The mobile app market is busier than ever.
Android users have over 2.1 million apps available for download in the Google Play store.
Apple’s App store, the second largest app store, has over 2 million apps available for iPhone users.
That’s about 4.1 million apps total on the market today!
This made us think…
With all of these apps on the market – where in the world do they come from?
So we decided to research and curate a list of the top 50 apps on the U.S. app market across categories and platforms (iOS and Android), based on data from Apple’s App Store, the Google Play Store, and reputable sources such as App Annie, TechCrunch, and Mashable – and map out where these popular apps got their starts.
Our research approach was multi-layered:
- First, we compiled a list of the top 100+ Android apps in the U.S. by category (free, paid, and highest grossing) based on App Annie’s market intelligence. Then, we did the same thing for the top 100+ iOS apps.
- To make sure we didn’t miss any apps, we cross-referenced the top trending apps on the App Store with those on the Google Play Store and added to our list those top rated apps that weren’t on App Annie.
- From there, we only kept the apps that can be downloaded on both iOS and Android.
- After finalizing our list, we tracked down where each app got its start.
- Lastly, we narrowed it down further by focusing on those countries that are home to the most top rated apps. Since we curated the top apps in the U.S. app market, there’s a possibility that the list might be skewed towards U.S. based apps.
If you’re into the gritty details, you can check out the raw data for our Top 50 Apps list here.
So now that you understand the method to our madness, can you guess where most of the top viral apps come from?
Let’s find out!
Top Apps That Originate From the U.S.
- YouTube
- Snapchat
- Google Maps
- Netflix
- Pandora: Music & Podcasts
- NBA 2K19
- Messenger
- Final Fantasy XV
- HBO NOW
- HotSchedules
- DoorDash
- WhatsApp Messenger
- Scribblenauts Remix
- Tinder
- Bumble
- Venmo
- Hulu
- Papa’s Freezeria To Go!
- Pokémon Go
- Cash App
- Amazon Shopping
- Amazon Video
- Amazon Music
- SoundCloud
- Uber
- UberEats
- Lyft
- Gmail
- Google Photos
- ESPN: Live Sports & Scores
- YouTube Music
- Game of Thrones: Conquest
Social Networking and Messaging Apps
It’s no surprise that 36 of the top apps on our list come from the U.S.
The top social networking, messaging, and communication apps on iOS and Google Play all have their roots in Silicon Valley, California.
Coincidence? Definitely not.
Silicon Valley, the southern San Francisco Bay Area of California, is home to many startups and global tech companies in the U.S.
Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp all had their humble beginnings in Silicon Valley (all also now owned by Facebook Inc.).
Did you know that 2.5 billion people across the globe use at least one of Facebook’s apps?
Without question, these U.S. / Silicon Valley-based social networking apps are dominating the market:
- Instagram, the popular mobile photo sharing platform, has over 1 billion monthly active users.
- Facebook has over 2.32 billion monthly active users (mobile & desktop).
- WhatsApp has over 1.5 billion active monthly mobile users.
- Facebook messenger has over 1.3 billion mobile phone messaging app users worldwide.
- Nearly 70 percent of millennials say social networking apps are among their most commonly used.
Video Streaming Apps
The top video streaming apps on our list originate from the U.S. as well: YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video, HBO NOW, and ESPN. You can find the majority of these apps (all but HBO) in the chart below – ranked by highest number of monthly active users.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/13/youtubes-app-is-dominating-mobile-video-by-monthly-users-time-spent/
YouTube ranks first, followed by Netflix, and ESPN, across both Android and iOS.
Mobile video is really killing it. This is further proven by the steep rise of mobile video consumption since 2013:
Source: https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2017/03/08/video-marketing-statistics
We expect these U.S. based video streaming apps will stay on the Top 50 Apps for a while!
Dating Apps
Another highly popular app you may have heard of (or have used yourself) is the Tinder dating app.
The Business of Apps predicted that Tinder revenue for 2018 would reach $800 million – double what it did the year prior. Although it’s unclear whether Tinder reached its goals, if the app’s consistent subscriber growth is any indication of trajectory, it should be well on its way to a solid increase in revenue:
Source: http://www.businessofapps.com/data/tinder-statistics/
Bumble is another popular dating app based out of Austin, Texas on our list. Although Bumble doesn’t have the same hype as Tinder, it’s a fierce competitor bringing in about $200 million in revenue in 2018.
