TrustMRR data from 991 startups shows AI tools revenue growth slipping to -6%
marclou · x · 2026-07-27
I tracked 991 startups on TrustMRR and found that median month-over-month revenue growth has weakened since March.
- Median growth by month:
- Jan: baseline
- Feb: +9.0%
- Mar: -2.5%
- Apr: 0.0%
- May: -5.0%
- Jun: -1.4%
- Overall, the median startup is still up 1.6%, but the trend has turned down.
- By category, the winners are:
- Entertainment & Media: +72% (n=17)
- Education: +15% (n=69)
- Health & Fitness: +10% (n=36)
- Categories in decline include:
- Gaming: -16% (n=15)
- Creator Economy: -13% (n=51)
- E-commerce: -8% (n=25)
- AI tools: -6% (n=230)
The author argues that product choice matters more than ever because AI can make products obsolete quickly. They also note that TrustMRR and new DataFast verticals have kept growing despite the broader slowdown. The dataset only includes startups with 10+ payments every 30 days for the last six months, verified through providers such as Stripe, Creem, and RevenueCat.
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