Top Mobile Apps by Downloads & Revenue in January 2026

In January 2026, SocialPeta analyzed global mobile apps with the maximum downloads, advertising activity, and revenue performance across both the App Store and Google Play.

This report aims to help mobile app publishers, marketers, and developers better understand the latest shifts in user demand and competitive dynamics within the global mobile app market.

Several clear trends shaped the mobile app landscape at the beginning of 2026:

• NetShort increased advertising activity, helping the short-drama platform reclaim the top position on iOS.
• ChatGPT gained significant momentum in South Korea, with total app usage time rising sharply year over year.
• Threads continued expanding its audience, surpassing 400 million monthly active users.
• Google One benefited from early-year subscription promotions, supporting strong revenue performance during January.

App Store Revenue Highlights

• ChatGPT saw explosive growth in South Korea in January. Total usage time reached approximately 3.4 billion minutes, more than eight times the level recorded a year earlier. The increase supported revenue growth and helped ChatGPT return to the No. 1 position on the App Store revenue ranking.
• Paramount+ increased its subscription price on January 15, 2026, following its Q3 2025 earnings announcement and ahead of major content premieres. The pricing adjustment contributed to higher revenue during the month.

Google Play Revenue Highlights

Google One offered a limited-time 50% discount on selected 2 TB and AI Pro annual plans through January 15. Family-plan access and Gemini-related benefits also supported subscription demand, helping Google One secure a leading position in the Google Play revenue ranking.

App Store Download Leaders

• As of January 7, 2026, Threads reached approximately 141.5 million daily active mobile users, once again moving ahead of X on that measure. Its monthly active user base had also exceeded 400 million.
• Temu surpassed 20.34 million users in Poland, representing approximately 12.6% year-over-year growth. According to the original SocialPeta report, this made Temu the country's leading e-commerce platform by the cited metric, ahead of Allegro.

Google Play Download Leaders

In January, short-drama platform NetShort promoted more than 2,200 dramas, up approximately 10.1% month over month. The increase in content promotion coincided with stronger Android downloads and helped NetShort enter the global Top 20.

January's rankings show that different growth mechanisms were driving performance across the leading mobile apps. AI adoption, subscription pricing, social-platform scale, e-commerce expansion, and high-volume short-drama promotion each influenced revenue or download momentum in different ways.

The global mobile apps with the maximum downloads in January 2026 also demonstrate that download leadership does not automatically translate into revenue leadership. Scale remains an important indicator of user demand, but monetization strategy, pricing, content cadence, and market positioning can significantly change revenue outcomes.

To understand how advertising execution contributes to these results, SocialPeta also analyzed mobile app ad creatives and advertising trends in January 2026.

By tracking download performance alongside revenue outcomes, publishers and growth teams can better connect user acquisition strategies with monetization goals across the App Store and Google Play.