Gaming Apps
Along with dating apps, the U.S. has also released some popular gaming apps such as Final Fantasy 4 , NBA 2K19, and Pokémon GO. Here’s a peek at the infamous Pokémon GO:
Ride Sharing & Food Delivery Apps
Lastly, we’ll highlight the “uber” popular Uber, UberEats, Lyft, and the DoorDash apps. Check out some impressive stats from these service-driven apps:
- Uber is available in 65 countries and over 600 cities worldwide.
- Lyft is available in 65 cities.
- DoorDash, a food delivery app, has more than 110,000 menus across 600+ cities in the U.S. and Canada.
Without question, the U.S. comes out on top for its list of innovative and globally-dominating social networking, messaging, video streaming, food delivery, ride sharing, and even dating mobile apps.
But… as you’ll notice in the following sections, other countries come out on top for gaming, photo editing, and emerging social networking app categories. Let’s take a look…
Top Apps That Originate from Sweden
- Minecraft
- Geometry Dash
- Candy Crush Saga
- Toca Hair Salon 3
Most likely you’ve heard of the game Minecraft, but did you know it was based out of Sweden?
It was developed by Swedish developer Markus Persson and released by Mojang in 2011. In 2014, Markus went on to sell his game to Microsoft for a whopping $2.5 billion.
Not bad for something that Persson says he started as a hobby!
Here’s a screenshot of Minecraft on the App Store:
Source: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/minecraft/id479516143?mt=8
It currently sells for $6.99 USD in both the Apple Store and Google Play Store.
Similarly, Geometry Dash was developed by another Swedish developer, Robert Topala.
The game is a rhythm-based platform with 21 official levels and more than 40 million others created by players online. To play, players jump and fly their way through different obstacles and danger zones.
The game sells for $1.99 USD currently on the Apple Store and Google Play Store.
Here’s a screenshot of the game on the Google Play Store:
Source: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.robtopx.geometryjump&hl=en_US
Candy Crush Saga (which I know you’ve heard of) is a free puzzle video game played by millions around the globe:
Source: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/candy-crush-saga/id553834731?mt=8
Unlike the Minecraft and Geometry Dash apps, Candy Crush Saga uses a freemium model, where gamers are upsold with add-ons, extra features, and upgrades. The popular series (which includes two other sister apps) brings in an average of $3.9 million a day for King, the company behind the Candy Crush franchise.
The last app from Sweden on our Top 50 is called Toca Hair Salon 3. It’s a light-hearted game designed for kids that lets them create characters, change up their hairstyle, and customize their look.
To our amazement, this one is quite popular for paid apps on both Google Play and the App Store (ranks at number 34 on iOS in U.S. as of April 15, 2019). Toca Boca, maker of the app, has won multiple awards including Editor’s Choice in Children’s Technology Review (for a total of six times) and the Telenor Digital Prize 2011.
Check out the cute characters on Toca Hair Salon:
Source: https://tocaboca.com/app/toca-hair-salon-3/
This one goes for $3.99 USD on the App Store and Google Play.
If you didn’t know already: Swedish developers are exceptional at developing apps that not only go viral, but make money (tons of it)!
Top Apps That Originate From Israel & Turkey
- Facetune
- Run Race 3D
- Toon Blast
First up – Facetune, a portrait-editing app for iOS and Android devices, lets users easily tweak and touch up their facial features with a few simple swipes. The app was developed by Lightricks, an Israel-based startup company established by five entrepreneurs, four of them PhDs studying computer graphics.
Facetune was named Apple’s #4 best-selling paid app in 2016. It was also named Apple’s most popular paid app of 2017.
Upon initial release, more than 10 million copies were sold (at between $3.99 and $5.99 each). This is by far, one of the most popular photo editing apps on the market.
Source: https://www.facetuneapp.com/
Tel Aviv, Israel has become one of the hottest tech hubs on the globe with over 1,700 startups and tech companies. It’s now home to its own “Silicon Valley” called Silicon Wadi.
According to a recent report from the Israel Venture Capital Research Center and ZAG-S&W firm, an estimated $1.44 billion raised was raised in high tech capital in the country in Q3 of 2017 alone.
Certainly, we can expect more viral apps to originate from Israel in the future.
