Appfigures: Mobile app spending hits record $155.8 billion
Appfigures’ annual report states that global mobile app and game downloads via App Store and Google Play fell 2.7% to 106.9 billion in 2025, while consumer spending rose 21.6% to $155.8 billion, driven by in-app purchases and subscriptions.
Downloads marked the fifth consecutive annual decline. The 2025 total followed 109.8 billion installs in 2024, which represented a 3.3% drop from 2023 levels. This continued a downward trend since the all-time high of 135 billion downloads recorded in 2020 amid the pandemic. Appfigures data shows developers and publishers succeeded in increasing revenue per user despite fewer new downloads.
Overall consumer spending reached $155.8 billion globally in 2025. Mobile games accounted for $72.2 billion of that total, comprising 46% of app spending. Game spending increased 10% from the previous year. Non-game app spending grew faster at 33.9% year-over-year to $82.6 billion, according to the report.
Mobile game downloads declined more sharply than the overall market. In 2025, games saw 39.4 billion downloads, down 8.6% year-over-year. This followed a 6.6% decrease from 2023 to 2024. Non-game app downloads remained nearly stable, rising 1.1% to 67.4 billion installs.
The report highlights subscription-based revenue models offsetting download reductions through higher in-app purchases and subscriptions. Nearly every app incorporates these payment options. This approach provides developers with steady income streams.
An ecosystem of supporting businesses emerged around these models. Subscription management platform RevenueCat secured $50 million in a Series C funding round in 2024. Mobile-game monetization startup Appcharge raised $58 million in a Series B round in August 2024. Liftoff Mobile, a marketing and monetization platform for apps, filed for an initial public offering this week.
In the U.S. market, consumer spending on all mobile apps hit $55.5 billion in 2025, an 18.1% increase from $47 billion in 2024. App downloads totaled 10 billion, down 4.2% from 10.4 billion the prior year.
U.S. non-game app spending reached $33.6 billion, up 26.8% year-over-year. Game spending was $21.9 billion, reflecting a 6.8% rise. Non-game app downloads stood at 7.1 billion, while game downloads were 2.9 billion.