It’s 2025, which means we have data to look at for December, arguably the best month yet for a wide range of app and game types. The gains were visible across the board. Every app on the top 10 list saw its revenue increase in December.
TikTok took the crown. The app may be banned in the US this week, but that didn’t stop the short-form video platform from growing to an impressive $336 million in net revenue. That’s TikTok’s all-time record for a single month.
YouTube came in second, with $136 million in net revenue in December. When rounded up, that looks like the same amount as November, but it’s actually a bit higher. YouTube, however, was the only app that didn’t see a bigger increase. A subscription price increase is likely on the horizon.
Disney+, Tinder, and Max round out the top five highest-grossing apps in December — the same set we saw last month, but with roughly $60 million more.
The only app that wasn’t there last month was TikTok’s video editor, CapCut. CapCut had a very strong December, finishing with $59 million in net revenue from the App Store and Google Play — mostly from the App Store, though. CapCut’s fate is tied to TikTok’s, and it could also be banned.
According to AppFigures, the world’s 10 highest-grossing apps brought in $1.1 billion in net revenue in December. That’s a double-digit increase from November and the highest revenue ever.
Download Trends and Ongoing Updates
In contrast to the surprising growth in app revenue in December, downloads followed a very different trend.
Instagram is once again the most downloaded app in the world. The platform, which could see a big boost from TikTok being banned, saw 48 million new downloads on the App Store and Google Play in December. That’s down slightly from November, which is somewhat surprising given that so many new phones were given away. But when you think about the demographic that got these new phones and their attachment to TikTok, it all makes more sense.
TikTok was the second-most downloaded app in the world in December. Unlike Instagram, downloads didn’t drop. But… they also didn’t grow globally. They grew in the U.S., but most of TikTok’s growth isn’t in the U.S., so that didn’t help it overall. TikTok is living on borrowed time as the U.S. government counts down the minutes until January 19, the deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok to a U.S. company or face a ban from Apple, Google, and the web.
WhatsApp, Facebook, and ChatGPT round out the top five most downloaded apps in December. The entire set is identical to November, but with the same or fewer downloads. Fewer downloads and more revenue is a trend that will continue into 2025, adds NIX Solutions.
TikTok video editor CapCut has risen to No. 6 after failing to chart at all in November. It could also be banned next week. Together, the top 10 most downloaded apps in December reached 327 million devices worldwide. That’s down a few million from November. And if you’re spending time acquiring users, make sure you’re also spending time converting those downloads into paying users.
We’ll keep you updated on any major changes or new developments.