Most Popular Apps: Downloads & Market Share Ranked (2024)

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By Ash Turner
As CEO of CompareMyMobile.com and BankMyCell.com since 2009, Ash has been a pivotal figure in the mobile tech industry. With a background in managing Brightstar’s PhoneRecycleBank, he boasts extensive experience with global carriers and MVNOs like T-Mobile and O2, and leading manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung.

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| Updated on March 04, 2024
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Marlene Centeno
Marlene specializes in creating comprehensive guides for smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches from leading brands like Apple, Samsung, and Google, demonstrating a deep understanding of these technologies.

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Edited By
Kim Juanillo
Kim, an editor with a rich background in digital content management and developmental psychology, brings a unique blend of analytical and creative skills to BankMyCell. With her background in Psychology, Kim is adept at understanding complex concepts and transforming them into engaging, accessible content.

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Most Downloaded Apps by Country, Platform & Category

Today, the most downloaded app in the world is TikTok, with 656 million downloads, followed by Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram. With 6.64 billion smartphone users worldwide, 9.87% have the TikTok app installed on their devices.

Smartphones include applications to perform different functions, and users choose which apps to rely on. Read on to know why and learn more about the most popular apps for iPhone and Android and the most downloaded apps by category – games, education, entertainment, and many more.

Editors Picks:

  • What is The Most Downloaded App: TikTok is the most popular today, with 656 million downloads worldwide.
  • Most Popular Apps: The 5 most popular apps by total downloads are Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram.
  • Most Popular App in the US:The most popular app in the United States is TikTok, with over 94 million downloads in the country.
  • Most Popular App Category: The gaming apps category dominates all categories with a 26.48% share combined in Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
  • Free App Revenue Generation: Free apps generate 98% of app revenue worldwide. Interestingly, only a tiny percentage of people make in-app purchases.
  • Most Popular Entertainment App: Netflix is the most popular entertainment app, with 173 million downloads worldwide.

Most Popular App Downloads (2022-2023)

TikTok is the most popular app, with over 656 million downloads worldwide. The platform gained even more popularity after it acquired Musical.ly, a platform where you can also share and watch short video clips.

The year 2018 first showed impressive growth for the app, showing an influx of first-time installs for the platform at 655 million new users, a 133.12% increase over the previous year. The social media app also gained 980.7 million first-time TikTok installations in 2020 when the pandemic struck, 28% more users than in 2019.

What is the Most Popular App in the World Today?

AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
TikTok656,000,0000.2852%
Instagram545,000,0000.2852%
Facebook416,000,0000.2852%
WhatsApp395,000,0000.2852%
Telegram329,000,0000.2852%
Snapchat327,000,0000.2852%
Zoom300,000,0000.2852%
Messenger268,000,0000.2852%
CapCut255,000,0000.2852%
Spotify203,000,0000.2852%
Most Popular App Downloads (2022-2023)
Data Table
AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
TikTok656,000,0000.2852%
Instagram545,000,0000.2852%
Facebook416,000,0000.2852%
WhatsApp395,000,0000.2852%
Telegram329,000,0000.2852%
Snapchat327,000,0000.2852%
Zoom300,000,0000.2852%
Messenger268,000,0000.2852%
CapCut255,000,0000.2852%
Spotify203,000,0000.2852%
Data Graphic
Most Popular App Downloads (2022-2023)

The most popular app to date is TikTok, with 656 million downloads. The table above shows the top 10 most downloaded apps globally. Instagram comes in second with 545 million downloads, followed by Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat, Zoom, Messenger, CapCut, and Spotify.

Most Popular iOS Apps (2022-2023)

This section will let you know the top downloaded apps for iPhone this year.

What is the most popular Apple iOS app today?

AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
TikTok276,000,0000.85%
Instagram148,000,0000.46%
YouTube146,000,0000.45%
WhatsApp126,000,0000.39%
Facebook113,000,0000.35%
National Anti-Fraud Center102,000,0000.31%
Google Maps102,000,0000.31%
WeChat100,000,0000.31%
Messenger95,000,0000.29%
Gmail89,000,0000.27%
Most Popular iOS Apps (2022-2023)
Data Table
AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
TikTok276,000,0000.85%
Instagram148,000,0000.46%
YouTube146,000,0000.45%
WhatsApp126,000,0000.39%
Facebook113,000,0000.35%
National Anti-Fraud Center102,000,0000.31%
Google Maps102,000,0000.31%
WeChat100,000,0000.31%
Messenger95,000,0000.29%
Gmail89,000,0000.27%
Data Graphic
Most Popular iOS Apps (2022-2023)

The most downloaded apps for iPhone are TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, Facebook, National Anti-Fraud Center, Google Maps, WeChat, Messenger, and Gmail. Most are social media apps, with TikTok taking the lead at 276 million downloads in iPhones alone.

