August App Report ChatGPT and TikTok Dominate the Market

A Summer Slowdown in App Downloads

The mobile app landscape settled into a quieter pace in August 2025, marking a typical seasonal shift as summer vacations concluded. Fresh data from Appfigures reveals a noticeable decline in app downloads compared to July, while overall revenue figures held firm. This stability suggests that while users were downloading fewer new apps, their spending patterns within their favorite applications remained consistent. The market leaders maintained their strong positions, and streaming platforms notably carved out a larger share of the earnings pie.

ChatGPT Leads the Global Download Race

ChatGPT continued its impressive run, securing the top spot for global downloads in August with approximately 48 million new installs across both the App Store and Google Play. The AI chatbot's growth was overwhelmingly fueled by Android users, who accounted for 35 million downloads, while iOS users contributed the remaining 13 million.

Following behind, TikTok amassed 38 million installs, with its Lite version proving popular on Android. The rest of the top five global downloads included social media giants Instagram (35 million), Facebook (27 million), and WhatsApp (24 million). In total, the ten most downloaded apps collectively reached 273 million installs for the month.

August 2025 Top Downloads at a Glance

Rank	iOS App Store (Downloads)	Google Play (Downloads)	Combined Global Total
1	ChatGPT – 13M	ChatGPT – 35M	ChatGPT – 48M
2	Threads – 11M	TikTok Lite – 32M	TikTok – 38M
3	Google Maps – 8M	Instagram – 30M	Instagram – 35M
4	CapCut – 8M	Facebook – 23M	Facebook – 27M
5	Temu – 8M	WhatsApp – 19M	WhatsApp – 24M
6	Google – 7M	Temu – 15M	Temu – 22M
7	TikTok – 7M	Snapchat – 15M	Threads – 21M
8	Telegram – 6M	WhatsApp Business – 13M	CapCut – 20M
9	Uber – 5M	Telegram – 13M	Telegram – 19M
10	Google Chrome – 5M	CapCut – 12M	Snapchat – 18M

TikTok Reigns Supreme in App Revenue

While downloads saw a dip, app earnings remained robust. TikTok continued its reign as the top-earning app, bringing in an estimated $335 million in net revenue after store fees. This figure solidifies its significant lead over the competition. ChatGPT secured the second position with $170 million, with the majority of its revenue coming from the App Store. YouTube followed in third, generating $137 million, primarily through iOS transactions.

The top ten highest-earning apps collectively generated about $1.3 billion, a slight increase from July. This growth was bolstered by the strong performance of streaming services.

Streaming Platforms Bolster Earnings Charts

One of the key trends in August was the impressive performance of streaming platforms. Four different services—Disney+, HBO Max, Peacock TV, and Crunchyroll—made it into the top revenue chart, a notable increase from the typical two. This surge highlights the sustained demand for digital entertainment as users settled in after the summer travel season. Together, these platforms demonstrated the significant monetization potential within the streaming sector.

August 2025 Top Revenue at a Glance

Rank	iOS App Store (Revenue)	Google Play (Revenue)	Combined Global Total
1	TikTok – $213M	TikTok – $123M	TikTok – $335M
2	YouTube – $137M	Google One – $99M	ChatGPT – $170M
3	ChatGPT – $123M	ChatGPT – $47M	YouTube – $137M
4	Tinder – $92M	Amazon – $46M	Tinder – $130M
5	CapCut – $81M	Disney+ – $40M	Disney+ – $115M
6	Disney+ – $76M	Tinder – $37M	HBO Max – $101M
7	HBO Max – $72M	Spotify – $32M	Google One – $100M
8	Snapchat – $49M	HBO Max – $29M	CapCut – $93M
9	Peacock TV – $48M	Crunchyroll – $20M	Peacock TV – $59M
10	Tencent Video – $48M	Prime Video – $20M	Crunchyroll – $58M