Europe’s app market in 2025 shows a clear gap between what people download and what makes the most money. While utility, shopping and AI apps lead installs, entertainment, subscription and dating apps generate the highest revenues.
The app world is constantly changing. Some apps rise quickly, others fade or reinvent themselves.
Facebook was once extremely popular but has lost ground in many countries. Back then, OpenAI’s ChatGPT did not even exist, but it is now dominating downloads.
So which apps are now the most downloaded across Europe? Which sectors dominate the rankings? How do revenues differ between apps? And how much do the top-earning apps make in Europe?
The 2025 rankings of the most downloaded apps in the EU show user preferences, with productivity, shopping, and social platforms dominating installs within the top 20 according to estimates from AppFigures, shared with Euronews Next.
The most downloaded app in the EU in 2025 was ChatGPT, with just over 64 million downloads. It is a clear leader, followed by Temu with nearly 44 million.
After the top two apps, download numbers drop to around 27 million. From there, rankings are very close, with no major differences down to 20th place, where Snapchat records just over 16 million downloads.
Threads (27.3 million), TikTok (26.8 million), CapCut (25.5 million) and Google Gemini (25.2 million) each recorded more than 25 million downloads.
WhatsApp Messenger (24.4 million), Revolut (23.9 million), Vinted (23.3 million) and Lidl Plus (22.9 million) complete the top 10.
Duolingo, SHEIN, Instagram and Telegram also recorded more than 21 million downloads.
Klarna, Uber, Microsoft Teams, Canva, Pinterest and Snapchat also feature in the top 20, with downloads ranging from 16.4 million to 17.9 million.
Productivity: AI goes mainstream
Looking at the categories, productivity emerges as one of the strongest categories, driven almost entirely by artificial intelligence (AI). ChatGPT leads all apps by a wide margin, while Google Gemini also ranks in the top ten. This signals a transition of AI tools from niche or professional use into everyday consumer habits, as Europeans increasingly rely on AI for work, study and personal tasks.
Shopping and Photoshop
Shopping apps make up the largest group in the top 20 by downloads. Temu, SHEIN, Vinted, Lidl Plus, and Klarna all feature prominently. The photo and video category is also significant. Its strong presence reflects the growing importance of content creation, editing and visual communication, especially for social media and small businesses.
However, these figures show only download numbers for 2025, not the total number of users for each app. Active user numbers would tell a different story.
Downloads don’t equal revenue in the app economy
AppFigures estimates for 2025 indicate a widening gap between popularity and profitability in the European app market. While free productivity and shopping apps dominate downloads, entertainment and subscription-based platforms are the real revenue engines.
The revenue ranking tells a very different story from downloads. TikTok is the EU’s top-grossing app, generating more than €740 million in estimated revenue, despite ranking only fourth by downloads.
ChatGPT follows in second place by revenue (€448 million), showing that AI subscriptions are converting users into paying customers at scale.
Dating apps rank in revenue, not downloads
Tinder (€429 million) ranks third, showing the enduring strength of dating apps in monetisation, even without appearing among the top 20 most downloaded apps.
It is not only Tinder. The top 20 revenue list also includes Bumble (14th, €125 million) and Badoo Dating (20th, €81 million). None of them appear in the top 20 by downloads.
Apps built around subscriptions, premium features and digital content dominate earnings. Streaming platforms such as Disney+ (€351 million) and Amazon Prime Video (€323 million), along with services like Google One (€283 million) and YouTube (€243 million, reflect this pattern.
“The drivers behind spending in top-earning EU apps show a more diverse mix than several years ago, when most spending outside of mobile games went to entertainment and dating apps, such as Disney+, Spotify, Tinder, and Hulu,” Randy Nelson, head of market insights at AppFigures, told Euronews Next.
How top apps differ by country: the UK and Turkey cases
Top apps clearly vary by country. Figures for the UK, Turkey and the EU as a whole show this. While global apps rank among the top in all regions, some local apps also appear on the lists.
A comparison of 2025 app estimates shows that while the UK broadly follows EU-wide trends,local services, public-sector apps and domestic finance platforms are more popular than on the European continent. GOV.UK ID Check and HMRC both appear among the UK’s most downloaded apps. The UK market also shows stronger visibility for local financial and retail brands, with Monzo and Tesco ranking among the top downloads.
Microsoft Authenticator also features in the UK top 20, pointing to the growing role of security and digital identity in working life.
Turkey differs from the EU and the UK
Turkey’s 2025 app rankings look very different from those in the EU or the UK. Local platforms and state-backed digital services play a much bigger role. Government apps such as e-Devlet Kapısı and e-Nabız rank alongside telecom and banking apps, including Turkcell, Türk Telekom and Garanti BBVA Mobile. This shows how public services and everyday utilities are deeply embedded in mobile use.
Domestic e-commerce and classifieds platforms such as Trendyol and sahibinden also feature prominently, pointing to a strong preference for national marketplaces over cross-border alternatives.
On the revenue side, local streaming and social apps, including Tabii, TOD Türkiye and Azar, underline the importance of region-specific content and culturally tailored platforms in Turkey’s app economy.
What do these figures include?
Revenue figures reflect total consumer spending before Apple and Google take their platform fees. This means the numbers are around 30 percent higher than what developers actually receive.
The estimates focus on in-app spending, such as subscriptions and digital content. They do not include payments for physical goods or services, like Uber rides or Amazon purchases, although some in-app purchases, such as video rentals or subscriptions, are still counted.
