The most used AI tools and model providers
We track 55 AI tools and model providers. The most used is Anthropic, found at 57,822 companies as of October 2026, ahead of OpenAI (30,960) and Perplexity (1,288).
The AI category moves faster than any other in the catalog. It includes model providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Mistral, Cohere), voice and media models (ElevenLabs), AI search and documentation assistants (Kapa.ai, Inkeep), and the infrastructure teams build on (Pinecone, Modal, Replicate, Braintrust, LangSmith).
Most AI usage happens server-side and leaves no public trace, so these numbers count companies that verified a domain with the vendor, embed its widget or publish it on a subprocessor list. Treat them as a floor, not a market size.
AI tools and model providers ranked by companies using them
“Share” is each tool's part of all 97,095 matches in this category; a company that uses two tools counts for both.
| # | Tool | Companies | Share | Last 30 days | Most popular with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 57,822 | 60% | +65−5 | 1,001–5,000 employees (2.5×) | |
| 2 | 30,960 | 32% | +17−4 | 1,001–5,000 employees (2.6×) | |
| 3 | 1,288 | 1.3% | +1−1 | 10,000+ employees (5.2×) | |
| 4 | 1,235 | 1.3% | – | Hospitality (2.5×) | |
| 5 | 956 | 0.98% | +1 | Newspapers (195×) | |
| 6 | 787 | 0.81% | +1 | Broadcast Media (16×) | |
| 7 | 724 | 0.75% | +1 | Software (3.5×) | |
| 8 | 596 | 0.61% | +171 | Engineering, Product and Design (136×) | |
| 9 | 505 | 0.52% | – | 1,001–5,000 employees (2.9×) | |
| 10 | 342 | 0.35% | – | 51–200 employees (1.6×) | |
| 11 | 319 | 0.33% | – | 1,001–5,000 employees (5.1×) | |
| 12 | 199 | 0.20% | – | Software (4.2×) | |
| 13 | 193 | 0.20% | +1 | 1,001–5,000 employees (8.6×) | |
| 14 | 171 | 0.18% | – | 201–1,000 employees (1.6×) | |
| 15 | 159 | 0.16% | – | 1–10 employees (9.0×) | |
| 16 | 95 | <0.1% | +3 | 1–10 employees (24×) | |
| 17 | 93 | <0.1% | +1 | 1–10 employees (27×) | |
| 18 | 77 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 19 | 68 | <0.1% | +3−2 | – | |
| 20 | 53 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 21 | 46 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 22 | 39 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 23 | 33 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 24 | 33 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 25 | 30 | <0.1% | −1 | – | |
| 26 | 28 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 27 | 24 | <0.1% | +1 | – | |
| 28 | 22 | <0.1% | +1 | – | |
| 29 | 16 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 30 | 16 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 31 | 15 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 32 | 13 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 33 | 12 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 34 | 12 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 35 | 12 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 36 | 11 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 37 | 10 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 38 | 10 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 39 | 10 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 40 | 9 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 41 | 9 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 42 | 8 | <0.1% | −1 | – | |
| 43 | 7 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 44 | 6 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 45 | 5 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 46 | 4 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 47 | 3 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 48 | 3 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 49 | 3 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 50 | 2 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 51 | 1 | <0.1% | – | – | |
| 52 | 1 | <0.1% | – | – |
“Most popular with” is the industry or company size where the tool is most over-represented compared with all companies we've scanned. Starts and stops compare two scans done the same way.
Who's gaining and losing customers
- MCP Registry: 171 started in the last 30 days
- Anthropic: 65 started, 5 stopped in the last 30 days
- OpenAI: 17 started, 4 stopped in the last 30 days
- Smithery: 3 started in the last 30 days
- TollBit: 1 started in the last 30 days
- ElevenLabs: 1 started in the last 30 days
How to compare AI tools and model providers
- Model quality on your own tasks, measured with your own evaluations.
- Data handling: retention, training on your data and regional processing.
- Price per token or per seat, and rate limits at your volume.
- Whether you need a model API, a finished assistant, or an agent that does the work.
How we find AI tools and model providers
AI vendors show up in domain-verification TXT records (OpenAI, Anthropic and others ask companies to verify domains), in chat and search widgets on websites, and on published subprocessor lists.
Every company on a tool's page links to the record behind the match. DNS is rechecked weekly and websites monthly, so tools a company stops using drop off the list.
Also tracked, no confirmed customers yet
Harvey · Hebbia · Writer
AI FAQ
What are the most popular AI tools and model providers?
As of October 2026, the most popular AI tools and model providers by number of companies using them are Anthropic (57,822 companies), OpenAI (30,960 companies) and Perplexity (1,288 companies), according to runsonwhat. Anthropic alone accounts for 60% of the 97,095 AI matches runsonwhat has, and the top three together for 93%. 52 AI tools and model providers have at least one confirmed customer.
Anthropic vs OpenAI: which is more popular?
Anthropic is more popular: 57,822 companies show public evidence of Anthropic, against 30,960 for OpenAI (1.9× as many), according to runsonwhat (October 2026). Perplexity is third with 1,288.
Which AI tools and model providers do small businesses use most?
Among companies with up to 50 employees, the most used AI tools and model providers are Anthropic (18,825 companies), OpenAI (10,519 companies) and Chatbase (505 companies), according to runsonwhat (October 2026). The counts cover companies with a known headcount; see each tool's page for the full size breakdown.
Which AI tools and model providers do large companies use most?
Among companies with more than 1,000 employees, the most used AI tools and model providers are Anthropic (4,960 companies), OpenAI (2,658 companies) and Perplexity (170 companies), according to runsonwhat (October 2026). Large companies often run more than one tool in a category, so the same company can count for several.
Which AI tools and model providers are most popular in the United States?
In the United States, the most used AI tools and model providers are Anthropic (21,516 companies), OpenAI (11,571 companies) and Perplexity (592 companies), based on companies runsonwhat has located there (October 2026). Anthropic has 61% of the AI matches among companies based in the United States.
Which AI tools and model providers are most popular in the United Kingdom?
In the United Kingdom, the most used AI tools and model providers are Anthropic (3,654 companies), OpenAI (1,745 companies) and Perplexity (73 companies), based on companies runsonwhat has located there (October 2026). Anthropic has 63% of the AI matches among companies based in the United Kingdom.
Which AI tools and model providers do IT services companies use?
IT services is the industry with the most AI matches, and its companies use Anthropic (6,299 companies), OpenAI (2,847 companies) and Mistral AI (125 companies) most, according to runsonwhat (October 2026). Each tool's page breaks its customers down by industry, so you can check where a tool over-indexes.
Which AI tools and model providers are companies adopting right now?
In the 30 days to October 2026, the most new adoptions runsonwhat recorded were for MCP Registry (171 companies), Anthropic (65 companies) and OpenAI (17 companies). A start is counted when a recheck finds a tool that the previous check of the same company, done the same way, did not.
How does runsonwhat rank AI tools and model providers?
runsonwhat counts the companies where a public record shows each tool in use and ranks by that count. AI vendors show up in domain-verification TXT records (OpenAI, Anthropic and others ask companies to verify domains), in chat and search widgets on websites, and on published subprocessor lists. A company counts only when a direct record backs it up. The full method is at https://www.runsonwhat.com/methodology.