Leading Software Brands in France: Q1 2025 Performance Overview

Introduction

In the dynamic landscape of software in France, a few prominent brands have emerged as leaders with impressive digital footprints. This article delves into the performance of Google Search, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365 during Q1 2025, highlighting trends in audience engagement across websites and apps. Sensor Tower's comprehensive data offerings, including Web Insights, App Performance Insights, and Pathmatics, provide a unique lens into these brands' digital dominance.

Google Search

Google Search continues to be a cornerstone in the software category, maintaining a robust presence through its platforms.

• Audience Trends: The primary website, google.com, saw visits stabilize above 6B monthly, with unique visits hovering around 48M monthly. The app, Google, maintained a steady monthly active user base in the range of 48M to 49M.

• Google Lens: The website lens.google experienced a decline in visits, dropping from 4M monthly to under 1M monthly. The app's monthly active user base remained stable at just over 100K, indicating a niche but consistent user base.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Google Search's advertising efforts were concentrated in late 2024, with a notable monthly spend spike in November, primarily on YouTube, achieving impressions of over 7.5M monthly.

Google Workspace

Google Workspace, comprising various productivity tools, demonstrated varied user engagement across its suite.

• Google Calendar: The website, calendar.google.com, saw visits increase to nearly 400M monthly in January. The app witnessed a slight increase in monthly active users, reaching approximately 18M by March.

• Google Docs: Website visits remained strong, exceeding 1B monthly. Active app users fluctuated but peaked at over 6M monthly in March.

• Google Messages: The website messages.google.com and app both saw steady growth, with app users reaching 15M monthly.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Google Workspace's monthly ad spend spiked in February and March, with significant investments on Facebook, resulting in over 100M impressions monthly.

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 remains a staple with its comprehensive suite of applications and strong web presence.

• Microsoft Word: The app maintained a stable monthly active user base around 4M.

• Microsoft Office: The website office.com saw a peak in visits at over 220M monthly in March. The app had a stable monthly active user base, exceeding 5M.

• Microsoft Outlook: Website visits remained high, with the app boasting around 13M monthly active users consistently.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Advertising spend was minimal, with a focus on YouTube, yielding impressions in the range of 1M monthly.

Conclusion

The leading brands in France's software category—Google Search, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365—demonstrated strong digital presence across web and app platforms in Q1 2025. Sensor Tower's unparalleled data offerings provide critical insights into user behavior and engagement trends, underscoring the importance of data-driven strategies in maintaining digital leadership. These insights empower decision-makers to craft strategies that leverage digital platforms effectively, ensuring sustained growth and competitive advantage.