These Are the Most Downloaded Mobile Apps in December 2020

Daniel Vogel Daniel Vogel
1/21/21

Like our review of the most downloaded games in December, we're now looking at ranks in each store as well as a combined list across both. Despite some regulatory challenges, " target="_blank" data-toggle="tooltip" title="View App Intelligence for TikTok">TikTok continues to dominate.

The most downloaded apps in the world in December 2020

The US government delayed its December 4th deadline imposed on TikTok parent company ByteDance, which would have forced the company to spin off the US versions of the app.

Subsequently, TikTok garnered more than 60 million downloads globally in December, with most of that growth coming from US users. According to our models, in the App Store alone, TikTok generated almost 4 million more downloads than in November.

Who Dares Challenge TikTok?

December also saw another short-form video app Likee make its way into the overall top 10. Moj, another TikTok competitor from India didn't make the cut, but got close.

Singapore-based Likee distinguishes itself from TikTok with social features such as allowing users to see nearby users and gives users the ability to upload their own music, but Moj has a strong presence in India because it's local and because India has banned both Likee and TikTok:

Estimated downloads of Moj in India

Trending in the 2nd Largest Country Is Huge

After 11 months of COVID-19 lockdowns, WhatApp Business has made its way onto the Google Play top 10.

Like Moj, WhatsApp Business has seen solid growth in India – almost 40% of its new users in December were from India.

Noticeably, according to our estimates, less than one percent of its new users were in the US.

Can Facebook Fight Off Signal?

Facebook apps continue to command both the App Store and Google Play, occupying 4 and 5 out of the top 10 slots, respectively.

Whatsapp and Messenger remain the most popular messaging apps but come January, Facebook will face a strong challenge from Signal.

Update - An earlier version of this report showed Moj as ranked in the combined list incorrectly.

App Intelligence for Everyone!

The insights in this report come right out of our App Intelligence platform, which offers access to download and revenue estimates, installed SDKs, and more! Learn more about the tools or schedule a demo with our team to get started.

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All figures included in this report are estimated. Unless specified otherwise, estimated revenue is always net, meaning it's the amount the developer earned after Apple and Google took their fee.


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