The latest report from SimilarWeb, the Global AI Tracker, has shed light on significant shifts in the AI landscape, highlighting market winners and losers in various AI tool categories. The report, which tracks traffic patterns across different AI tools, provides valuable insights for industry strategists and investors.
One of the key findings of the report is the remarkable 72% year-over-year growth in DevOps and code completion tools during the 12-week period ending February 28, 2025. This growth underscores the increasing significance of AI in software development and highlights the rapid evolution of the industry.
On the other hand, traditional educational technology platforms have experienced a decline of 20% during the same period, as AI alternatives gain traction in the market. This trend reflects the transformative impact of AI on the competitive landscape, with winners not only being technically superior but also reimagining problem-solving approaches in ways that legacy systems cannot match.
The report also reveals some surprising insights, such as the exceptional momentum of AI-powered developer tools, with a 72% year-over-year growth rate. Tools like Cursor and Replit have demonstrated the immediate impact of AI on software development, accelerating the creation of more advanced AI systems and driving technological progress.
In addition, the report highlights the resilience of design platforms in the face of AI art growth, with established platforms like Canva, Adobe Express, and Figma maintaining strong growth rates. This challenges the notion that AI tools are cannibalizing traditional platforms, suggesting instead that they are integrating AI capabilities to create a complementary relationship with generative technologies.
Furthermore, the report points to the accelerating decline of traditional EdTech platforms, with a consistent downward trend of 20% year-over-year. Platforms like Chegg and Course Hero have seen significant traffic declines, indicating a shift towards AI-powered alternatives for personalized assistance and instant support.
The most striking growth story in the report comes from niche AI challengers like Deepseek and Lovable, which have posted extraordinary growth rates, redefining market dynamics and highlighting the dynamic nature of the AI market.
Overall, the report paints a nuanced picture of the evolving AI landscape, where AI adoption is not a uniform trend but a series of specialized transformations happening at different rates across sectors. Businesses navigating this landscape must understand usage patterns and the practical impact of AI technologies to make informed strategic decisions and adapt to the changing market dynamics.
