Meesho, MX Player to Free Fire, the highest apps in India for 2021: App Annie report

Indians spent a median of 4.7 hours in entrance of their cell phone in 2021 with apps equivalent to Instagram, YouTube, MX TakaTak, Meesho, Free Fire and Ludo King popping out on prime in varied classes, in accordance with App Annie, a prime cell app analytics analysis agency.
App Annie’s ‘State of Mobile’ 2021 checked out varied classes of apps, downloads, client spending for customers the world over, and in India, on their cell phones. Here’s a take a look at the highest factors within the report, together with the main apps in India, throughout classes.
Gaming apps in India
Globally hit video games equivalent to Roblox and Genshin Impact noticed additional development in 2021 with elevated client spending. In India, client spending on cell video games grew as effectively to $0.17 billion, which is a major improve from $0.4 billion in 2020. Mobile sport downloads in India additionally grew considerably to 9.33 billion in whole.
The video games which noticed breakout client spending in India had been Top War: Battle Game, adopted by Genshin Impact, Evony, and Match Masters. The sport with breakout downloads within the nation was ‘Bridge Race’, which was additionally a worldwide hit. This was adopted by FAU: G, and Legend Squad 3D for the Indian market.
The video games with breakout Monthly Active customers (MAU) in India had been Free Fire, PUBG: New State, and Bridge Race.
The video games in India with breakout downloads and in different international locations. (Image credit score: AppAnnie)
Overall the highest sport in India when it comes to client spending was Free Fire, adopted by Call of Duty: Mobile, Coin Master, Candy Crush, and Teen Patti. The prime sport in India when it comes to general downloads was Ludo King, adopted by Free Fire and Carrom Pool.

Top video games general in India. (Image credit score: App Annie)
Social, Dating apps: prime developments globally and for India
App Annie notes that the time spent on the highest 25 reside streaming apps outpaced the social market general year-over-year by an element of 9. These apps are additionally driving client spending given customers are ‘tipping’ their favourite content material creators.
Globally, TikTok was the winner in per consumer engagement among the many prime 5 social apps which had probably the most time spent in 2021. But in India, it was Meta’s (previously Facebook) apps that had been benefitting given the TikTok ban in 2020. Both Facebook and Instagram noticed their engagement deepening by 15 per cent and 35 per cent respectively in 2021 in India.
The prime social apps in India when it comes to downloads. (Image credit score: App Annie)
Instagram led the Indian market when it comes to downloads within the social class, adopted by MX TakaTak, Facebook, Snapchat, and Moj. WhatsApp messenger was quantity eight on the checklist. The prime app when it comes to client spending on this class was Tango Live which is a reside streaming app, adopted by Truecaller, and Who (Call&Chat), which is one other reside streaming app.
For relationship apps, whereas client spending continued to develop pushed by markets such because the US, Japan, the UK, and China, India noticed a decline in distinction. App Annie notes that “despite its population size, India is one region that saw declining consumer spend on dating apps, although it is still up 18 per cent since 2018.”
It provides that “India is a unique market where, although users of dating apps may not be spending heavily, more than 75 per cent of Indian daters have started going on hobby dates and more than 50 per cent are thinking of dating as a way to explore.”

