Top 12 Most Popular Apps in 2023

Whether you have an idea for an innovation or your product already exists in the market, you will always find better ways to cater to the growing need to serve your consumer. All the popular app ideas that are trending today have one thing in common, they all use advanced mobile technology to present themselves as problem solvers. If your product is able to solve a problem for your target audience, then you are set for a long and profitable run in the market. 

1. Uber 

Uber is leading the global market as a popular app. The on-demand ride-sharing service, connecting 103 million riders with drivers in over 70 countries. Despite several competitors, they continue to dominate the U.S. Market as one of the most popular app, with 71% of the market share in the mobile app development industry; with these figures, Uber has managed to develop a powerful presence in most countries across the globe. 

The question is, what made Uber so successful? Being the first to the market definitely adds to the overall success to become most popular app; however, the way Uber has designed the app that offers a superior user experience also contributes to where it stands as a brand on a global level. 

Most of us have used Uber services. Let’s explore a few things the Uber app does correctly: 

• Excellent GPS integration with Google Maps, 
• Seamless payment processing, 
• Automated & upfront price calculation. 

2. Instagram 

We are all aware of the impact of Instagram on our personal and professional lives. It is one of the world’s largest social media forums and most popular social media app, with over 1.3 billion users; Instagram offers an easy and fast way to connect with friends through sharing images and videos. It was launched in 2010 and then later on purchased by Facebook in 2012; Instagram is especially most popular app among Millennials and Gen-Zers, making it an influential medium for advertisers & marketers trying to reach those segments. 

The few things the Instagram app does right are: 

• The app introduced the stories feature for the very first time, where you post a short video that disappears after 24 hours; it was later on adopted by industry giants like Facebook as well, 
• The easy-to-use filters and editing feature for photos and videos, 
• It also introduced in-app shopping for users to explore the latest trends and brands to shop for products easily. 

3. Facebook 

With over 2.9 billion facebook users worldwide, Facebook is the most popular social media app and has managed to be the leader since its commencement. It was one of the very first free-to-use digital platforms to connect with friends. The platform allows you to organize, store, save, and share photos with your connections. The user has complete control over their images and privacy settings; therefore, you can easily share photos from your phone storage. 

• Organize Your List allows you to add your friends into the organized categories and post to the selected groups. Giving you content that is specific to those categories, 
• Watch Party feature allows you to have a group of streaming videos for your friends to view and comment on, 
• Royalty-Free Music is a recent feature added by Facebook, it has thousands of tunes available for us to download and add to our videos, and all are royalty-free. 

4. Telegram 

With over 700 million telegram users worldwide, Telegram has managed to build its credibility among its users. It is a solid  and popular messaging app that has gained popularity among millennials. It is an excellent and easy-to-use platform if you are looking for something out of ordinary social media forums. There are lots of little touches around the app that make it a fun-to-use app. 

It is a fantastic all-around messenger, especially when you start using its finest features: 

• Telegram allows you to save messages you want to access anywhere, helping you to keep a record of important information, 
• Telegram users have complete authority over their privacy and security settings and can change/adjust according to their preferences, 
• If you want to use Telegram in a region where you are unable to access it, you’ll appreciate the Telegram feature that allows you to safely connect via a proxy server. 

5. TikTok 

Developed by Beijing-based firm ByteDance, TikTok is one of the most popular apps worldwide for creating and sharing short videos. You can enjoy the most popular app features like lip-syncing and dancing. Still, users also use it for making highly-creative short films which are gaining popularity among content creators. Initially used by teenagers, TikTok has become a mainstream app used by 1 billion active users worldwide. 

Let’s explore a few things the app does right: 

• Automatic filters surely do drive engagement to the app as people enjoy looking great on camera, 
• The app delivers a highly-effective algorithm that determines what users want to see and keeps them coming back, 
• Duets allow users to collaborate on different devices to create group videos. It further encourages users to create content that is creative and entertaining to watch. 

6. Netflix 

A platform that has made in-home content watching interesting for people worldwide. Netflix is a subscription-based on-demand and video streaming app. With over a sweeping 209 million paying subscribers, Netflixs’ users skyrocketed even more during the pandemic as the world was in a lockdown phase, and Netflix turned out to be a fantastic escape. It constantly updates and adds exciting movies and most acclaimed shows in its inventory across many genres. It is also the foremost Over the Top (OTT) media service that users can access on multiple devices. 

