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Are AI startups profitable? What verified businesses report
Most small AI startups with verified revenue say they are profitable; the AI giants mostly are not. 31 of the 58 businesses ranked on our leaderboard publish a profit margin on TrustMRR, and the median is 70%: 26 of 31 report 50% or more.
Applied to their verified revenue, the biggest earners are Cometly ($197,000 a month verified, 90% stated margin, about $177,000 profit); Rezi ($241,000 a month verified, 60% stated margin, about $145,000 profit); PropGPT ($105,000 a month verified, 80% stated margin, about $83,800 profit) (profit = our math). Margins are founder-provided, not verified, because TrustMRR does not connect costs. At the top end it flips: OpenAI lost $20.92B on operations in 2025, and Anthropic posted its first operating profit only in Q2 2026, then lost $567M on operations in Q3 (S-1/A, Nov 2, 2026).
58 ranked · 31 publish a margin · median 70% · margins read Oct 31, 2026 · revenue checked Nov 5, 2026 · how we verify
Which AI startups are the most profitable?
Sorted by estimated monthly profit: verified monthly recurring revenue (MRR) times the profit margin each founder states on TrustMRR. Revenue is Verified; the margin is founder-reported.
| # | Business | What it sells | Verified MRR | Stated margin | Est. profit / mo | Revenue | Margin | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cometly | Ad attribution for B2B SaaS, with AI you can chat with about your ads data. | $197,000 | 90% | $177,000 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-02 |
| 2 |  Rezi | An AI resume builder for job seekers: it writes, edits, formats and keyword-checks a resume so it gets past applicant tracking systems (ATS). | $241,000 | 60% | $145,000 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-10-30 |
| 3 | PropGPT | An AI sports-betting analysis app charging $9.99 a week. | $105,000 | 80% | $83,800 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-04 |
| 4 |  GoMotion AI | Paste a script, get a finished long-form YouTube documentary: voiceover, matched footage, captions, motion graphics and music. Built for faceless channels. | $73,300 | 80% | $58,700 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 5 |  VirtualJK | An AI "replicant" of a consultant, sold to coaches and consultants. | $48,500 | 95% | $46,100 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 6 |  White Glove Content | Subscription faceless-video studio: scripts, AI voiceover, editing, thumbnails. | $63,100 | 65% | $41,000 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-01 |
| 7 |  Nutria (Calyra) | AI calorie-tracking app grown on organic TikTok. | $46,800 | 80% | $37,500 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 8 |  Laper | AI screenwriting software for professional writers, "without the AI aftertaste". | $51,400 | 68% | $34,900 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 9 |  Vid.AI | Turns an idea or script into ready-to-post AI videos for creators. | $50,400 | 69% | $34,800 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 10 |  Apiframe | One API for AI image, video and music models, sold to developers. | $35,400 | 67% | $23,700 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 11 |  Reddit Agency | Gets brands recommended by ChatGPT and Google via Reddit, or you don't pay. | $38,000 | 50% | $19,000 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-02 |
| 12 |  Marky | On-brand social posts for local service businesses: $1M lifetime. | $22,100 | 81% | $17,900 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 13 |  Funneled | Shopify landing pages and pre-sell funnels for brands running paid ads, sold as a self-serve builder or a done-for-you plan where its team ships the funnels. | $18,400 | 95% | $17,500 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 14 |  Promptwise | Generative AI video, image and audio tools sold to a paid creator community. | $66,800 | 25% | $16,700 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 15 |  StoryShort | Type a topic and get a finished faceless short video: script, scenes, consistent characters, voice and captions, auto-posted to TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. | $21,200 | 75% | $15,900 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 16 |  ControlResell | AI listings, auto-relisting and negotiation for Vinted and Shopify resellers. | $21,900 | 70% | $15,300 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 17 |  QR Code AI | AI-designed, trackable QR codes: an SEO-only bootstrapped