Claude gains on ChatGPT in paying consumer market, transaction data shows

Anthropic’s Claude is steadily winning over paying consumers, a segment long dominated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, according to new transaction data from credit card analytics firm Indagari. The trend signals that the AI lab’s consumer base is broadening beyond its traditional stronghold of enterprise and startup developers using tools like Claude Code.

Consumer spending on Claude surges in 2026

Indagari, which analyzes billions of anonymized credit card transactions from approximately 28 million U.S. consumers, tracked weekly payments for subscriptions and API tokens from January 2025 through May 10, 2026. The data shows Claude’s paying consumer base and revenue growing month over month, with a roughly 75% increase since January 2026 alone.

Notably, this growth continued even after a significant spike in March, when Anthropic publicly refused to allow its models to be used by the Trump administration for mass surveillance of Americans and autonomous weapons. The decision appears to have resonated with privacy-conscious consumers, further boosting adoption.

Consumer education platform sees explosive interest in Claude

DataCamp, an online education platform with about 20 million users that teaches AI skills, reports that interest in Claude among self-directed learners has surged since the start of the year. “Claude” is now the most searched term on its site, surpassing even “AI” itself, according to the company.

While ChatGPT courses remain far more popular for corporate training programs, demand among individual consumers for Claude courses is outpacing ChatGPT by three to one. DataCamp says demand for Claude-related content has increased 18-fold in the last 30 days alone, a striking indicator of shifting consumer curiosity.

ChatGPT still dominates, but gap narrows

Despite Claude’s impressive gains, ChatGPT remains the overwhelming leader in the consumer AI market. Data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower shows Claude growing well across all platforms this year, but still trailing ChatGPT by a wide margin in total users and engagement.

Indagari’s data similarly indicates that ChatGPT still has significantly more paying subscribers. However, the rate of Claude’s growth, particularly in dollars collected from consumers, suggests the competitive landscape is shifting. Both OpenAI and Anthropic are approaching potential public offerings, making the composition and health of their revenue streams increasingly important to investors.

Government tensions and market impact

Anthropic’s relationship with the U.S. government has grown more complex. Earlier this month, the government banned Anthropic from allowing its most powerful cybersecurity-focused models, Mythos 5 and Fable 5, to be used by non-Americans. In response, Anthropic pulled these models from the market entirely. It remains unclear how this regulatory friction will affect the company’s broader business trajectory, though available data suggests growth has not yet slowed.

Anthropic declined to comment for this story.

Conclusion

The data from multiple independent sources paints a clear picture: Claude is gaining meaningful traction among paying consumers, even as ChatGPT maintains its dominant market position. The trend reflects growing consumer awareness of alternative AI models and a willingness to pay for them. As both companies move toward public listings, the sustainability and diversity of their consumer revenue will be closely watched.

FAQs

Q1: How much has Claude’s consumer revenue grown in 2026?
According to Indagari’s credit card transaction data, Claude’s paying consumer revenue has increased by approximately 75% since January 2026, with growth continuing month over month through early May.

Q2: Is Claude more popular than ChatGPT among consumers?
No. ChatGPT remains the dominant consumer AI platform by a wide margin in terms of total users and paying subscribers. However, Claude is growing at a faster rate and gaining share, particularly among self-directed learners and privacy-conscious users.

Q3: How did Anthropic’s refusal to work with the Trump administration affect its business?
Publicly available data suggests the decision, made in March 2026, coincided with a spike in consumer adoption of Claude. The company’s growth trajectory has remained positive since then, though it is unclear how the subsequent government ban on certain models will impact future revenue.