Below are a few things the app masters in: 

• Parental controls allow parents to efficiently manage the content their children download or watch on a family plan via the app, 
• The offline viewing feature lets users download films and shows so they can view them later on anywhere with a connectivity issue, 
• Netflix keeps its users engaged by recommending content based on what users like; it also suggests shows or movies produced by Netflix itself. 

7. Amazon 

It is one of the world’s largest multinational tech giants that offers a broad spectrum of products and services: digital streaming (Prime Video), e-commerce, and many more. The amazing user experience allows users to compare, review, buy and return products seamlessly.  

Let’s explore a few things the app does right for its audience: 

• The buy now button lets users conveniently purchase a product with a single click, 
• A well-developed and managed return process guides users at every step of the way. You can return the product directly via the app or in certain parts of the world; users can then bring the items they wish to return to the local retailer. 
• The Barcode scanner feature allows buyers to scan the barcode for the product they find in a store and compare the price on the Amazon app. 

8. YouTube 

The world’s most popular video streaming platform, YouTube, offers video streaming services and has an ocean-like source of entertainment, original, and exciting content; with specific rules to follow and policies to understand, it has become a vital source of credible information for its users. YouTube helps millions of creators to shoot and share their creations with the world. 

Let’s look at some exciting app features of YouTube: 

• You can subscribe to your favorite creator’s channel simply with one click. You will receive a notification each time the creator posts new content, 
• The caption buttons are easy-to-access for viewers to read captions on any video, 
• Creators can create Video chapters to break longer videos into sections so that viewers can jump directly to the chapters they want to view. 

9. Dropbox 

Used by 700 million users online, Dropbox is a secure and well-developed cloud storage app that is accessible on multiple devices. Dropbox makes it easy to store essential documents and share information with teams on the cloud. With the interactive features, you can also comment and share views on documents you’ve shared with teams or groups. 

Let’s look at a few fantastic features of the app: 

• Dropbox offers easy integration with other leading apps and web services without any compatibility issues, 
• You don’t have to worry about file size anymore with no file-size limit on uploads feature the app offers, 
• The app also gives its users easy sharing features, which allow users to create secured links to documents they share with the teams. 

10. Spotify 

Being one of the most popular apps in the music world, Spotify has, over the years, upgraded its user experience for mobile design, music sharing, and streaming quality. Even though the app has an ad-supported free version, users can enjoy ad-free streaming with Spotify premium membership along with playlist suggestions according to the interests of the user. 

Let’s explore a few features of the Spotify app: 

• You can easily listen to your favorite music offline as you can download songs; this is one of the additional features in the premium membership, 
• The users can follow playlists of their liking to discover new music, 
• The app has worked amazingly in developing app algorithms to share customized playlists after understanding your genre and preferences. 

11. WhatsApp 

With over 2.4 billion active users worldwide, it is one of the most famous & free-to-use popular messaging apps. Since its commencement in the year 2009, it has been one of the giants of the industry. You can use WhatsApp to chat, make phone calls, and facilitate seamless communications with people from around the world. The App offers hassle-free sign-up and easy to use interface for its users that helps them to navigate easily. 

Let’s understand how the app delivers quality to its users: 

• The easy-to-use voice message features give its users the mobility to communicate in complex situations, 
• End-to-end encryption keeps your data safe and secure, 
• You can also stay connected with its Pin-Locator feature, where you can share your location directly with your friends. 

12. LinkedIn 

LinkedIn is the most popular social media platform that connects professionals from different industries under one roof. With over 830 million users worldwide, LinkedIn is a great place to connect with industry leaders, potential leads for your business and apply for jobs. You can sign up and set your profile by mentioning your field of interest, educational background, and current job profile. The app is highly recommended for people who don’t want to get bothered by content not related to their interests. 

Let’s see what the app does right: 

• Manage, add and endorse your skills; if you are looking for a job on LinkedIn you can access this feature to showcase your skills & potential, 
• Users will get a notification as soon as someone views your profile, which is blissful as well as a bummer as well, 
• With the Save your searches feature, you can save your searches in case you wish to revisit them. 

Companies should start investing in mobile app development   

Digital transformation is shaping the future of every industry that’s functioning online, and missing out on it could result in a downfall. As we have seen above, the apps that are most popular worldwide use features that help make human lives better and more efficient. Companies who are looking to identify their consumer base can use these social media platforms to understand user behavior and where they can find suitable audiences to increase website traffic. 

Companies should also start investing in bettering their mobile app development to create amazing user experience to their as people tend to spend more time on phones, and apps like those mentioned above are giving it all to retain the attention of their users.  

Adding features that not only give the users a reason to choose your brand over the others but also add value to your brand credibility in the technology sector.