SaaS. | $14,900 | 95% | $14,200 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 18 |  Verbi | An AI speaking tutor for language learners: $259k lifetime. | $22,800 | 55% | $12,600 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 19 |  NotFair | An AI agent that manages Google Ads for small businesses and agencies: finds wasted spend, then fixes bids and keywords. | $13,100 | 95% | $12,400 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 20 |  Adelante | A managed AI support agent for Shopify brands: "we set it up, then we run it". | $15,200 | 80% | $12,200 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 21 |  Brawler | An AI boxing coach app that hit $60k in a 30-day window within months of launch. | $23,900 | 50% | $11,900 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 22 |  Low Content AI | AI tools for making journals, planners and coloring books to sell on Amazon KDP. | $14,800 | 75% | $11,100 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 23 |  AI Persona Method (AI Money Group) | A course and software for building AI personas for marketing and support, plus consultant certification. | $9,700 | 90% | $8,700 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 24 |  Imposter AI | A viral AI party game: $239k lifetime in under a year. | $20,600 | 40% | $8,300 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 25 |  AbMaxx | An AI abs coach that scans your physique: $172k lifetime since March 2026. | $20,600 | 40% | $8,200 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 26 |  MagicSlides | A bootstrapped AI presentation maker from India: prompt in, PPT out. | $10,000 | 75% | $7,500 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-10-30 |
| 27 |  Goodie AI | An AI food-label scanner for seed oils, sugar and gut triggers. | $11,500 | 50% | $5,800 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 28 |  Taja AI | Turns long videos into Shorts, captions, thumbnails and scheduled posts. | $13,700 | 40% | $5,500 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 29 |  Visualizee.ai | Turns floor plans and sketches into photoreal renders for architects in 30 seconds. | $8,000 | 66% | $5,300 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 30 |  AutoSubtitles | A $9/mo AI captions tool: from launch to $3.4k MRR in about seven months. | $3,400 | 90% | $3,000 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
| 31 |  notis.ai | A one-person AI assistant inside WhatsApp that turns voice notes into tasks. | $13,400 | 0% | $0 | Verified | Founder-reported | 2026-11-05 |
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Verified MRR from Stripe or RevenueCat via TrustMRR, as checked on each case page. Stated margin = TrustMRR “Last 30 days profit margin”, read Oct 31, 2026; founders enter it and TrustMRR does not connect cost data. Est. profit = MRR × margin (our math, rounded). Together these 31 report about $1,320,000 a month in revenue and, by their own margins, about $911,000 in profit.
Reported: Photo AI, Anthropic and OpenAI
| Business | What it sells | Profit or loss | Source | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Photo AI | AI photo generator (one founder) | $80,000 profit on $105,000 revenue in a month (Mar 2026), about 76% (our math) | Pieter Levels, levels.io, Mar 6, 2026 (self-reported) | Self-reported |
| Anthropic | Claude models and API | First operating profit in Q2 2026 ($974M), then a $567M operating loss in Q3; $1.26B operating loss for Jan–Sep 2026 | Anthropic S-1 and S-1/A filings (SEC), Oct 26 and Nov 2, 2026 | Reported |
| OpenAI | ChatGPT and API | Operating loss of $20.92B in 2025 on $13.07B revenue; burned $3.7B cash in Q1 2026 | Audited statements via Ars Technica / Quartz (Jun 2026); The Information via Reuters | Reported |
What profit margin do AI startups have?
The median stated margin is 70%. 7 of 31 report 90% or more, 16 report 70% or more, and 5 report under 50%. Higher margins do not mean bigger businesses:
| Stated margin | Businesses | Median verified MRR | Biggest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90% or more | 7 | $14,900 | Cometly, VirtualJK, Funneled |
| 70–89% | 9 | $21,900 | PropGPT, GoMotion AI, Nutria (Calyra) |
| 50–69% | 10 | $36,700 | Rezi, White Glove Content, Laper |
| Under 50% | 5 | $20,600 | Promptwise, Imposter AI, AbMaxx |
By type, the 15 AI SaaS tools have a median margin of 75%, the 3 AI agencies 80%, and the 7 AI mobile apps 50% (founder-provided, Oct 31, 2026). Compare AI SaaS ideas with real revenue and AI mobile apps and their revenue.
Why are some AI apps less profitable?
