The AI Receipts

Methodology

Every number gets a label.

The internet is full of "I made $10k with AI" posts that end in a course pitch. We publish real businesses and tell you exactly how much to trust each number.

The AI Receipts, published by Bambana LLC

Short answer

Verified means the figure came from the payment processor (Stripe, RevenueCat or Superwall) through TrustMRR, not a screenshot. Across the 39 ranked on our leaderboard (synced in the last 30 days) the median is $22,800 MRR; including 5 that stopped syncing it is $31,600. Self-reported founder claims stay labelled Self-reported. Dataset last checked Oct 28, 2026. See the stats page and leaderboard.

Updated Oct 28, 2026 · 46 processor-verified · 39 ranked · 5 not synced in 30+ days

Verified (Receipts)

Payment-processor data (Stripe / RevenueCat) checked by us or a third-party verifier such as TrustMRR.

Public data

Open dashboards, filings, acquisitions or company-published figures. Real, but not checked against a processor.

Self-reported

The founder said it (post, newsletter, interview). We cite it, but have not seen receipts.

Estimate (ours)

Our own modelled number, always shown with the method.

Why real receipts beat theory

Most "how to make money with AI" guides list ideas with hourly-rate ranges or one-off anecdotes that nobody can check. We start from the money instead: businesses whose revenue comes straight from their payment processor (Stripe, RevenueCat or Superwall), read through the third-party verifier TrustMRR.

  • Survivorship is visible. You see which models actually earn, and how much per customer, instead of which ideas sound good.
  • Numbers are dated. Revenue moves; every figure says when it was checked, and stale syncs are flagged on the case, the leaderboard and the CSV.
  • Fresh vs stale is published. We rank only figures synced in the last 30 days (median $22,800, n=39) and also publish the median including the not-synced rows ($31,600, n=44), so you can judge drift.
  • Claims are graded, not repeated. When a founder states a number we can't verify, it's labelled Self-reported, never promoted to fact.
  • Limits are stated. Our sample is hand-picked established businesses (mostly $10k+ MRR), so medians are not typical results. We say so wherever we quote them.

Rules we follow

Weakest label wins. A case study's headline number carries the weakest label of the evidence behind it.

Dates on everything. Revenue changes. Every figure shows when we checked it; processor-verified figures (e.g. via TrustMRR) are re-pulled before publishing. Pages show a Last verified date.

We cite sources. Every page lists the URLs we checked. If we couldn't verify something, we say so, and we don't repeat unconfirmed viral numbers.

For-sale and stale data are flagged. Some listings are businesses on the market, and some verifier data has stopped syncing. We disclose both, including businesses whose Stripe key has expired. When a verifier removes a listing (Chatbase, Oct 25, 2026), we keep the case page with its last verified figure and date, but take it out of every ranking, median and total.

Sponsors never touch labels. Sponsored placements are marked and kept separate from editorial verdicts.

Conflicts disclosed. When a case study involves our own team, we say so at the top.

FAQ

How do you verify AI revenue claims?

We grade every figure. Verified means the number comes from the business's payment processor (Stripe, RevenueCat or Superwall) via the third-party verifier TrustMRR. Public data, Self-reported and Estimate are labelled separately and never promoted to Verified.

What is a stale sync?

5 of our 46 verified listings show a stale processor sync (the Stripe/RevenueCat key expired or TrustMRR stopped updating). If the last sync is more than 30 days before our latest check, the business is not ranked: it moves to a separate, dated list on the leaderboard, and stays in the CSV with its last figure.

Why are your medians not typical AI startup results?

Our sample is hand-picked established businesses, mostly $10k+ MRR. The median of our leaderboard (ranked only if synced in the last 30 days) is $22,800 MRR (n=39); including the 5 not synced in 30+ days it is $31,600 (n=44). That is a study of businesses worth learning from, not a survey of every AI founder.

Who publishes this

Editorial rules live here. Who owns the site, disclosures and contact: About The AI Receipts (Bambana LLC).

Get verified

Running an AI business? Connect a payment processor through a third-party verifier, or share screenshots and hop on a short call. Start here.

Related: AI business revenue statistics · Leaderboard · How to make money with AI · Build a business with AI