Global app downloads saw a decline in 2024 while consumer spending continued to rise, according to new data from app intelligence firm Appfigures. The findings reveal shifting dynamics in the mobile app ecosystem as it matures.
Consumer spending across the App Store and Google Play reached $127 billion in 2024, marking a 15.7% increase from the previous year. However, this growth was primarily driven by Apple's App Store, which generated $91.6 billion in revenue, up 24% year-over-year. In contrast, Google Play saw a 1.5% decline in consumer spending, totaling $35.7 billion.
Despite rising revenues, global app downloads decreased by 2.3% compared to 2023, reaching approximately 110 billion downloads. iOS downloads fell 1.1% to 28.3 billion installs, while Android downloads on Google Play dropped 2.6% to 81.4 billion.
The U.S. market reflected these global trends, with total app downloads declining 3.4% to reach 10.6 billion. However, U.S. consumer spending remained strong at $47.6 billion, representing an 11% increase from 2023.
Instagram emerged as the most downloaded app globally in 2024, securing nearly 640 million installs. In the U.S., shopping platform Temu topped the download charts with 48 million installs. TikTok led in revenue generation, earning an estimated $2.5 billion globally and $1.3 billion in the U.S.
The data suggests a maturing app market where revenue growth is increasingly driven by subscriptions rather than new downloads. While only 5% of apps offered subscriptions, they accounted for 48% of app revenue across both stores. The top 10 earning apps generated 13.7% of all consumer spending, up from 12.5% in 2023.
Brazil showed the strongest growth in consumer spending with a 73% year-over-year increase, while Mexico recorded the largest increase in app downloads, adding 225 million more installs than in 2023.
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