Global user spending in the top 10 highest-earning mobile meditation apps grew 52% year-over-year in 2019 to $195 million, according to Sensor Tower data. This compares to $128 million in 2018 and just over $8 million in 2015, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 121% over five years. Calm led with an estimated $92 million in 2019 revenue (up 46% YoY) and Headspace followed with $56 million (up 33% YoY).
These two apps have been in the top 10 every year since 2015. First-time installs of the top 10 most downloaded meditation apps reached 57.4 million in 2019, up 26% from 2018, and up from 8.6 million in 2015 (CAGR 61%). Calm added 24 million new users and Headspace 13 million.
The category has evolved from a potential fad to a significant revenue contributor, and future growth may see more niche mindfulness approaches.
In 2019, users spent $83.5 billion globally on apps and mobile games, up 17% from 2018. App Store revenue hit $54.2 billion, while Google Play reached $29.3 billion. Games accounted for 74% of spending. First-time installs totaled 114.9 billion, with Google Play leading growth.
TikTok hit 738M downloads and $177M revenue in 2019, growing 5x from 2018. India led downloads (44%). China topped revenue (69%). Q4 was best quarter. App faces privacy challenges but growth persists.
TikTok surpasses 1.5 billion downloads, ranking 3rd most downloaded non-gaming app in 2019. India leads with 31% of installs, China 11.5%, US 8.2%. Revenue hits $175M, mainly from China (48.3%) and US (35.7%).
TikTok had its best month in February 2020 with nearly 113 million downloads, 96% Y/Y growth. India led with 46.6M installs, followed by Brazil and US. Revenue hit $50.4M, up 784% Y/Y, mostly from China.
Short drama apps are reshaping mobile entertainment, surpassing 850M downloads in Q1 2026 (up 140% YoY) with IAP revenue reaching $750M. Growth is concentrated in Southeast Asia, Latin America, and India, where these apps outpace traditional OTT in user acquisition. Engagement is surging: daily time spent grew 85% to 25 minutes globally, nearing OTT levels in Southeast Asia. For ad ops, the shift toward ad monetization in addition to IAP opens new inventory opportunities. Key players like FreeReels, NetShort, and Melolo are scaling via localized content and paid acquisition, creating competitive ad markets.
Mobile Legends: Bang Bang reached $502.5 million lifetime gross revenue, driven by $214.1 million in 2019 (up 36% YoY). Asia contributed 61% of revenue, with Malaysia ($87.5M) and Indonesia ($69.2M) as top markets. Google Play accounted for 68% of revenue and 89% of 281.3 million downloads. First-mover advantage helped it surpass Honor of Kings outside China.
European finance app installs hit 960M in 2025 but grew only 0.4%. BNPL apps grew 40% while crypto fell 35%, signaling a shift to utility. Neobanks win acquisition; traditional banks win retention (1.5-2x Day 30 rates). Web-to-app drives 41.8% of conversions but most brands can't measure the handoff. Nearly 1 in 2 investment app installs in Western Europe is fraudulent, distorting CPI and ROAS. Winning brands prioritize engagement, fraud detection, and cross-platform measurement.
Fate/Grand Order surpassed $4 billion in lifetime player spending, with 81.5% from Japan. It generated $1 billion annually in 2018 and 2019, and became Japan's top-grossing mobile game in 2020.
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