Top Apps Europe 2025: Downloads, Revenue & Country Trends
The mobile app landscape is in constant flux, with some applications experiencing rapid growth while others fade or reinvent themselves. While Facebook once held immense popularity, it has lost ground in many countries. Now, ChatGPT, which didn’t even exist in 2025, dominates downloads. The app ecosystem is undergoing a significant shift, with implications for both users and developers.
Shifting App Preferences in Europe
What are the most downloaded apps across Europe today? The rankings for 2025 reveal user preferences, with productivity, shopping, and social media platforms leading installations. According to estimates from AppFigures, the most downloaded app in the EU in 2025 was ChatGPT, with just over 64 million downloads. Temu followed closely behind with nearly 44 million downloads.
After the top two, download numbers fall to around 27 million. Threads (27.3 million), TikTok (26.8 million), CapCut (25.5 million), and Google Gemini (25.2 million) each recorded over 25 million downloads. WhatsApp Messenger (24.4 million), Revolut (23.9 million), Vinted (23.3 million), and Lidl Plus (22.9 million) rounded out the top ten.
The Rise of AI and Shopping Apps
Analyzing app categories reveals that productivity is a strong performer, almost entirely driven by artificial intelligence (AI). ChatGPT significantly outpaces other applications, while Google Gemini also appears in the top ten. This indicates a transition of AI tools from niche or professional uses to everyday consumer habits, as Europeans increasingly turn to AI for work, study, and personal tasks.
Shopping apps are also prominent, with Temu, Shein, Vinted, Lidl Plus, and Klarna holding key positions. The photo and video category is also relevant, reflecting the growing importance of content creation, editing, and visual communication, particularly for social media and small businesses.
Downloads Don’t Equal Revenue
Estimates for 2025 suggest a widening gap between popularity and profitability in the European app market. While free productivity and shopping apps dominate downloads, entertainment and subscription-based platforms generate the most revenue. TikTok is the highest-grossing app in the EU, with estimated revenues exceeding 740 million euros, despite ranking only fourth in downloads.
ChatGPT follows in second place for revenue, with 448 million euros, demonstrating that subscriptions to AI services are converting users into large-scale paying customers. Tinder, with 429 million euros, ranks third, proving the resilience of dating apps in monetization, even without being among the top twenty most downloaded.
Regional App Variations
The most popular apps vary significantly from country to country. While global apps rank highly across all regions, some local applications also appear in the lists. In the United Kingdom, local services, public sector applications, and national financial platforms are more popular than on the European continent. GOV.UK ID Check and HMRC are among the most downloaded apps in the UK, alongside Monzo and Tesco.
Turkey’s app rankings in 2025 differ significantly from those of the EU or the UK, with local platforms and state-backed digital services playing a much larger role. Government applications like e-Devlet Kapısı and e-Nabız appear alongside telecom and banking apps, such as Turkcell, Türk Telekom, and Garanti BBVA Mobile. This demonstrates how deeply public services and everyday utilities are integrated into mobile use.
Understanding the Numbers
The revenue figures reflect total consumer spending before Apple and Google apply their platform fees, meaning the amounts are approximately 30% higher than what developers actually receive. The estimates focus on in-app spending, such as subscriptions and digital content, and do not include payments for physical goods or services like Uber rides or Amazon purchases, though some in-app purchases, like video rentals or subscriptions, are included.
Frequently Asked Questions
What app was the most downloaded in the EU in 2025?
ChatGPT was the most downloaded app in the EU in 2025, with over 64 million downloads.
Which app generated the most revenue in the EU in 2025?
TikTok generated the most revenue in the EU in 2025, with estimated revenues exceeding 740 million euros.
How do app preferences differ between the UK and Turkey?
The UK shows a preference for local services and financial platforms, while Turkey favors local platforms and state-backed digital services.
As the app market continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how these trends develop and what new applications emerge to capture the attention – and spending – of European consumers.