TL;DR
Appfigures’ annual analysis shows global installs declined for a fifth straight year to about 106.9 billion in 2025, while consumer spending jumped roughly 21.6% to $155.8 billion. Growth in subscription and in-app purchase revenue, especially from non-game apps, drove the rise in spending even as downloads cooled.
What happened
Appfigures’ 2025 annual report found that worldwide mobile app installs across the App Store and Google Play dropped to an estimated 106.9 billion, a 2.7% decrease from 2024 and the fifth consecutive year of declines since the pandemic peak. Despite fewer installs, consumer spending on mobile apps rose sharply to about $155.8 billion, up 21.6% year-over-year. Spending growth was broad: mobile games drew $72.2 billion (a 10% increase) while non-game apps collected $82.6 billion, rising 33.9%. Downloads tell a different story—games fell more pronouncedly, down 8.6% to 39.4 billion installs, while non-game installs were essentially flat at 67.4 billion (up 1.1%). The report highlights the role of subscriptions and in-app purchases in sustaining developer revenue, and notes continued investor activity in the app monetization ecosystem, including fundraising rounds for companies like RevenueCat and Appcharge and an IPO filing from Liftoff Mobile.
Why it matters
- Developers are increasingly monetizing existing users via subscriptions and in‑app purchases, enabling revenue growth despite fewer new installs.
- Non-game apps now account for a larger share of consumer spending, signaling shifting priorities for app publishers and advertisers.
- Prolonged download declines point to market maturation and potential challenges for user-acquisition strategies.
- Investment and exit activity in monetization and subscription infrastructure firms underscores investor confidence in recurring-revenue models.
Key facts
- Global app installs in 2025: estimated 106.9 billion, down 2.7% year-over-year.
- Global consumer spending on mobile apps: estimated $155.8 billion in 2025, up 21.6%.
- Mobile game spending: $72.2 billion (about 46% of total mobile app spending), up 10% year-over-year.
- Non-game app spending: $82.6 billion in 2025, up 33.9% year-over-year.
- Mobile game installs: 39.4 billion in 2025, down 8.6% from 2024.
- Non-game app installs: 67.4 billion in 2025, essentially flat with a 1.1% increase.
- U.S. market: consumers spent an estimated $55.5 billion in 2025 (up 18.1%), while downloads fell to about 10 billion (down 4.2%).
- U.S. breakdown: non-game spending $33.6 billion (up 26.8%), games $21.9 billion (up 6.8%); non-game installs ~7.1 billion, games ~2.9 billion.
- App installs peaked around 135 billion in 2020 and have declined since.
What to watch next
- Whether the shift toward subscriptions and in-app purchases continues to drive revenue growth as installs decline.
- How mobile game monetization strategies evolve in response to larger install declines compared with non-game apps.
- The outcome and market reaction to Liftoff Mobile's IPO filing and further fundraising or consolidation among monetization platforms.
Quick glossary
- Installs (downloads): The number of times an app is downloaded and installed from an app store; a common measure of distribution and user acquisition.
- Consumer spending: The total money users pay for apps, in-app purchases, subscriptions, and other paid digital content within mobile apps.
- Non-game apps: Applications that are not classified as games, including categories like social, productivity, finance, health, and entertainment.
- Subscription economy: A business model where customers pay recurring fees for ongoing access to services or content, often used by apps to generate predictable revenue.
Reader FAQ
Why did consumer spending rise while downloads fell?
According to the Appfigures report, greater adoption of subscriptions and in-app purchases increased revenue per user, offsetting weaker download volumes.
Are mobile games still the top revenue source?
Games remain a major revenue contributor ($72.2 billion), but non-game apps collectively generated more spending in 2025 ($82.6 billion).
Is the decline in app downloads a new trend?
No — installs have been trending down since a 2020 peak of about 135 billion, marking a fifth consecutive year of declines in 2025.
Will more apps adopt subscriptions going forward?
The report indicates widespread use of subscriptions and in-app purchases, but future adoption rates are not specified in the source.
The subscription economy helped boost mobile app revenues in 2025, even as app downloads declined for the fifth consecutive year, according to app intelligence firm Appfigures‘ annual report. In 2025,…
Sources
- App downloads declined again in 2025, but consumer spending soared to nearly $156B
- Ecosystem Report 2025
- Measuring the Digital Economy
- Amazon Statistics: A 2025 Look At Users, Sellers, Revenue …
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