Claude gaining ground on ChatGPT among paying consumers, data shows

Credit card transaction data paints an increasingly bullish picture for Anthropic's Claude in the consumer AI market—territory long controlled by ChatGPT.

Analysis from Indagari, which tracks billions of anonymized U.S. transactions, shows Claude's paying user base and revenue climbing steadily through May 2026, up roughly 75% since January. Though ChatGPT still dominates in absolute customer numbers, Claude's revenue growth is narrowing the gap, signaling competitive momentum as both companies move toward public markets.

The gains extend beyond transactions. DataCamp, an online education platform with 20 million users, reports "Claude" is now its most-searched term—ahead of even "AI"—with demand for Claude courses outpacing ChatGPT training three-to-one among self-directed learners.

Anthropic's wider audience

The data challenges the prevailing narrative that Claude remains a niche product for enterprise developers. While ChatGPT maintains overwhelming market share overall, Claude has built a measurable consumer following willing to pay for subscriptions and API credits.

Notably, Claude's momentum persisted even after Anthropic refused to allow its models for mass surveillance and autonomous weapons in March—events that historically might dent commercial growth but instead appeared to deepen consumer interest.

Recent headwinds complicate the outlook: the Trump administration banned Anthropic's most advanced models from non-U.S. users, forcing the company to pull its Mythos 5 and Fable 5 offerings. Yet available metrics suggest growth continues regardless.

For full context, read the original TechCrunch analysis.