We have become accustomed to downloading apps for just about everything: messaging platforms, delivery, image and video editing programs, health monitoring, cooking recipes, online stores, streaming platforms, video games, wallets, transportation, and more. The number of applications available in app stores is inexhaustible. Nevertheless, there are always a select few that succeed in popularity and lead the download charts worldwide.
ChatGPT, as anticipated.
The omnipresent artificial intelligence developed by OpenAI takes center stage in the ranking of the most downloaded apps globally, according to the findings of the report “State of Mobile 2026” by Sensor Tower. According to this report, the leading apps in 2025 were as follows (combining data from both iOS and Android):
The swift ascent of this extremely popular artificial intelligence is particularly remarkable. In fact, in the previous year, ChatGPT occupied the tenth position on this list, which was then led by Instagram. Now, Meta’s social network falls to third place, also surpassed by TikTok. The remainder of the top 10 is relatively similar to that of last year, with minor changes.
Thus, other Meta apps (Facebook and WhatsApp) remain in the top five, while the video editing app CapCut (owned by the same parent company as TikTok) falls out of the top five, ranking just above the most downloaded online shopping app worldwide, Temu. Finally, from the bottom of the list, Threads and Spotify are displaced to make way for the social network Snapchat and ChatGPT’s main competitor, Google’s Gemini.
Aside from downloads, it is also worth knowing which apps have the largest number of monthly active users worldwide. In this regard, the ranking is as follows:
As you can see, the ranking of monthly active users highlights the dominance of two giants: Google and Meta, both of which have several applications among the world’s most highly used. On one hand, there is Google, which not only has its main app as the most widely used platform, but also YouTube and Chrome rounding out the top positions. Google’s dominance is further reinforced by Gmail, which remains essential for email communications, Google Maps, and Google Messages, the default instant messaging application for Android.
As for the company led by Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook and Instagram continue to be benchmarks in the realm of social networks, while WhatsApp further consolidates its significant role in messaging.
The study also devotes attention to analyzing which apps generated the highest revenues throughout 2025:
This ranking clearly demonstrates the considerable influence of platforms based on subscription models. TikTok retains its leading position, driven by its membership models and in-app purchases, followed by Google One, the paid cloud storage service for Google Drive, Gmail, and Photos.
Streaming also plays a significant role among the apps generating the highest revenues worldwide, with Disney+, HBO Max, and WeTV strengthening their relevance. Of these, WeTV is perhaps the least well-known, a Chinese streaming platform operated by the technology giant Tencent, specializing in Southeast Asian content such as Chinese dramas (C-dramas), Thai dramas, Korean dramas, and anime (because, admittedly, no one can truly handle that much drama as a main course).
In the dating app sector, Tinder demonstrates that premium models are highly effective in this niche. The presence of LinkedIn is also noteworthy, as it suggests that there is significant monetization in the professional sphere, most likely through LinkedIn Premium subscriptions.
Image: Gemini
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