  • Apple App Store has 1.6 million active apps, gaming and non-gaming combined.

Most Popular Google Play Apps (2022-2023)

This section will let you know the most downloaded apps for Android and its other key data this year.

What is the Most Popular Google App Today?

AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
Instagram366,000,0000.3277%
TikTok353,000,0000.3160%
WhatsApp281,000,0000.2516%
Telegram266,000,0000.2381%
Snapchat250,000,0000.2238%
Zoom222,000,0000.1987%
CapCut214,000,0000.1916%
Facebook176,000,0000.1576%
Google Meet162,000,0000.1450%
Meesho161,000,0000.1441%
Most Popular Google Play Apps (2022-2023)
Data Table
AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
Instagram366,000,0000.3277%
TikTok353,000,0000.3160%
WhatsApp281,000,0000.2516%
Telegram266,000,0000.2381%
Snapchat250,000,0000.2238%
Zoom222,000,0000.1987%
CapCut214,000,0000.1916%
Facebook176,000,0000.1576%
Google Meet162,000,0000.1450%
Meesho161,000,0000.1441%
Data Graphic
Most Popular Google Play Apps (2022-2023)

Instagram takes the first spot in the most downloaded apps in Google Play Store with 366 million total downloads, 3.68% higher than TikTok, which is the app dominating the Apple App Store. The other most popular Android apps are WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat, Zoom, CapCut, Facebook, and Google Meet.

  • Google Play Store is the biggest app store for Android phones, which has 3.5 million active apps.

Most Popular Apps by Category (2022-2023)

The gaming category is the most popular category in app stores. It has a 12.68% share out of all the apps in Apple App Store and a 13.8% share in Google Play Store.

This section will let you know the top-ranked apps by category, including games, education, entertainment, music and audio, and many more.

Most Popular Game App Downloads 2022-2023

Subway Surfers is the most popular gaming app, with 191 million downloads. Roblox comes in second with 182 million downloads, a popular game among kids. In 2020, the company reported that 54% or more than half of its users are aged 12 years old or below.

AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
Subway Surfers191,000,0000.0830%
Roblox182,000,0000.0791%
Bridge Race169,000,0000.0735%
Garena Free Fire154,000,0000.0670%
Among Us152,000,0000.0661%
Hair Challenge138,000,0000.0600%
Join Clash136,000,0000.0591%
8Ball Pool130,000,0000.0565%
Ludo King125,000,0000.0543%
Candy Crush Saga119,000,0000.0517%
Most Popular Game App Downloads (2022-2023)
Data Table
AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
Subway Surfers191,000,0000.0830%
Roblox182,000,0000.0791%
Bridge Race169,000,0000.0735%
Garena Free Fire154,000,0000.0670%
Among Us152,000,0000.0661%
Hair Challenge138,000,0000.0600%
Join Clash136,000,0000.0591%
8Ball Pool130,000,0000.0565%
Ludo King125,000,0000.0543%
Candy Crush Saga119,000,0000.0517%
Data Graphic
Most Popular Game App Downloads (2022-2023)

Most Popular Education Apps 2022-2023

Education is one of the most popular app categories in app stores. It took a 10.97% share of apps in Google Play (the second-most popular category in the Android-based app store), and a 9.79% share in the Apple App Store (ranked third-most popular category in the iOS-based app store).

AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
Google Classroom75,000,0000.0326%
Toca Life World68,000,0000.0296%
Duolingo65,000,0000.0283%
Brainly64,000,0000.0278%
Photomath46,000,0000.0200%
Picture This37,000,0000.0161%
Kahoot!25,000,0000.0109%
Cake23,000,0000.0100%
BYJU's22,000,0000.0096%
Qanda21,000,0000.0091%
Most Popular Education Apps (2022-2023)
Data Table
AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
Google Classroom75,000,0000.0326%
Toca Life World68,000,0000.0296%
Duolingo65,000,0000.0283%
Brainly64,000,0000.0278%
Photomath46,000,0000.0200%
Picture This37,000,0000.0161%
Kahoot!25,000,0000.0109%
Cake23,000,0000.0100%
BYJU's22,000,0000.0096%
Qanda21,000,0000.0091%
Data Graphic
Most Popular Education Apps (2022-2023)

Google Classroom is the most popular education app overall, with 75 million downloads. Toca Life World comes second at only 7 million downloads behind. Duolingo ranks third with 65 million downloads. Next are Brainly, Photomath, Picture This, Kahoot!, Cake, BYJU’s, and Qanda, which support Math, English, and general education.

