We are accustomed to downloading apps for everything: messaging platforms, delivery services, image and video editing programs, health control, cooking recipes, online stores, streaming platforms, video games, wallets, transportation, etc. The number of available applications in app stores is inexhaustible. However, there are some that triumph in popularity and lead the global download charts.
To find out which applications these are, we analyzed data from the “State of Mobile 2025” report, by Sensor Tower. According to the report, the most downloaded applications worldwide during 2024 were the following (combining iOS and Android):
The list of most downloaded applications reflects the dominance of social media and messaging platforms, with Instagram and TikTok occupying the top two positions, as in the previous year. WhatsApp and Telegram continue to be essential for communication, while Facebook remains relevant despite its slight decline.
The growth of Temu stands out, consolidating its position in the online shopping sector, and ChatGPT, which demonstrates the growing interest in artificial intelligence. CapCut, TikTok’s video editing app, continues to rise due to the social platform’s boom. Meanwhile, Threads and Spotify maintain their presence, reinforcing the trend of social interaction and content consumption through streaming.
You might be surprised not to find DeepSeek, one of the famous applications in the AI field, in this list. Its remarkable debut occurred in January 2025, and its impressive numbers were not accounted for in this ranking.
Aside from downloads, it is also interesting to know which apps have the most monthly active users worldwide. In this case, here is the classification:
As you can see, the monthly active users ranking shows the dominance of two giants like Google and Meta, with several of their applications among the ones with the most users worldwide. On the one hand, we have Google, which boasts YouTube as the most used platform, alongside Chrome and Search in the field of browsers and search engines. To culminate its dominance, Google also has Gmail, which remains essential in the email realm, and Google Photos, reflecting the importance of cloud storage and image management.
In the case of the company owned by Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook and Instagram continue to be references in social networks, while WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger consolidate their great relevance in messaging.
The study also reserves a section for analyzing which apps generated the most revenue throughout 2024:
In this case, the great power of subscription-based platforms is evident. TikTok and YouTube lead the way, driven by their membership models and in-app purchases. Streaming is another major player in the classification of apps with the highest revenue worldwide, with Disney+, Max, Tencent Video, and iQIYI solidifying their relevance. Of all these, the least known is the latter, a Chinese streaming platform specializing in entertainment content, similar to Netflix, and founded in 2010 by the digital giant Baidu, popularly known as “the Google of China.”
In the sector of dating apps, Tinder and Bumble demonstrate that premium models work well in this niche. The presence of LinkedIn is surprising, indicating strong monetization in the professional realm, likely due to subscriptions to LinkedIn Premium.
Regarding the most downloaded mobile games, the information from the “State of Mobile 2025” report, by Sensor Tower, allows us to create this ranking:
The games Free Fire and Roblox continue to dominate the ranking, showing the lasting impact of shooters and sandbox worlds. Subway Surfers remains popular, while titles like Block Blast Adventure Master and Royal Match reflect interest in puzzles.
Games with strong monetization models continue to lead, with Monopoly Go! at the top thanks to its microtransaction system and special events. Honor of Kings maintains its relevance in MOBAs, although with a slight decline. These MOBA, or Multiplayer Online Battle Arena games are strategy video games where two teams of players compete on a map to destroy the enemy base while controlling characters with unique abilities.
Meanwhile, Royal Match and Candy Crush Saga reaffirm that puzzle games with pay-to-advantage mechanics continue to be highly profitable.
The ranking shows the strength of games that foster interactions and user-generated content, with Roblox at the forefront. Free Fire and PUBG consolidate the Battle Royale genre as a long-lasting favorite. EA Sports FC demonstrates the relevance of realistic sports games, while Brawl Stars and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang stand out in the MOBA category.
Photo: Depositphotos.
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