The next two apps on the list, Run Race 3D and Toon Blast, originate from Istanbul, Turkey.
Run Race 3D is free and offers users a thrilling adventure – passing level by scurrying down runways, jumping from wall to wall and climbing ropes quicker than your opponents.
Source: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/run-race-3d/id1456492106?mt=8
It’s been named Apple’s “Best Free Running game”.
Toon Blast, a cartoon puzzle adventure, is a paid app and one of the App Store and Google Play Store’s top grossing games (as of April 2019). Developed by Peak Games, Toon Blast is a fun, social and engaging casual mobile game that is widely loved. The app has an insane 50,000,000+ installs on Google Play alone.
Istanbul, Turkey might be onto something 🙂
Top Apps That Originate From China
- TikTok (formerly known as Musical.ly)
- Guns of Glory
- Pubg Mobile
China has some of the top revenue-generating apps on the market (yet again, not shocking).
Most likely, you’ve heard of TikTok, or have seen it on your Instagram feed.
TikTok was originally founded under the name Musical.ly by longtime friends Alex Zhu and Luyu Yang in Shanghai, China. Musical.ly was acquired by Bytedance for an estimated $800 million in 2017, and shortly after was rebranded as TikTok, an app that Bytedance already owned. The app is free to download and lets users create and share 15-second videos on its social platform.
Over the past year, TikTok has been gaining real momentum across the globe. It’s all the rave among teens and adults too. According to SensorTower:
- TikTok has been installed by more than 1.1 billion people around the globe.
- The company has generated $80 million from in-app purchases.
Source: https://www.tiktok.com/
Guns of Glory & Pubg Mobile are also both from China and among the highest revenue generating apps on the App Store and Google Play Store (both, as at April 2019).
When it comes to apps that generate lots of revenue – China has it figured out.
Top Apps That Originate From Germany
- Construction Simulator 3
- Pinatamasters
Germany is next with two of the Top 50 Apps.
Construction Simulator 3 is a paid simulation game available on both Google Play and Apple Stores. The game captures its audience with 70 challenging missions and offers players the opportunity to work their way up from a small construction zone to the largest in the region.
Take a look at the game’s construction zones:
Source: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/construction-simulator-2/id983632334?mt=8
Pinatamasters, on the other hand, is free and comes highly rated on the App Store:
Source: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pinatamasters/id1438090112?mt=8
Germany is the originator of many top-rated physical games (i.e. board games and deck-building games), so it’s both unsurprising that they are behind two top-rated gaming apps, but also surprising that it’s only two!
Top Apps That Originate From The UK
- Stardew Valley
- The Game of Life
London, United Kingdom is also home to 2 of our Top 50 Apps.
Stardew Valley by Chucklefish Limited and The Game of Life by Marmalade Game Studio were both created in London-based development studios.
The award-winning game Stardew Valley allows gamers to build the farm of their dreams:
Source: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stardew-valley/id1406710800?mt=8
The Game of Life let’s players create the life of their dreams, from going to college to landing their dream job:
Stardew Valley and The Game of Life also compete with one another as one of the top apps in the paid category.
The concept of creating your own life, whether it’s farming or landing your dream job, seems to be appealing to many as these London apps compete among the top paid apps in the App Store and Google Play Store!
What country was the most surprising to you?
It’s fascinating to learn the origins of today’s top apps: Silicon Valley, London, Israel, Turkey, Sweden, Germany, China.
The U.S. wins for having the most categories, such as social networking, messaging, and video streaming – which we definitely suspected. If you’re looking to build an app in these categories, your best bet will be to pack your bags and get those creative juices flowing in Silicon Valley.
To our surprise, Sweden is making moves in gaming and with how they monetize their apps. Candy Crush Saga (from Sweden) makes an average of $3.6 million a day! Minecraft was sold to Microsoft for $2.5 billion. Reverse-engineering Sweden’s games to try and create your own cash cow wouldn’t be a bad idea!
Facetune has been on the top selling and most popular charts for years. They’ve mastered the art of AI technology and photo editing for selfies. We expect Silicon Wadi will be out with more viral apps in the future.
Things brings us to our final thought: Although the U.S. has historically dominated the app market, countries around the globe are starting to break through and offer some serious competition.
Let us know what surprised you the most in the comments below!
