- With 850 million downloads last year, TikTok is the world’s most popular app
- However, four Facebook-owned social platforms appear among the top six, with a combined figure of more than two billion downloads
- This accounts for almost half of the Top 10’s global download figures
A new study shows that while TikTok has been revealed as the world’s most popular and downloaded mobile app, social media giant Facebook dominates the market with four of its platforms.
Research conducted by app development company Bacancy Technology outlines that social video-sharing platform TikTok was downloaded a total of 850 million times last year, receiving 250 million more downloads than the second most popular app on the list, WhatsApp.
However, having acquired Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014, Facebook takes up four spots in the Top 10 most popular apps of 2020, with a combined total of more than two billion downloads. This figure accounts for 46% of the total download figures within the top 10 list.
Following last year’s increase in remote working, conference call platform Zoom – which ranks fifth on the global list – received 477 million downloads last year, coupled with an increase in revenue of 317% over figures from 2019.
Top 10 Global Apps of 2020
| App | Downloads 2020 |
| TikTok | 850 million |
| 600 million | |
| 540 million | |
| 503 million | |
| Zoom | 477 million |
| Messenger | 404 million |
| Snapchat | 281 million |
| Telegram | 256 million |
| Google Meet | 254 million |
| Netflix | 223 million |
Assessing a number of the most popular social platforms, the United States – which has the third largest population count in the world – ranks as the country with the highest active user counts for Tiktok, Instagram and Snapchat.
India, with the second highest population in the world, has the largest amount of users of both WhatsApp and Facebook.
Country with highest users counts for Apps (raw user figures)
| App | Country with highest user count | # of users, in millions | % of population |
| TikTok | United States | 65.9 | 19% |
| India | 390 | 27% | |
| India | 320 | 22% | |
| United States | 140 | 42% | |
| Snapchat | United States | 108 | 32% |
However, analysing an app’s number of users as a percentage of each country’s population reveals that TikTok has the highest penetration in the Netherlands with 22% of its population using TikTok. This is followed by the US (19%) and Norway (18%).
Seven in 10 Spanish citizens are actively using Whatsapp, while three quarters of the population of the Philippines have active profiles on Facebook – a figure that trumps both America (57%) and the UK (55%).
Half of the Turkish population are active on their Instagram accounts – representing the country with the highest usage, and the same can be said of Snapchat’s popularity in Saudi Arabia, with 50% of the population holding active user accounts.
Naturally, these figures do not factor in fake accounts or users that may have more than one social media account, though they show an interesting indication of each app’s global popularity.
Country with highest users counts for Apps (as a percentage of population)
| App | Country with highest user count | # of users, in millions | Population | % of population |
| TikTok | Netherlands | 3.8 | 17,178,419 | 22% |
| US | 65.9 | 333,230,770 | 19% | |
| Norway | 1 | 5,469,887 | 18.20% | |
| Spain | 33 | 46,775,584 | 70% | |
| Italy | 35 | 60,359,657 | 58.00% | |
| Germany | 48 | 84,091,604 | 57% | |
| Philippines | 83 | 111,249,116 | 74% | |
| Thailand | 51 | 70,000,662 | 72% | |
| Mexico | 93 | 130,486,512 | 71% | |
| Turkey | 44 | 85,379,961 | 51% | |
| Brazil | 95 | 214,289,417 | 44% | |
| US | 140 | 333,230,770 | 42% | |
| Snapchat | Saudi Arabia | 19.6 | 35,433,662 | 55% |
| France | 24.5 | 65,439,407 | 37% | |
| United States | 108 | 333,230,770 | 32% |
TikTok triumphs once again as the world’s highest-grossing app, with reported revenue of 540 million USD last year. Despite lockdown restrictions limiting face-to-face contact, online dating platform Tinder lands in second place with 513 million USD, and streaming video giant YouTube rounds off the top three, snatching up 478 million USD.
Highest grossing app of 2020 (Global)
| App | Revenue, millions USD |
| TikTok | 540 |
| Tinder | 513 |
| YouTube | 478 |
| Disney | 314 |
| Tencent Video | 300 |
| Piccoma | 289 |
| Line Manga | 249 |
| iQIYI | 240 |
| Netflix | 209 |
Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson for Bacancy Technology said: “Lockdown restrictions and the ‘stay at home’ mantra of 2020 caused many of us to turn to the internet and various apps for entertainment and to indulge in some level of human interaction.
“TikTok’s seemingly endless library of entertainment has clearly captured the attention of millions of people, while the staple social media apps continue to be an integral part of our daily lives.”
This research was conducted by app development company Bacancy Technology, an exclusive hub of top software developers, UI/UX designers, QA experts and more, offering development services aimed at the creation of high-end, enviable applications.