The Last Time We Saw Growth Like This, It Was Fake Beer Apps; Now It’s AI Apps

Writer: Jordan Sprogis

Jordan Sprogis, Contributing Expert

Jordan Sprogis is a creative writer and tech researcher who has been working on online content for the better part of a decade. She holds a bachelor's degree in professional writing from Western Connecticut State University and has devoted much of her career to crafting content for various web verticals, including CyberSpyder and The Echo. Since joining HostingAdvice, Jordan has combined her storytelling ability with her fascination for advancements in technology to pen over 500 articles geared toward industry pros and newcomers alike.

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Lillian Castro, Senior Editor

Lillian Castro brings more than 30 years of editing and journalism experience to our team. She has written and edited for major news organizations, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the New York Times, and she previously served as an adjunct instructor at the University of Florida. Today, she edits HostingAdvice content for clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement.

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Cristian Lopez uses his Business Marketing background from the University of Illinois at Chicago to create comfortable environments for customers, clients, and colleagues to share their thoughts and ideas openly. From interviewing tech leaders to conducting UX market research projects, Cristian knows the importance of storytelling — a key variable for innovation and inspiration. His goal at HostingAdvice is to wow readers on the ever-evolving nature of the tech industry and bring his audience the most reliable and exciting content on all things hosting.

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Remember that app where you could tilt your phone and it would look like you’re drinking a beer? Or the one where you’d swipe your screen and a fake lighter flickered back at you?

They were completely pointless, but that was one of the last times the app market saw a near-50% CAGR. Some 20 years later, we’re apparently set to see it again.

The AI application market is set to jump from about $6 billion in 2025 to more than $40 billion by 2030, something like 48% annual growth.

AI app market is set to double within the next few years. Source: Next Move Strategy Consulting

The broader application hosting market is expected to double over the same period.

This is not surprising, of course. Hosting providers, especially in that mid-market tier, are starting to package AI application hosting directly into their platforms as something that exists alongside everything else.

Take a look at some of the most recent rollouts from mid-level hosting providers, like hosting.com.

The company just introduced AI application hosting, which allows users to launch and manage hundreds of applications with little to no setup — aka, the one-click deployment equivalent to web building.

Wix picked up Base44 in 2025 and turned its one-step app generation into part of its larger AI push with Harmony in 2026. Around the same time, Hostinger rolled out Horizons, bundling app creation, hosting, and deployment.

A screenshot of sample product from hosting.com's AI application hosting
A glance at hosting.com’s new AI application hosting and deployment services. Source: hosting.com

Different providers, same idea — but this became really possible when OpenClaw hit the market, though it’s not clear if Hosting.com is using that specifically.

Whether it’s powered by something like OpenClaw almost feels beside the point. What hosting providers like hosting.com are doing now is taking that same idea and going one layer deeper so it’s consumable by the average joe, as in, instead of just making agents easier to run, they’re making sure they’re already there, packaged, managed, and ready to go.

The skeptic in me says this is one step closer to an “I, Robot” world. The optimist sees a more accessible, more customizable web. Regardless, hosts are the ones deciding how that’ll play out.

About the Author

Contributing Expert

Jordan Sprogis is a creative writer and tech researcher who has been working on online content for the better part of a decade. She holds a bachelor's degree in professional writing from Western Connecticut State University and has devoted much of her career to crafting content for various web verticals, including CyberSpyder and The Echo. Since joining HostingAdvice, Jordan has combined her storytelling ability with her fascination for advancements in technology to pen over 500 articles geared toward industry pros and newcomers alike.

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