Southeast Asia Mobile Market: Growth Shifts Toward Engagement and Monetization

Southeast Asia remains one of the world’s largest mobile-first markets. In 2025, the region generated over 18.1 billion downloads, ranking #2 globally in both downloads and time spent.

While scale remains significant, growth is becoming more balanced. The market is increasingly defined by stronger engagement and expanding monetization across content, finance, and commerce.

In our latest State of Mobile Southeast Asia report, we explore how these shifts are shaping the next phase of the mobile landscape in this region.

Market Overview: Monetization Reaches New Highs

Southeast Asia’s mobile usage continues to deepen. Average usage levels increased in 2025, with users spending more time across media & entertainment and utilities.

This is translating into stronger monetization. In-app purchase revenue reached $5.3 billion, up 16.3% YoY, marking a new high for the market.

Importantly, growth is becoming more diversified. Beyond gaming, categories such as video streaming, financial services, and Generative AI are contributing a growing share of total revenue.

Note: The download data in this report are based on estimated downloads from the App Store and Google Play, excluding pre-installs, re-downloads, and downloads from third-party Android marketplaces. For more insights, please click the button below to view the full report for free.

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Short Drama: A Breakout Category Led by New Entrants

Short drama is rapidly reshaping the content landscape. In 2025, downloads increased more than 300% YoY, while revenue more than doubled, making it one of the fastest-growing segments in Southeast Asia.

Apps such as FreeReels have scaled quickly across multiple markets, supported by aggressive user acquisition and ad-driven monetization models. At the same time, platforms like DramaWave are gaining traction through IAP-led strategies, highlighting different paths to growth within the category.

This combination of rapid adoption and flexible monetization is positioning short drama as a key driver of future engagement.

Financial Services: From Payments to Broader Ecosystems

Financial services remains one of the most widely used app categories in Southeast Asia. Digital wallets such as ShopeePay and Touch ’n Go eWallet continue to scale, with ShopeePay’s downloads growing 34% YoY, driven largely by Indonesia.

At the same time, investing platforms are emerging as the main growth engine. Apps like moomoo, Webull, and OKX are appearing frequently across top growth rankings, with the segment recording 33% YoY download growth.

Meanwhile, digital banking apps such as MAE by Maybank are expanding beyond payments into savings, investments, and lifestyle services, driving higher engagement and retention.

Shopping: Competition Intensifies in a Large Market

Southeast Asia remains one of the world’s largest shopping app markets, ranking #3 globally by downloads and #2 by time spent. However, growth has begun to stabilize, signaling a shift toward more intense competition within an already large user base.

Leading platforms such as Shopee, Lazada, and Tokopedia continue to dominate, while new entrants like Temu and cross-border platforms such as Taobao and 1688 are gaining visibility across multiple markets.

At the same time, new acquisition channels are emerging. AI-driven referral traffic to retail websites has more than doubled over the past year, indicating early momentum in AI-led product discovery.

What This Signals for the Market

Southeast Asia’s mobile market is entering a more mature phase. Growth is no longer driven solely by installs, but by how effectively apps engage users and convert activity into revenue.

Emerging formats such as short drama, the expansion of financial ecosystems, and new discovery pathways driven by AI are reshaping competition across categories.

Download the full report to explore the full dataset and insights.

The State of Mobile Southeast Asia report provides a comprehensive breakdown of these trends, including:

• Regional benchmarks for downloads, revenue, and engagement

• Top app rankings across key markets

• Deep dives into short drama, financial services, and shopping

• Case studies on apps such as FreeReels, MAE by Maybank, and ShopBack