Two costs: models and attention. Every generation costs API or GPU fees, and consumer apps often pay for installs. The lowest margins here are Promptwise (25%), Taja AI (40%), Imposter AI (40%), AbMaxx (40%); most of the mobile apps list TikTok, Instagram or Meta ads as channels (see do Meta ads work for AI apps?). At the other end, QR Code AI (SEO is its only listed channel) and NotFair both state 95%. notis.ai lists 0%, which we show as entered.
Are OpenAI and Anthropic profitable?
Not on a full-year basis. OpenAI's audited 2025 statements show $13.07B of revenue and a $20.92B operating loss, and it burned $3.7B of cash in Q1 2026 (reported; see how much OpenAI makes). Anthropic's filings show Q2 2026 as its first quarter of operating profit ($974M), then an operating loss of $567M in Q3 (including a $1.96B non-cash charitable contribution), for a $1.26B operating loss over January–September 2026 (S-1/A, Nov 2, 2026) (see how much Anthropic makes). Training frontier models is the expense small app builders do not carry: they rent those models by the call.
Which top AI startups do not publish a margin?
27 of the 58 ranked businesses leave the margin blank, including some of the largest: Postiz ($352,000 a month), AEO Engine ($180,000 a month), Speel.co ($65,200 a month), Project A ($59,800 a month), DataExpert.io ($53,200 a month), traxy.ai ($51,300 a month). Their revenue is verified, but we cannot say whether they are profitable. See AI startups making $100k a month.
FAQ
Are AI startups profitable?
Small, verified ones mostly say yes. 31 of the 58 ranked businesses on The AI Receipts publish a profit margin on TrustMRR; the median is 70%, and 26 report 50% or more (founder-provided, Oct 31, 2026). The largest AI labs are a different story: OpenAI had a $20.92B operating loss in 2025, and Anthropic's first operating-profit quarter (Q2 2026) was followed by a $567M operating loss in Q3 (S-1/A).
Which AI startup makes the most profit?
Among businesses with verified revenue and a stated margin: Cometly ($197,000 a month verified, 90% stated margin, about $177,000 profit); Rezi ($241,000 a month verified, 60% stated margin, about $145,000 profit); PropGPT ($105,000 a month verified, 80% stated margin, about $83,800 profit). Profit is our math (verified MRR × stated margin), not a reported profit figure.
What profit margin do AI SaaS companies have?
In our data, the 15 ranked AI SaaS businesses that publish a margin have a median of 75%. The 7 AI mobile apps have a median of 50%, and the 3 AI agencies 80% (TrustMRR, founder-provided, Oct 31, 2026).
Why do some AI apps have low margins?
The lowest margins in our data are consumer apps that buy attention: Promptwise 25%, Taja AI 40%, Imposter AI 40%, AbMaxx 40%. Most of them list TikTok, Instagram or Meta ads as channels, and every generation also costs model or API fees. Tools that grow through search, like QR Code AI (95%), report the highest margins.
Is the profit data verified?
No. Revenue is verified: it comes from Stripe or RevenueCat through TrustMRR. The profit margin is a number the founder enters on TrustMRR, which does not connect cost data, so treat it as founder-reported. Estimated profit is our multiplication of the two, and we label it that way everywhere.
Can a one-person AI business be profitable?
Yes, by the founder's own numbers. Pieter Levels reported $80,000 profit on $105,000 revenue for Photo AI in March 2026 (self-reported on his blog), about 76% (our math). See our one-person AI businesses list for others with verified revenue.
Sources
- TrustMRR public startup profiles (verified revenue from Stripe or RevenueCat; "Last 30 days profit margin" is founder-provided), margins read Oct 31, 2026; revenue as checked on each case page (latest Nov 5, 2026)
- levels.io: Photoai.com is a 40,870 line index.php making $105,000/mo (Photo AI $105k revenue / $80k profit, self-reported), Mar 6, 2026
- Anthropic S-1 registration statement (SEC), filed Oct 2026
- Anthropic amended S-1 (S-1/A) with Q3 2026 results (SEC), filed Nov 2, 2026
- Quartz: OpenAI leaked financials (losses, revenue), Jun 2026
- Reuters: OpenAI burned $3.7B in Q1 2026 (The Information), Jun 16, 2026
- Per-business revenue sources are listed on each case page (TrustMRR listings tied to Stripe or RevenueCat).
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- Full verified MRR leaderboard