile #2). not scored: no independent test of the app in the last 90 days Report a mistake | Free; Pro $19.99/mo | Editing video on phone or web with Seedance AI video in the same app | Free plan has no AI video; trains on your data with no opt-out described |
| 9 | SunoSuno · Closed · our review | Not scored | #19 AI website by visits, #7 by spending (a16z Top 100)NotesTheir figure: a16z 7th ed (Aug 2026): web #19, spending #7. not scored: no large independent board or fresh independent test for its song models Report a mistake | Free (50 credits/day); Pro $8/mo | Anyone curious about making songs from a text prompt, starting free | Commercial rights need a paid plan; uploads can train it, with no opt-out described |
| 10 | QuillBotQuillBot (Learneo) · Closed | Not scored | Top 50 AI website by visits (a16z Top 100)NotesTheir figure: a16z 7th ed (Aug 2026): web top 50 (6th ed web #20). not scored: no independent test of the app in the last 90 days Report a mistake | Free; Premium $8.33/mo billed yearly | Students who want cheap paraphrasing and grammar fixes | Not scored yet; whether it trains on your text is not stated in our sources |
| 11 | Microsoft CopilotMicrosoft · Closed · our review | Not scored | Top 50 AI app by web visits and phone users (a16z Top 100)NotesTheir figure: a16z 7th ed (Aug 2026): web+mobile top 50 (6th ed mobile #23). not scored: Microsoft says only 'AI models selected by Microsoft', so there is no model to rank Report a mistake | Free; Microsoft 365 Personal $9.99/mo | Microsoft 365 subscribers who want AI help inside Word, Excel and Outlook | No named model, so not scored; the new app doesn't say if your chats train AI |
| 12 | GammaGamma · Closed | Not scored | Top 50 AI website by visits (a16z Top 100)NotesTheir figure: a16z 7th ed (Aug 2026): web top 50 (6th ed web #28). not scored: no independent test of the app in the last 90 days Report a mistake | Free (400 credits at sign-up); paid prices not shown | Turning notes or a document into a quick first slide deck | Trains on your content by default (opt-out in settings); paid prices not shown |
| 13 | Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM)Google · Closed · our review | Not scored | Top 50 AI app by web visits and phone users (a16z Top 100)NotesTheir figure: a16z 7th ed (Aug 2026): web+mobile top 50 (6th ed web #30). not scored: no independent test of the app in the last 90 days (review is a First look) Report a mistake | Free (100 notebooks); Google AI Plus $4.99/mo | Students studying or questioning their own PDFs, notes and links | Answers from your sources, not the open web; daily limits not published in numbers |
| 14 | Meta AIMeta · Closed · our review | Not scored | Top 50 AI app by web visits and phone users (a16z Top 100)NotesTheir figure: a16z 7th ed (Aug 2026): web+mobile top 50 (6th ed web #35). not scored: Meta does not say which Muse Spark version the app runs, and no Meta page confirms the price today Report a mistake | Not confirmed | WhatsApp, Instagram or Facebook users who want quick free answers there | Your chats can shape the ads you see, with no switch described to stop it |
| 15 | PhotoroomPhotoroom · Closed | Not scored | Top 50 AI app by web visits and phone users (a16z Top 100)NotesTheir figure: a16z 7th ed (Aug 2026): web+mobile top 50 (6th ed web #37). not scored: no independent test of the app in the last 90 days Report a mistake | Free trial; Pro $7.50/mo billed yearly | Anyone who needs quick, clean product shots | Pro is $7.50/mo billed yearly; trains on your photos unless you opt out; not scored |
| 16 | ManusManus · Closed | Not scored | Top 50 AI website by visits (a16z Top 100)NotesTheir figure: a16z 7th ed (Aug 2026): web top 50 (6th ed web #44). not scored: no independent test of the app in the last 90 days Report a mistake | Free (300 credits/day); Pro from $20/mo | Handing long web and file tasks to an agent on a cloud computer | Ownership is in flux; not scored; we could not read its training policy |
| 17 | Kling AIKuaishou · Closed | Not scored | Top 50 AI website by visits (a16z Top 100)NotesTheir figure: a16z 7th ed (Aug 2026): web top 50 (6th ed web #45). not scored: its current model, Kling 4.0 (launched 2026-10-16), is not yet on Arena's Text to Video board (open dataset published 2026-09-22; best Kling row 2.5 Turbo #28 of 48) Report a mistake | Not confirmed | Making AI video with lip sync and motion control tools in one app | Paid prices not confirmed; no training opt-out described; not scored yet |
| 18 | GensparkGenspark · Closed | Not scored | Top 50 AI website by visits (a16z Top 100)NotesTheir figure: a16z 7th ed (Aug 2026): web top 50 (6th ed web #47). not scored: no independent test of the app in the last 90 days Report a mistake | Not confirmed | Making slides, sheets and docs from one prompt in one workspace | Credit use can add up fast; the free tier now has a lifetime cap; not scored |
| 19 | MidjourneyMidjourney · Closed · our review | Not scored | Top 50 AI app by spending (a16z Top 100)NotesTheir figure: a16z 7th ed (Aug 2026): spending top 50 (6th ed web #43). not scored: no blind leaderboard ranks it (existing review is a First look) Report a mistake | No free plan; Basic $10/mo | Artists and designers who want a distinctive look and will pay for it | No API; your images are public unless you pay at least $60 a month |
| 20 | Wispr FlowWispr · Closed · our review | Not scored | About 5.1 million website visits in 3 months (Similarweb)NotesTheir figure: Similarweb: 5.1M visits over the last 3 months (Sep 2026 page). not scored: no independent test of the app in the last 90 days (review is a First look) Report a mistake | Free (2,000 words/week on desktop); Pro $15/mo ($12 billed yearly) | People who write lots of email and messages and would rather talk | Needs the internet, with no on-device option; training default not stated |
Nothing matches all of that. , or try everything.
How we ranked this
Order. Scored ones first, highest score first; on a tie, the more widely used. Unscored ones follow, by how widely they are used.
How we score this list. Our checklist: independent evidence that it does its main job (from the last 90 days), the model under it, value, privacy and limits. The full rules are on How we score. Open "How it was scored" on any row to see the working.
What we did not do. We did not run any of these ourselves. Every number comes from the public source linked on its row, checked on 19 Oct 2026.
Spot a mistake? A wrong rank, price or link: tell us and we will check it against the source. Corrections are dated in News.
Reviews are drafted with help from AI models, including Anthropic's Claude. Model scores come only from outside leaderboards and independent evaluations, by a written rule. Claude is made by Anthropic, whose Claude models help draft our reviews.