Since DeepSeek sparked a domestic large model craze at the beginning of the year, AI is accelerating its penetration into China's internet ecosystem. The latest half-year report on the AI application market released by QuestMobile shows that in the fierce red sea competition, AI application plugins are becoming a new growth engine.
The AI Application Market Has Formed Four Tiers
The report shows that AI applications have developed rapidly in the first half of the year, forming a clear tiered division: the first tier is led by AI search engines and AI comprehensive assistants; the second tier includes AI social interaction and AI professional consultants; the third tier covers AI efficiency office and AI image processing; the fourth tier includes niche areas such as AI creation design, AI copywriting, and AI subject education.
Currently, AI applications mainly take three forms: native AI applications, web-based AI applications, and plugin-style AI applications. Among them, web-based applications have stagnated in growth due to limited usage scenarios, while native applications, although developing rapidly, face increasingly high customer acquisition costs.
Plugin-style Applications Rise Unexpectedly, Surpassing Native Applications in User Base
Data shows that by June 2025, the user base of mobile app plugins (In-App AI) reached 630 million, while the user base of native apps was 570 million, and the user base of PC web applications was 180 million. Compared to March, app plugins increased by 50 million, while native apps and web apps decreased by 20 million and 30 million respectively.
The rapid growth of app plugins reflects users' preference for "scenario-specific tools" and their demand for "stable outputs from large models." Once AI plugins are deeply integrated into the business processes of major companies and continuously provide stable results, they transition from being "optional" to "preferred." Currently, the usage rates of Baidu AI and Quark AI search are 9.6% and 56.0%, respectively, and the usage rate of Weibo AI ZhiSou is 3.8%.
Lightweight and Scenario-Based Advantages Become Prominent
The reason why AI application plugins can rise quickly lies in their "lightweight" and "scenario-based" characteristics. Compared to native applications, plugins do not require separate download and installation. Users can call AI functions anytime while using existing apps, with almost zero usage threshold and cost.
For developers, the development cost of AI plugins is low and the launch is fast, which not only improves user experience and product stickiness but also helps seize opportunities in intense competition.
Weibo ZhiSou as a Successful Case of Breakthrough
In the top 10 app plugins with a monthly active user base of millions, Weibo ZhiSou has stood out. As early as 2024, Weibo launched its AI search product, Weibo ZhiSou, which has unique platform characteristics. In February this year, it was the first to integrate the DeepSeek-R1 large model, significantly enhancing AI capabilities.
With a massive traffic base of 599 million monthly active users and 265 million daily active users, Weibo ZhiSou achieved explosive growth after opening to all users. Its composite growth rate in June reached 41.7%, with a MAU of nearly 61 million. In terms of user stickiness, Weibo ZhiSou had an average of 36.6 uses per user per month, second only to Quark AI Search's 64.9 times.
Weibo ZhiSou's success is attributed to its strong AI capabilities, deep integration with the platform ecosystem, and traffic support from the platform, providing valuable experience for other traditional apps to access AI application plugins.