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STORE INTELLIGENCE · RANDY NELSON · MAY 2018

The Top Mobile Apps, Games, and Publishers of Q1 2018: Sensor Tower's Data Digest

Understand the mobile app economy in Q1 2018 with Sensor Tower's free Data Digest. Top apps, publishers, and categories for the App Store and Google Play.

Cover of Sensor Tower's Q1 2018 Data Digest

Global mobile app installs on Apple's App Store and Google Play grew 7.6 percent in the first quarter of 2018 to 25.4 billion, according to Sensor Tower Store Intelligence estimates. Growth of first-time app downloads on the App Store outpaced Google Play at 13 percent versus 5.4 percent, totaling 7.8 billion in all, compared to 17.6 billion.

Read on for our full top 10 charts and download our free Q1 2018 Data Digest for download estimates covering the quarter's top 20 apps and publishers, along with the leading categories on both stores.


Netflix once again led worldwide app revenue, while installs continued to be dominated by apps from Facebook, including WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, and the company's eponymous app itself. Music-centric social network Tik Tok dominated the charts in Asia, taking it to No. 1 on iOS.

Chart showing the world's highest grossing iOS and Google Play apps for Q1 2018Chart showing the world's most downloaded iOS and Google Play apps for Q1 2018

A new champion of the mobile gaming battlefield was crowned in Tencent's PUBG Mobile, the world's most installed title. Meanwhile, Tencent also led game revenue yet again with Honor of Kings.

Chart showing the world's highest grossing iOS and Google Play games for Q1 2018Chart showing the world's most downloaded iOS and Google Play games for Q1 2018

Tencent was also the world's leader in overall mobile app revenue and mobile game revenue, while it was No. 2 for non-game app revenue after IAC, owner of Tinder. Facebook was tops for overall and non-game app downloads, while PUBG Mobile sent Tencent to No. 1 for mobile game installs.

Chart showing the world's highest grossing iOS and Google Play publishers for Q1 2018Chart showing the world's most downloaded iOS and Google Play publishers for Q1 2018

Get Our Latest Report

Comprising download estimates from our Store Intelligence platform, the report includes:

  • Rankings of Q1 2018's top apps and publishers on the App Store and Google Play.

  • The quarter's most popular app categories and their year-over-year-growth.

  • Insights into the quarter's most important stories and trends.

Click below to download the report in PDF format:



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Randy Nelson

Written by: Randy Nelson, Head of Mobile Insights

Date: May 2018