Ramp Data Shows OpenAI Gaining on Anthropic as Business AI Adoption Nears 56%
Ramp data shows OpenAI growing faster than Anthropic in Q3, though Anthropic led July business share 44% to 40% as paid AI adoption reached nearly 56%.
Summary
TechCrunch reported on August 20, 2026, that Ramp data from more than 70,000 U.S. businesses shows OpenAI closing on Anthropic among paying customers. The companies spend billions through Ramp’s corporate cards and bill pay, span industries but skew toward technology, and do not represent large enterprises using providers such as American Express. OpenAI, once the clear business and consumer leader, lost Ramp’s business lead in May, when Anthropic reached 41% share versus 39%. By July, Anthropic had nearly 44% and OpenAI nearly 40%, so OpenAI had not retaken first place. Ramp withheld actual spending dollars, while neither AI company has released financials ahead of its planned IPO.
Ramp economist Ara Kharazian said OpenAI was growing faster than Anthropic in Q3 to date, although one month remained and the trend could reverse. He credited GPT-5.6 Sol, increasingly developers’ choice, while saying Anthropic’s premium Fable 5 disappointed in adoption and practical use because of price and regulator mandated retention rules. That comparison may oversimplify Fable, an expensive, specialized tier rather than a general chatbot, but Anthropic angered users by warning that their data must be retained for 30 days. Switching after model launches suggests weak spending loyalty, yet the category is expanding: Ramp customers paying for AI exceeded 50% in March and approached 56% in July, indicating both vendors’ business revenue should be rising.
Positives
- OpenAI grew faster than Anthropic among Ramp customers during Q3 to date, according to Ramp economist Ara Kharazian.
- Anthropic retained nearly 44% of July business share, ahead of OpenAI at nearly 40%.
- Nearly 56% of Ramp customers paid for AI by July, up from more than 50% in March.
- GPT-5.6 Sol is increasingly developers’ preferred model, Kharazian said.
- Both OpenAI and Anthropic should gain business revenue as paid AI adoption expands.
Risks & concerns
- OpenAI remained behind Anthropic in July after losing its Ramp business lead in May.
- Fable 5 disappointed in adoption and practical use because of its price and data retention requirements, Kharazian said.
- Anthropic angered Fable users by warning that their data must be retained for 30 days.
- Ramp disclosed market percentages but withheld actual spending totals.
- Ramp’s technology skew and exclusion of many American Express customers limit its data as a measure of the overall market.
- One month remained in Q3, leaving OpenAI’s faster growth trend vulnerable to reversal.