Sophie Blake
Along with the coronavirus pandemic, the changing habits and behaviors of people in 2020 and 2021 have also been also reflected in their digital content consumption. The most consumed content on smartphones was through mobile apps and games.
When mobile app downloads and in-app purchases are examined, it is possible to see that people around the world show common patterns. In this article, we will cover the most popular apps and app categories around the world in 2024 and 2025, by app store and country.
Most Popular Apps by Download
TikTok was the most popular app in terms of downloads in the full year 2024 with 773 million new installs around the world. The popular short video app was followed by Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Temu, and Telegram on the downloads chart.
Most Popular Apps by Download
The list of the most popular mobile apps is mainly dominated by social media apps, while mobile games and music streaming apps also took their places in the list.
- TikTok
TikTok wrapped up 2024 with a remarkable 773 million downloads, surpassing Instagram, which reached 759 million.
Instagram has around 1 billion monthly active users and 500 million daily active users. The app generated 759 million new downloads in 2024.
Meta’s widely popular social media platform Facebook was listed among the most downloaded apps of 2024 with 571 million new downloads.
In 2024, WhatsApp garnered 527 million downloads, making it one of the most downloaded apps worldwide in 2024.
- Temu
Temu experienced a remarkable surge in popularity throughout 2024, amassing an impressive 438 million downloads over the year, a testament to its growing dominance in the e-commerce sector as it attracted a vast global user base with its aggressive pricing strategies, frequent promotional campaigns, and a seamless shopping experience that resonated with budget-conscious consumers looking for
- Telegram
Telegram saw a significant rise in adoption throughout 2024, reaching an impressive 409 million downloads, driven by its commitment to privacy, end-to-end encryption, and a feature-rich messaging experience that attracted users seeking a secure alternative to mainstream social platforms, while its continuous updates, including enhanced group functionalities, AI-powered chat tools, and seamless multi-device synchronization, further solidified its position as one of the most preferred communication apps worldwide.
- CapCut
With 361 million downloads in 2024, CapCut cemented its status as one of the most sought-after video editing apps, appealing to both casual users and content creators by offering an intuitive interface, advanced editing tools, and seamless integration with social media platforms, particularly TikTok, where its popularity soared as users leveraged its diverse effects, AI-powered features, and high-quality export options to enhance their videos effortlessly.
- Threads
Meta’s Threads reached 322 million downloads in 2024, making it one of the most downloaded apps of 2024. The app added 20 million monthly users from December to the end of January 2025, reaching 320 million.
- Snapchat
Snapchat garnered 302 million new downloads in 2024. The app^s daily active users were 453 million in Q4 2024, up 39 million, or 9% year-over-year.
- ChatGBT
ChatGBT collected 361 million new downloads in 2024. The app was among the most downloaded apps on the App Store last year.
Most Popular Apps by Revenue (Top Grossing Apps and Games)
When we look at the list of the most popular mobile apps in terms of revenue in 2024, we usually see dating apps along with music and video streaming apps.
- TikTok
In 2024, TikTok remained the highest-earning non-game app across Apple and Google’s marketplaces, bringing in $2.33 billion from user spending.
- Honor of Kings
Honor of Kings, a multiplayer online battle arena published by Tencent in 2015, generated $1.86 billion in revenue in 2024, making it the highest-earning mobile game of 2024.
- Google One
Generating more than 1 billion downloads as of 2024, Google One has become one of the top grossing apps in 2024 with $1.77 billion in revenues.
- Monopoly GO
Monopoly GO generated $1.58 billion in revenues in 2024. The game also surpassed 1.5 billion global game downloads across the App Store and Google Play as of March 2024.
- Royal Match
Popular mobile puzzle game Royal Match generated $1.46 billion in revenues in 2024, making it one of the top grossing mobile games.
- YouTube
Being among the most popular platforms of 2024, YouTube generated a revenue of $1.44 billion last year.
- Disney+
Disney+ took its place among the most popular apps of last year with an app revenue of $1.28 billion in 2024.
- Roblox
Roblox generated $1.18 billion in revenues in 2024 and 85.3 million daily active users on average across the App Store and Google Play in Q4 2024.
- PUBG Mobile
The popular mobile battle royale game PUBG Mobile generated $1.18 billion in revenues in 2024.
- Last War: Survival
Last War: Survival reached $1.14 billion in revenues across the App Store and Google Play in 2024, making it one of the top grossing games of the last year.
Most Popular Android Apps by Download
- Instagram – 657 million new app installs
- TikTok – 587 million new app installs
- Facebook – 492 million new app installs
- WhatsApp – 430 million new app installs
- Telegram – 327 million new app installs
- Temu – 301 million new app installs
- CapCut – 263 million new app installs
- Snapchat – 248 million new game installs
- WhatsApp Business – 241 million new app installs
- Facebook Messenger – 215 million new game installs
Most Popular iOS Apps by Download
- TikTok – 186 million new app installs
- Temu – 138 million new app installs
- Threads – 133 million new app installs
- ChatGBT – 117 million new app installs
- Google – 112 million new app installs
- Google Maps – 107 million new app installs
- Instagram – 104 million new app installs
- YouTube – 103 million new app installs
- CapCut – 99 million new app installs
- WhatsApp – 96 million new app installs
Most Popular App Categories in the App Store
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