4 of the 5 most downloaded apps in the U.S. are from China -Apptopia

Despite the legal challenges over national security concerns, Chinese mobile apps continue to dominate the app store charts in the United States. According to new data from Apptopia, while only 10 of the 500 most downloaded apps so far this year are owned by Chinese companies, four of them are in the top 5 list on Apple’s App Store.

These apps are ByteDance-owned short-form video app TikTok and its video editing app CapCut, popular fast-fashion marketplace Shein, and e-commerce platform Temu.

‘’This is pretty amazing that in a country where Apple, Google, and Meta reign, only one has one of the five most downloaded apps in the country so far this year,’’ Apptopia’s Adam Blacker said in a blog post. ‘’Meta’s Instagram is #4. This speaks to the growing ability of Chinese app development on a global scale, as well as their ability to compete with and win against top American talent,’’ he added.

The report also revealed that Chinese companies own 36 of the top 500 grossing apps in the United States this year that generate the most revenue from in-app purchases. The report noted that except for TikTok, all of them are mobile games.

Also Read: China’s 2023 game approvals set to surpass the last two years combined

When it comes to the average monthly active users, Chinese companies also own 16 of the top 500 apps in the country. While TikTok, messaging app WeChat, CapCut, and Temu rank in the top 25, the remaining 12 apps are much lower in the list.

On the other hand, American companies own 19 of the 500 most downloaded apps in Chinese app stores this year, Apptopia said.

Meanwhile, we previously wrote about the growing popularity of ByteDance’s Instagram & Pinterest-like Lemon8 app in the United States, where TikTok is currently facing a potential nationwide ban. According to Apptopia, Lemon8 has garnered nearly 1.2 million installs in the U.S. since its launch in March, so it wouldn’t be a very big surprise if it continues to climb up the app store charts.

The mobile app analytics company Apptopia also recently revealed how India’s TikTok ban benefitted rival social media apps.