Quick Answer
What is the most popular app in the world in 2025?
TikTok is the most popular and most downloaded app worldwide.
Applications, most commonly known as apps, are software developed to perform certain tasks and functions.
Most apps are downloaded on mobile phones and computers. These apps are used to communicate, be entertained, and get information.
Based on a recent report, the number of downloaded apps is constantly growing.
In 2021, there are approximately 230 billion mobile app downloads, representing over 63% growth from five years ago.
What Is the Most Popular App in the World in 2025?
According to the most recent report, TikTok is the most popular and most downloaded app since 2020.
It recorded 656 million total downloads in 2021. Instagram comes next with 545 million downloads.
Facebook was the most used app, with approximately 2.96 billion monthly active users worldwide in Q3 2022.
The usage of applications ballooned during the COVID-19 outbreak.
One of the reasons is that people need to stay inside their houses as a preventive measure to slow the spread of the virus.
In the first months of 2020, businesses and companies started downloading and using video conferencing tools such as Zoom and Google Meet.
Many people use the internet to keep busy the whole day. They watch and post videos on TikTok, browse Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, and watch movies on Netflix.
Let’s take a look at the most popular apps in the world in terms of downloads in 2021:
- TikTok recorded 656 million total downloads worldwide in 2021
- Instagram recorded 545 million total downloads worldwide in 2021
- Facebook recorded 416 million total downloads worldwide in 2021
- WhatsApp recorded 395 million total downloads worldwide in 2021
- Telegram recorded 329 million total downloads worldwide in 2021
- Snapchat recorded 327 million total downloads worldwide in 2021
- Zoom recorded 300 million total downloads worldwide in 2021
- Messenger recorded 268 million total downloads worldwide in 2021
- CapCut recorded 255 million total downloads worldwide in 2021
- Spotify recorded 203 million total downloads worldwide in 2021
Here are the most downloaded apps worldwide in 2020:
- TikTok had 850 million downloads worldwide in 2020
- WhatsApp had 600 million downloads worldwide in 2020
- Facebook had 540 million downloads worldwide in 2020
- Instagram had 503 million downloads worldwide in 2020
- Zoom had 477 million downloads worldwide in 2020
- Messenger had 404 million downloads worldwide in 2020
- Snapchat had 281 million downloads worldwide in 2020
- Among Us had 264 million downloads worldwide in 2020
- Telegram had 256 million downloads worldwide in 2020
- Google Meet had 254 million downloads worldwide in 2020
- Subway Surfers had 227 million downloads worldwide in 2020
- Netflix had 223 million downloads worldwide in 2020
Most Popular Communication App in the World
Data reveals that the most popular communication app worldwide in terms of the number of downloads is WhatsApp. It had the greatest number of downloads for two consecutive years.
Here is a list of the top 5 most popular communication apps worldwide in 2021:
- WhatsApp acquired 480 million downloads worldwide in 2021
- Telegram acquired 429 million downloads worldwide in 2021
- Snapchat acquired 383 million downloads worldwide in 2021
- Messenger acquired 363 million downloads worldwide in 2021
- Zoom acquired 353 million downloads worldwide in 2021
Most Popular Entertainment App in the World
Netflix remained to be the most popular entertainment app worldwide. In 2020, Netflix had 223 million downloads and after a year, it had 173 million downloads.
Although it acquires 60 million down in total downloads, it is still the top entertainment app in 2021.
Here are the top 5 most downloaded entertainment apps in the world in 2021:
- Netflix recorded 173 million downloads around the world in 2021
- YouTube recorded 166 million downloads around the world in 2021
- Google Play Games recorded 131 million downloads around the world in 2021
- Disney+ recorded 126 million downloads around the world in 2021
- Amazon Prime Video recorded 120 million downloads around the world in 2021
Most Popular Music and Audio App in the World
The most downloaded music and audio app around the world and in the United States is Spotify.
This app recorded 211 million downloads worldwide and 38 million downloads in the US in 2020.
Below are the top 5 most popular music and audio apps worldwide in terms of downloads in 2021:
- Spotify leads the list of music and audio apps worldwide with 203 million downloads in 2021
- Resso was the second most popular music and audio app worldwide with 85 million downloads in 2021
- YouTube Music was the third most popular music and audio app worldwide with 79 million downloads in 2021
- StarMaker was the fourth most popular music and audio app worldwide with 76 million downloads in 2021
- Shazam was the fifth most popular music and audio app worldwide with 75 million downloads in 2021
Most Popular Games in the World
Subway Surfers was first among the most downloaded games worldwide in 2021. It was one of the five most downloaded games worldwide since 2014.
Here is a list of the most popular games in the world in 2021:
- Subway Surfers had 191 million downloads worldwide in 2021
- Roblox had 182 million downloads worldwide in 2021
- Bridge Race had 169 million downloads worldwide in 2021
- Garena Free Fire had 154 million downloads worldwide in 2021
- Among Us had 152 million downloads worldwide in 2021
Most Popular App in the United States
TikTok was the most popular app in the United States in terms of downloads since 2020. It had 89 million downloads in the US in 2020 and 94 million in 2021.
Zoom was the second most popular app in the US with 81 million downloads in 2020, while Instagram got the second spot with 64 million downloads in 2021.
Let’s take a look at the most downloaded apps in the United States in 2021:
- TikTok acquired 94 million downloads in the US in 2021
- Instagram acquired 64 million downloads in the US in 2021
- Snapchat acquired 56 million downloads in the US in 2021
- Cash App acquired 56 million downloads in the US in 2021
- Zoom acquired 52 million downloads in the US in 2021
- Messenger acquired 51 million downloads in the US in 2021
- Facebook acquired 47 million downloads in the US in 2021
- WhatsApp acquired 47 million downloads in the US in 2021
- YouTube acquired 47 million downloads in the US in 2021
- HBO Max acquired 45 million downloads in the US in 2021
Mobile App Downloads Worldwide
The number of mobile app downloads is continuously increasing since 2016. People love using mobile apps since it is accessible.
They open their mobile phones to check their social media accounts, play a game, or watch a movie during their spare time.
In the most recent year, people around the world downloaded 230 billion mobile apps, representing a 12 billion increase from the previous year.
Here are the numbers of mobile app downloads worldwide:
- In 2016, there were 140.68 billion total mobile app downloads worldwide
- In 2018, there were 192.45 billion total mobile app downloads worldwide
- In 2019, there were 204 billion total mobile app downloads worldwide
- In 2020, there were 218 billion total mobile app downloads worldwide
- In 2021, there were 230 billion total mobile app downloads worldwide
Due to the constant growth, mobile apps are expected to generate revenues of around $613 billion in the next few years.
Conclusion
Almost all mobile phones have at least one application. It’s quite dull to have none if ever.
According to statistics, more than 20% of global internet users spend around 31 to 52 minutes watching TikTok content daily.
People in the US spend at least 33 minutes on Facebook, 29 minutes on Instagram, and 28 minutes on Snapchat.
Thanks for reading our article on the most used app in the world.
