Apple Reveal the all-time Biggest App Downloads

Mike Halsey MVP
Mar 7, 2012
Updated • Jan 4, 2018
Apple, Apps, Companies
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To mark the download of the 25 billionth app from the Apple App Store the company has released a series of all-time top 25 lists for app downloads.  Unsurprisingly games are at the top of the lists in a big way with Angry Birds being the all-time top paid for app, Fruit Ninja at number two then Doodle Jump and Cut the Rope.  Angry Birds Seasons comes in at number 5 and it's not until we get to number 10 do we get a non-game.

In the free apps it's different with utilities filling the top spots with Facebook, Pandora Radio, Words with Friends Free and Skype filling the top four places.

Apple invented the App phenomenon which has now spread to every other computing platform including Windows.  The quantity, quality and success of apps is now widely considered as an indicator of the overall success of an operating system.  This is in start contrast to other factors which were important in the past but have faded now.

Apps are also amazingly popular on Google's Android operating system but have struggled more on the Blackberry Playbook and HP TouchPad (which was discontinued).  While we can be certain that apps in Windows 8 will also be popular the Windows Store is currently fairly barren and it will be many years, if ever, before it catches up with the volume of apps available for iOS and Android.

The full charts, which were compiled by MacStories is below and we can be sure that software developers will be pouring over the list to see what is most popular.  The good news is that lists such as this are very unlikely to ever stifle innovation and prevent new types of apps from appearing in the future.

Top Paid iPhone

  1. Angry Birds
  2. Fruit Ninja
  3. Doodle Jump
  4. Cut The Rope
  5. Angry Birds Seasons
  6. Words With Friends
  7. Tiny Wings
  8. Angry Birds Rio
  9. Pocket God
  10. Camera+
  11. The Moron Test
  12. Plants vs. Zombies
  13. Skee-Ball
  14. The Game of Life
  15. Scrabble
  16. Monopoly
  17. Fat Booth
  18. WhatsApp
  19. UNO
  20. Color Splash
  21. The Sims 3
  22. Flight Control
  23. MotionX GPS Drive
  24. Where’s Waldo
  25. I Am T-Pain 2.0

Top Free iPhone

  1. Facebook
  2. Pandora Radio
  3. Words With Friends Free
  4. Skype
  5. The Weather Channel
  6. Google Search
  7. Google Earth
  8. Angry Birds Free
  9. Shazam
  10. Netflix
  11. Paper Toss
  12. Twitter
  13. Movies by Flixster
  14. Bump
  15. PAC-MAN Lite
  16. Flashlight.
  17. Unblock Me FREE
  18. Temple Run
  19. Instagram
  20. Touch Hockey
  21. Angry Birds Lite
  22. ESPN ScoreCenter
  23. Fruit Ninja Lite
  24. Groupon
  25. Angry Birds Rio Free

Top Paid iPad

  1. Pages
  2. Angry Birds HD
  3. Angry Birds Seasons HD
  4. Penultimate
  5. Scrabble for iPad
  6. Fruit Ninja HD
  7. GarageBand
  8. GoodReader
  9. Angry Birds Rio HD
  10. Cut The Rope HD
  11. Numbers
  12. Keynote
  13. Words With Friends HD
  14. Star Walk for iPad
  15. MONOPOLY for iPad
  16. Plants vs. Zombies HD
  17. Where’s My Water?
  18. Friendly Plus for Facebook
  19. QuickOffice Pro HD
  20. Notability
  21. Splashtop Remote Desktop for iPad
  22. Pinball HD
  23. MyPad+ – For Facebook & Twitter
  24. Infinity Blade
  25. Real Racing 2

Top Free iPad

  1. Angry Birds HD Free
  2. The Weather Channel for iPad
  3. Netflix
  4. Skype for iPad
  5. Kindle
  6. ABC Player
  7. Pandora Radio
  8. Angry Birds HD Free
  9. CNN App for iPad
  10. Words With Friends HD Free
  11. Google Earth
  12. Calculator Pro for iPad Free
  13. Fruit Ninja HD Lite
  14. Calculator for iPad Free
  15. NYTimes for iPad
  16. USA TODAY for iPad
  17. Facebook
  18. MyPad – for Facebook & Twitter
  19. Flipboard
  20. eBay for iPad
  21. Angry Birds Seasons HD Free
  22. Dictionary.com
  23. Twitter
  24. Solitaire
  25. Friendly for Facebook
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Comments

  1. Doc said on March 10, 2012 at 8:05 pm
    Reply

    Your lists have too small a left margin…when you get to 10, the “1” digit is cut off (as is the “2” digit for 20 and up).

  2. Ross Presser said on March 8, 2012 at 5:33 pm
    Reply

    Pardon me? “Apple invented the App phenomenon”? There used to be a little thing called Palm.

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