Top 1% of AI spenders now outspend the bottom 50% combined
a16z data shows consumer AI money is concentrated: power users average $903/month while the median payer spends just $25.
The top 1% of consumer AI spenders now account for 19.5% of observed spending. The entire bottom 50% adds up to 16.6%. That comes from a16z's 7th Top 100 Gen AI Consumer Apps report, built on YipitData spending data.
The gap is wide. The top 1% averaged $903/month in August, up about 80% over 18 months. The median payer spends $25/month, and that number has barely moved. Heavy spenders over-index on automation and product-building tools like n8n, fal, Manus and Hermes Agent, plus creative apps like Figma, Higgsfield and HeyGen.
So the median user is still on a standard $20-ish plan. A small group of power users is paying like small businesses, and they're the ones growing spend.
Why it matters: AI revenue is a power-user business, so pricing and product bets increasingly depend on a tiny slice of customers.
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