Most Popular Entertainment Apps 2022-2023

AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
Netflix173,000,0000.0752%
YouTube166,000,0000.0722%
Google Play Games131,000,0000.0570%
Disney+126,000,0000.0548%
Amazon Prime Video120,000,0000.0522%
YouTube Kids91,000,0000.0396%
HBO Max73,000,0000.0317%
Twitch69,000,0000.0300%
Hotstar56,000,0000.0243%
Pluto TV54,000,0000.0235%
Most Popular Entertainment Apps (2022-2023)
Data Table
AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
Netflix173,000,0000.0752%
YouTube166,000,0000.0722%
Google Play Games131,000,0000.0570%
Disney+126,000,0000.0548%
Amazon Prime Video120,000,0000.0522%
YouTube Kids91,000,0000.0396%
HBO Max73,000,0000.0317%
Twitch69,000,0000.0300%
Hotstar56,000,0000.0243%
Pluto TV54,000,0000.0235%
Data Graphic
Most Popular Entertainment Apps (2022-2023)

The entertainment category is falling behind education, with 4.97% in Google Play Store and 5.87% behind in Apple App Store.

Netflix tops the entertainment app category with 173 million downloads. Netflix has grown in the past 13 years, generating a revenue of 1.36 billion to 26 billion. It seems that more than half of the platform users subscribe because of the new exclusive programming announcement in 2021.

The second-most popular entertainment app is YouTube, with 166 million downloads. It has 2.5 billion active users and a revenue of $28.8 billion today. In 2020, it was reported that over 500 hours of videos were uploaded to the platform every minute.

Google Play Games takes third place, followed by Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube Kids, HBO Max, Twitch, Hotstar, and Pluto TV.

Most Popular Music & Audio Apps 2022-2023

Spotify dominates the music and audio app category at 203 million downloads, with a massive lead against Resso, an app owned by TikTok that is making waves in Latin America and India. Spotify also outsold YouTube Music, StarMaker, Shazam, SoundCloud, and Amazon Music.

AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
Spotify203,000,0000.0883%
Resso85,000,0000.0370%
YouTube Music79,000,0000.0343%
StarMaker76,000,0000.0330%
Shazam75,000,0000.0326%
SoundCloud52,000,0000.0226%
Amazon Music44,000,0000.0191%
Wynk Music38,000,0000.0165%
Music Player38,000,0000.0165%
JioSaavn35,000,0000.0152%
Most Popular Music & Audio Apps (2022-2023)
Data Table
AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
Spotify203,000,0000.0883%
Resso85,000,0000.0370%
YouTube Music79,000,0000.0343%
StarMaker76,000,0000.0330%
Shazam75,000,0000.0326%
SoundCloud52,000,0000.0226%
Amazon Music44,000,0000.0191%
Wynk Music38,000,0000.0165%
Music Player38,000,0000.0165%
JioSaavn35,000,0000.0152%
Data Graphic
Most Popular Music & Audio Apps (2022-2023)

Most Popular Food & Drink Apps 2022-2023

The most popular app in the food and drink category is McDonald’s, which has accumulated 116 million downloads. Uber Eats comes second with 72 million downloads.

AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
McDonald’s116,000,0000.0504%
Uber Eats72,000,0000.0313%
DoorDash43,000,0000.0187%
Starbucks30,000,0000.0130%
foodpanda28,000,0000.0122%
Zomato27,000,0000.0117%
Meituan26,000,0000.0113%
Domino's24,000,0000.0104%
Grab23,000,0000.0100%
TooGoodToGo21,000,0000.0091%
Most Popular Food & Drink Apps (2022-2023)
Data Table
AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
McDonald’s116,000,0000.0504%
Uber Eats72,000,0000.0313%
DoorDash43,000,0000.0187%
Starbucks30,000,0000.0130%
foodpanda28,000,0000.0122%
Zomato27,000,0000.0117%
Meituan26,000,0000.0113%
Domino's24,000,0000.0104%
Grab23,000,0000.0100%
TooGoodToGo21,000,0000.0091%
Data Graphic
Most Popular Food & Drink Apps (2022-2023)

Most Popular Shopping Apps 2022-2023

The Shopee app dominates the shopping category with 203 million downloads, followed by Shein, which is only 13 million behind.

AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
Shopee203,000,0000.0883%
Shein190,000,0000.0826%
Meesho153,000,0000.0665%
Amazon148,000,0000.0643%
Flipkart93,000,0000.0404%
AliExpress84,000,0000.0365%
Wish72,000,0000.0313%
Pinduoduo67,000,0000.0291%
Lazada67,000,0000.0291%
Alibaba62,000,0000.0270%
Most Popular Shopping Apps (2022-2023)
Data Table
AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
Shopee203,000,0000.0883%
Shein190,000,0000.0826%
Meesho153,000,0000.0665%
Amazon148,000,0000.0643%
Flipkart93,000,0000.0404%
AliExpress84,000,0000.0365%
Wish72,000,0000.0313%
Pinduoduo67,000,0000.0291%
Lazada67,000,0000.0291%
Alibaba62,000,0000.0270%
Data Graphic
Most Popular Shopping Apps (2022-2023)

Most Popular Health & Fitness Apps 2022-2023

The most popular app in the health and fitness category is Flo, with 35 million downloads, a tracker for women’s periods.

AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
Flo35,000,0000.02%
Zepp Life (Formerly MiFit)35,000,0000.02%
Home Workout33,000,0000.01%
Six Pack in 30 Days28,000,0000.01%
Lose Weight for Women27,000,0000.01%
Calm24,000,0000.01%
Muscle Booster22,000,0000.01%
e-Nabiz22,000,0000.01%
Strava22,000,0000.01%
MyFitnessPal22,000,0000.01%
Most Popular Health & Fitness Apps (2022-2023)
Data Table
AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
Flo35,000,0000.02%
Zepp Life (Formerly MiFit)35,000,0000.02%
Home Workout33,000,0000.01%
Six Pack in 30 Days28,000,0000.01%
Lose Weight for Women27,000,0000.01%
Calm24,000,0000.01%
Muscle Booster22,000,0000.01%
e-Nabiz22,000,0000.01%
Strava22,000,0000.01%
MyFitnessPal22,000,0000.01%
Data Graphic
Most Popular Health & Fitness Apps (2022-2023)

Most Popular Travel Apps 2022-2023

Google Maps is the most downloaded travel app at 106 million downloads, followed by Uber.

AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
Google Maps106,000,0000.05%
Uber94,000,0000.04%
Booking.com63,000,0000.03%
Google Earth57,000,0000.02%
Airbnb44,000,0000.02%
DiDi27,000,0000.01%
Bolt25,000,0000.01%
Lyft23,000,0000.01%
Where is my Train23,000,0000.01%
Grab23,000,0000.01%
Most Popular Travel Apps (2022-2023)
Data Table
AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
Google Maps106,000,0000.05%
Uber94,000,0000.04%
Booking.com63,000,0000.03%
Google Earth57,000,0000.02%
Airbnb44,000,0000.02%
DiDi27,000,0000.01%
Bolt25,000,0000.01%
Lyft23,000,0000.01%
Where is my Train23,000,0000.01%
Grab23,000,0000.01%
Data Graphic
Most Popular Travel Apps (2022-2023)

Most Popular Communication Apps 2022-2023

WhatsApp dominates the communication apps category again this year with 480 million downloads. Telegram comes second, widely regarded as a good messaging app alternative for those concerned about tracking and security.

AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
WhatsApp480,000,0000.21%
Telegram429,000,0000.19%
Snapchat383,000,0000.17%
Messenger363,000,0000.16%
Zoom353,000,0000.15%
Google Meet225,000,0000.10%
WhatsApp Business223,000,0000.10%
Microsoft Teams170,000,0000.07%
Discord134,000,0000.06%
WeChat104,000,0000.05%
Most Popular Communication Apps (2022-2023)
Data Table
AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
WhatsApp480,000,0000.21%
Telegram429,000,0000.19%
Snapchat383,000,0000.17%
Messenger363,000,0000.16%
Zoom353,000,0000.15%
Google Meet225,000,0000.10%
WhatsApp Business223,000,0000.10%
Microsoft Teams170,000,0000.07%
Discord134,000,0000.06%
WeChat104,000,0000.05%
Data Graphic
Most Popular Communication Apps (2022-2023)

Most Popular Social Apps 2022-2023

TikTok is the most downloaded app, with 656 million downloads, followed by Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Twitter, MX TakaTak, Discord, Josh, and WeChat.

AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
TikTok656,000,0000.29%
Instagram545,000,0000.24%
Facebook416,000,0000.18%
WhatsApp395,000,0000.17%
Snapchat327,000,0000.14%
Twitter171,000,0000.07%
MX TakaTak128,000,0000.06%
Discord121,000,0000.05%
Josh111,000,0000.05%
WeChat104,000,0000.05%
Most Popular Social Apps (2022-2023)
Data Table
AppTotal Downloads% Of All 2022/23 Downloads
TikTok656,000,0000.29%
Instagram545,000,0000.24%
Facebook416,000,0000.18%
WhatsApp395,000,0000.17%
Snapchat327,000,0000.14%
Twitter171,000,0000.07%
MX TakaTak128,000,0000.06%
Discord121,000,0000.05%
Josh111,000,0000.05%
WeChat104,000,0000.05%