TikTok was the most downloaded and highest-grossing app of 2021, Sensor Tower data reveals. It was also the most downloaded app on the Apple App Store for this year, clocking 745.9 million installs across both app stores. Although the company saw a dip of 24 percent year-on-year (YoY) from 980.7 million installs in 2020, the short-video app still remains popular globally. TikTok remains banned in India due to security reasons. Followed by TikTok, Meta-owned Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger took the next four spots in the overall downloads category. On the App Store, YouTube took the second spot as the app does not come pre-installed, unlike its Android counterpart.
The new report notes that Facebook topped the most downloaded app category on Google Play with roughly 500.9 million installs. Across both marketplaces, the app will see about 624.9 million installs, down 12 percent YoY from 707.8 million last year. The report highlights that first-time installs remain flat – growing 0.5 percent YoY across the App Store and Google Play to 143.6 billion in 2021 from 142.9 billion in 2020.
As expected, none of the Meta-owned apps featured in the top-grossing apps (global) list as there’s hardly any in-app purchase services offered by the company. The highest-grossing apps list mentions TikTok at the top followed by YouTube, Piccoma, Tinder and Disney Plus. Google One, Piccoma, Disney Plus, TikTok, and HBO Max earned the highest revenue on Google Play.
Top-grossing games across App Store and Google Play this year include PUBG Mobile, Honor of Kings, Genshin Impact, Coin Master, and Roblox. On the other hand, top downloaded games include Garena Free Fire, Subway Surfers, PUBG Mobile, Bridge Race, and Roblox. Overall, app spending is projected to touch $133 billion across the App Store and Google Play. It represents 19.7 percent YoY growth from $111.1 billion in 2020, nearly mirroring the 21 percent YoY growth consumer spending experienced in 2019.
