Most downloaded apps of 2021

Like every year since the advent of smartphones, in 2021 we all spent far too much time looking at apps. Now we have at least some data that tells us which apps were the most popular over the past calendar year.

Apptopia, an analytics company, published its annual app download ranking at the end of the year and to be honest, there aren’t many surprises here. It turns out that the apps that are talked about the most are also the ones that are downloaded the most. However, there are separate lists for downloads worldwide and in the US that offer at least some interesting differences.

For the sake of clarity, this data includes both iOS and Android downloads. Here were the world’s most popular apps in 2021:

1. Tick ​​Thank you

2. Instagram

3. Facebook

4. WhatsApp

5. telegram

6. Snapchat

7. Zoom

8. world

9. CapCut

10. Spotify

Again, there’s nothing particularly shocking on this list. TikTok, the biggest app of 2021, is a breeze, while most of the other mainstays like Facebook, Snapchat, and Spotify are on. The only thing that stands out is CapCut, a standalone video editing app that some TikTok users use to trim their videos before posting them to the TikTok app. The owner of CapCut? That’s right, it’s ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok.

Things are a little different in the US just because they are natural. Here’s how things went in the States:

1. Tick ​​Thank you

2. Instagram

3. Snapchat

4. Cash app

5. Zoom

6. world

7. Facebook

8. WhatsApp

9. Youtube

10. HBO Max

As you can see, TikTok rules the US as well. Apparently we in America like moving money between individuals more because Cash App made our top 10. The same goes for streaming, as YouTube and HBO Max made the list too. Interestingly, Netflix and Disney + (both on US list last year) were bumped in favor of HBO Max this time around. But if you cut the data by entertainment apps around the world, Netflix came out on top with HBO Max in seventh place. HBO Max topped the list of the most downloaded entertainment apps for US users, but Netflix took silver.