Globally, Tinder was the main app when it comes to client spending within the relationship class. It additionally maintained this lead in India. However, when it comes to downloads, the main app in India was CuteU adopted by ZeepLive.
Finance apps
In India, finance apps crossed 1 billion downloads in 2021 with 28 per cent year-on-year improve. Apps equivalent to Binance, and WazirX noticed the very best improve in utilization year-on-year. According to AppAnnie, “understanding the flexibility of their offerings that go beyond trading cryptocurrency assets is crucial for any app publisher that tries to emulate their successful adoption worldwide.”
While US-based publishers dominated the cryptocurrency area, taking on half of the highest 10 most downloaded cryptocurrency apps worldwide, India was a rising contender in 2021 as effectively.
For occasion, CoinDCX Investment reached quantity 9 worldwide among the many most downloaded cryptocurrency apps, although it launched within the fourth quarter of 2020. While PhonePe led the India market when it comes to breakout downloads, it was adopted by Bajaj FinServ, CoinSwap, Upstox Pro, CoinDCX Investment, and WazirX within the checklist.
Streaming apps
Thanks to the pandemic, increasingly persons are indoors, and streaming companies proceed to achieve from this. App Annie expects Netflix to cross multiple million native downloads and a strong viewers in over 60+ international locations. Meanwhile, Disney+ (which is Disney+Hotstar in India) has additionally managed to rival Amazon Prime Video’s international footprint, although it launched solely on the finish of 2019.
Also as knowledge confirmed, content material might help enhance downloads. While Made for Love (TV Series) coincided with a 61 per cent improve in downloads of the HBO Max app, Squid Game’s launch in September 2021 noticed a 6 per cent enhance for Netflix app downloads.
The main video streaming apps in India and APAC area by downloads. (Image credit score: AppAnnie)
Interestingly for India, MX Player was the first driver of development for whole hours spent on streaming video apps. Disney+Hotstar was the chief in downloads within the Indian market, adopted by MX Player, Zee5, Daily Hunt, JioTV, Amazon Prime Video, SonyLive, Voot, BOOYAH Live, and YouTube Kids. Netflix just isn’t within the prime ten checklist for India when it comes to downloads.
However, when it comes to client spending, whereas Disney+Hotstar was the chief, YouTube, and SonyLive had been quantity two and three. This was adopted by Zee5 and Netflix.
Health and Fitness
Meditation apps continued to make positive factors within the Health and Fitness class. According to the information, Calm stays probably the most downloaded meditation app each in 2020 and 2021 worldwide, with Headspace and Meditopia rounding out the highest three.
Further, each Calm and Headspace noticed whole time spent of their Google Play apps improve by 12 per cent and 15 per cent year-on-year respectively. These two had been the highest apps in India when it comes to client spending as effectively, adopted by CultFit, Flo (Ovulation and Period tracker), and Strava.
The enterprise/job apps had been a giant hit in India. (Image credit score: App Annie)
Apps for jobs, Retail procuring
Another fascinating pattern was that job looking platforms like Sonic and Apna had been the primary breakout apps by downloads within the UK and India, respectively. In India, apps equivalent to WhatsApp Business, PhonePe Business, Kormo Jobs, Hirect, noticed breakout downloads as effectively.
In procuring/retail class, Flipkart had breakout month-to-month energetic customers (MAU) adopted by Meesho, Amazon, Ajio Shopping, and Myntra. Newcomer Shopee was quantity seven on the checklist general for India. However, Meesho led when it comes to breakout downloads, whereas Shopee was quantity 4. Flipkart was quantity six, whereas Amazon just isn’t listed within the prime ten.
The breakout procuring apps of APAC when it comes to downloads. For India, Meesho was on prime. (Image credit score: App Annie
Increase in time spent, downloads
App Annie’s report notes that 2021 noticed large development in client spending on cell phone apps, with the US witnessing an extra $43 billion within the 12 months, which was a 30 per cent yearly development. In markets like India, there was stand-out development when it got here to app downloads.
Further, practically seven out of each ten minutes on cell had been spent on social and picture and & video apps this 12 months. Apps equivalent to YouTube, TikTok proceed to see a rise with customers even turning what was thought of as ‘non-mobile’ time into time spent in apps and video games, notes the report.
Gen Z is social and video first
The report notes that Gen Z (born in mid-Nineties to early 2010s) is extra into images, video, leisure, and social apps. The prime apps for Gen Z customers had been Instagram, Spotify, Netflix, Snapchat, and TikTok. For millennials although, finance and procuring apps stay large. The prime social apps for them had been Facebook, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and eBay. This is month-to-month energetic customers in a selected age group.