Top 10 Most Downloaded Apps

We’re in 2022, and we cannot imagine our lives without mobile apps. From shopping to entertainment, education to finance, our lives revolve around apps.

An increase in smartphone users has made mobile apps a necessity. Businesses wish to develop apps to expand their market, and users are willing to use mobile apps that make their lives easier.

But have you ever wondered which apps are topping the charts in terms of downloads?

This blog talks about the top 10 most downloaded apps. While some apps are too obvious to appear on the list, others have made their debut.

Overview of Top 10 Most Downloaded Apps of 2022 Globally

1. TikTok

It may not be surprising that the video creation and sharing app TikTok topped the charts. The app garnered 656 million downloads in the entire year.

As per Apptopia data, the app had the highest number of downloads in the previous year as well, with 850 million downloads worldwide.

Even though the downloads slumped by almost 200 million, TikTok continued to rule the leaderboard. The time users spent on TikTok is a testimony of the app’s popularity. The users spent approximately 19.6 hours monthly on TikTok worldwide, as per Statista.

App category	Video-sharing
Launch Year	2016 (China) 2017 (International)
Owner	ByteDance
Users	1 Billion monthly active users
Key features and USP	TikTok is a video creation platform that allows users to create entertaining videos of 10 minutes duration or less.

2. Instagram

The app with the highest number of downloads after TikTok is Instagram. The Meta-owned app had 545 million downloads in 2021.

Contrary to TikTok, Instagram gained 40 million more downloads in 2021 than 2020, thus jumping from the fourth position to the second position on the chart.

Instagram is on the top of its game and has constantly been working on newer features and updates. What started as a photo-sharing app is now a full-fledged multimedia and content creation platform.

App category	Social media
Launch Year	2010
Owner	Meta
Users	1 Billion monthly active users
Key features and USP	Instagram is a social media and content creation app that allows users to share content in the form of posts, stories, videos, live, and reels.

3. Facebook

The third most downloaded app is Meta’s flagship app, Facebook. One of the oldest social media apps, Facebook clocked 416 million downloads in 2021.

Although the app downloads were reduced by approximately 125 million from 2020 to 2021, Facebook maintained its position in the third spot.

With newer social media apps in the market, one might feel that Facebook has lost its charm. But the reality is quite different. 36.8% of the world population is active on Facebook monthly, and 79% of monthly users are active daily.

App category	Social media
Launch Year	2004
Owner	Meta
Users	2.9 Billion monthly active users
Key features and USP	Facebook is a social media app that allows its users to post text, photos, and multimedia and share it with their ‘friends’. Users can also follow pages and join groups.

4. WhatsApp

On the fourth position is yet another app owned by Meta, WhatsApp. The instant-messaging app had 395 million downloads in 2021.

WhatsApp downloads came down by more than 200 million from 600 million in 2020. As a result, it slipped from the second position to the fourth position.

Over the past few years, WhatsApp has added multiple new features to the app, like Status, View Once option for photos, WhatsApp payments, etc.

App category	Messaging
Launch Year	2009
Owner	Meta
Users	2 Billion monthly active users
Key features and USP	WhatsApp is a messaging app that allows users to send messages, photos, videos, audio, documents, etc., to their contacts. Newer features also allow payments through the app.

5. Telegram

With 329 million downloads, the private messaging and group platform, Telegram is the next on the list.

This app also performed better than in 2020 and increased its downloads by almost 75 million.

But what makes Telegram so popular? People prefer using this app because of its features like:

• Privacy
• Encryption
• Multiple devices can access the same account
• Multiple accounts on the same device
• Freedom to share username instead of phone number

App category	Messaging
Launch Year	2013
Owner	Telegram
Users	More than 500 Million monthly active users
Key features and USP	Telegram is a messaging app that focuses on privacy, encryption, and open-source API.

6. Snapchat

American multimedia instant messaging app Snapchat received 327 million downloads, making it the sixth most downloaded app of 2021.

The app gained 46 million more downloads in 2021 as compared to 2020, 

The app is popular among the younger population below 35, and an average user spends 30 minutes on the app daily.

App category	Multimedia instant messaging
Launch Year	2011
Owner	Snap Inc.
Users	More than 500 Million monthly active users
Key features and USP	Snapchat is a multimedia app that allows its users to send messages, photos, and videos, to their friends. The messages and media can be viewed only for a limited time. The app also provides AR lenses and filters.

7. Zoom

Zoom is the next app on the list, which received 300 million downloads in 2021.

Although the app received 177 million lesser downloads than in 2020, Zoom maintained its position in the Top 10.

The video conferencing app gained popularity after the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and after lockdowns in different parts of the world. Work and education shifted to digital mode, and the downloads of this app started to rise.

App category	Video communication
Launch Year	2011
Owner	Zoom Video Communications
Key features and USP	Zoom Meetings allows users to conduct video meetings with up to 100 participants by default (and up to 1000 with Large meeting add-on).

8. Messenger

The instant messaging app Messenger garnered 268 million downloads in 2021 compared to 404 million downloads in 2020.

