What’s Trending: Most Popular Mobile App Categories of 2025
Smartphones have become our portable companions that we simply can’t live without. Besides making calls and texting, mobile apps are a huge part of the smartphone experience, making our interaction fun, engaging, and convenient.
Whether playing games, having a business meeting, or planning your fitness routine, apps have become intertwined with our work, lifestyle, and everything we do. There are over 2.8 million apps on the Google Play Store and more than 1.9 million on the App Store.
But even in their vast numbers, mobile apps are further divided into categories. Apple’s App Store has about 24 categories, while Google’s Play Store has about 33 categories of mobile apps. If you want to invest in an app, knowing which app categories are popular among users is important.
For Android and iOS apps, these five mobile app categories – Gaming, Business, Education, Lifestyle, and Utility- comprise around 50% of the total apps available.
- Game Apps
Since the era of classic phones with popular games like Tetris and Snake, it’s no coincidence that even in 2025, most people turn to their phones for gaming. Only this time, the specs are higher and the experience more immersive. According to Statista, gaming apps made up about 12% of apps in the Apple App Store at the end of the second quarter of 2024. Games like Subway Surfers, Candy Crush Saga, and PUBG Mobile have billions of downloads, showing how popular mobile gaming apps are. They have become the go-to source of entertainment for anyone with a few minutes to spare, whether during lunch break, commuting, or just relaxing.
Popular game app categories include puzzle, strategy, action, sports, and casual games. Another genre of gaming apps that has quickly become well-known is casino and betting apps. Casino apps let players enjoy games like slots, blackjack, and roulette, with the chance to win real money. Betting apps feature sportsbooks that let players wager on their favorite teams using their preferred payment method, whether it’s PayPal, Visa, or Skrill. To cater to this demand, many betting sites that accept PayPal also offer dedicated apps for a streamlined experience.
- Business Apps
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses and corporations took their work online, which led to an increase in the usage of business apps. In the App Store, business apps account for 10.11% of the total apps.
Business apps serve many purposes, including team collaboration, communication, networking, employment, and billing. However, their overall goal is to help users in the day-to-day operations of businesses. Think of apps like Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, and Google Workspace, which provide a smooth work transition online. LinkedIn is also an excellent social business app that gives users access to employment opportunities, including hiring.
- Educational Apps
For the longest time, learning was confined within classroom walls. But during the pandemic, physical interaction was restricted, and online learning became a suitable alternative. The approach led to the development of educational apps that provided learning resources.
Platforms like Google Classroom, Duolingo, and Coursera provide all learning materials on their apps. Users learn a new skill and gain knowledge directly from expert content or trained tutors with flexible programs.
- Lifestyle Apps
With more people becoming conscious of their lifestyle, this category of apps is quite popular and diverse. However, the main goal remains to improve one’s life. Are you looking to keep track of your daily steps and get a suitable workout routine? Or have a motivational reminder every time you are feeling low? A lifestyle app can serve any of these needs.
Dating apps like Tinder fall under lifestyle apps as they help users develop a connection. If you want to improve anything in your personal life, chances are there’s a lifestyle app ready to help.
- Utility Apps
Whether they work silently in the background or are intentionally downloaded for a specific reason, utility apps are available on almost every smartphone. You might not use them actively like gaming apps, but most people use them at least once daily.
One example of a utility app is VPN apps like NordVPN or ExpressVPN, which users use to mask their IP address. Some also use internet speed test apps to ensure their connection is clocking the right speeds. Other utility apps you might be familiar with include Adobe, Google Docs, and RAR.
- Entertainment Apps
Even though they don’t feature in the top five most popular app categories, entertainment apps are also downloaded in the millions, if not billions. A Friday night isn’t complete without some Netflix and chill, and any boredom feeling can easily go away with funny 15-second TikTok videos. Besides games, people look for entertainment apps like Twitch, Reddit, Amazon Prime, Netflix, and TikTok to entertain themselves.