Originally developed as Facebook Chat, Facebook (now Meta) updated its messaging service in 2010 and released apps for iOS and Android in 2011. The company has separated the messaging function from the main app.

App category	Messaging
Launch Year	2011
Owner	Meta
Users	1.3 Billion monthly active users
Key features and USP	Messenger is a messaging app that allows users to share text, images, videos, stickers, audio, and files. It also provides audio and video calling features.

9. CapCut

This app is a new entrant in the top 10 most downloaded apps list. With 255 million downloads, CapCut has secured its spot on the chart.

CapCut is a video editing app used to trim and join videos. Many TikTok users use this app to edit their videos before uploading them on TikTok. Coincidentally, the owner of CapCut is also ByteDance.

App category	Video Editing
Launch Year	2020
Owner	ByteDance
Key features and USP	CapCut is an app that allows users to trim, join, change speed, add music, stickers, text, and effects to their video.

10. Spotify

Spotify captured the last spot on the list. The popular music streaming app had 203 million downloads in 2021.

Spotify is popular among the masses for the variety of music it provides, its auto-generated playlists, podcasts, and other features.

App category	Audio streaming
Launch Year	2006
Owner	Spotify
Users	406 Million monthly active users
Key features and USP	Spotify is an app that allows its users to listen to a wide range of music, podcasts, and more. Users can access additional features by taking a subscription.

How to Increase App Downloads?

Now that you know about the most downloaded apps, you must be wondering what makes these apps gain so many downloads.

What to do to increase the downloads of your app?

Here are a few things to keep in mind while developing an app and after publishing the app which would help you gain downloads:

1. Choose an appealing App icon

“What’s seen is what’s sold.”

This saying also applies in the case of mobile apps. The app icon is the first thing a user sees while scrolling through an app store. Hence, it is essential to make the app icon catchy, exciting, and relevant to the app’s features.

2. Appropriate Name and Description

Just like the app icon, the name and description also play a significant role in determining whether the user will download the app or not. The name should be short, relevant, and easy to remember. Similarly, the description should clearly mention what the app is about and what it offers. The user should get a clear idea about the app after reading the name and the description.

3. Social Media Marketing

When it comes to promoting an app, social media becomes crucially important. It’s vital to understand the app’s target audience and accordingly create promotion campaigns for various social media platforms. The campaigns should reflect the app’s tone and should sell the app to the users.

4. Set up a Website and Blog

Launching an app and waiting for people to download it is not something you must do. For people to download the app, it must be visible to them. Setting up a website and linking your app to it can help you expand the reach of your app.

It would be best if you also focused on SEO to make your website rank higher in search results. It will also be beneficial to include a blog on the website to make people aware of your services and highlight the uses of your app.

5. Other Marketing channels

Social media is not the only channel you should focus on to promote your app. Extensive marketing across various channels is necessary to increase your app downloads.

Some of the channels include:

• Email marketing
• SMS marketing
• Content Marketing
• Blogs and Magazines
• Influencer Marketing
• Sites like Quora and Reddit

Want to Develop an App that gets Downloads? Contact Idea Usher

You must have gotten a clear understanding of the most downloaded apps and what to focus on while developing and marketing an app.

It is natural for such staggering numbers to make a person desire to develop an app that gets higher downloads. Now is the right time to build your own app, as this is the age of mobile technology. 

And what’s better than hiring someone who has years of experience in the same area? Connect with Idea Usher for a solution to all your app development needs.

With years of experience in web and app development, Idea Usher is a one-stop destination for all your digital needs.

Get in touch with Idea Usher, and who knows, one day, your app might make it to the top 10 list!

Final Thoughts

In a constantly changing world, it is crucial to keep pace with the developments occurring in the market. With apps utilizing a significant chunk of our day-to-day lives, businesses not having a mobile app will be left behind.

While any business needs to have a mobile app, it is equally essential to keep updating the same as per the needs and requirements of the market. It is usual for the numbers to fluctuate, but the relevance of an app is what makes it a big player in the long run. Understand what the user wants, and provide him with the same.

Having said that, it would be interesting to see which apps make it to the list in 2022.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some interesting FAQs about most downloaded apps.

1. Which are the most downloaded apps in the US?

The Top 10 most downloaded apps in the US are slightly different from the global list. The US list is given below:

• TikTok- 94 million
• Instagram- 64 million
• Snapchat- 56 million
• Cash App- 56 million
• Zoom- 52 million
• Messenger- 51 million
• Facebook- 47.3 million
• WhatsApp- 47.2 million
• YouTube- 47 million
• HBO Max- 45 million

2. Apart from App development, what other services does Idea Usher offer?

Idea Usher provides a wide range of services, including Web Development, App Development, Game Development, Blockchain Development, NFTs, IoT, Digital Marketing, etc.

3. What do more app downloads signify?

When an app receives a higher number of downloads, it indicates that it is popular among the masses, leading to an expanded customer base and higher profits for the company.