---
title: "People spent nearly $156 billion on apps in 2025, even as downloads fell"
description: "According to Appfigures, app downloads fell for a fifth straight year while spending jumped 21.6%, driven by subscriptions."
url: https://kurddevelopers.com/en/news/app-spending-2025-156-billion
language: en # English
type: news
published: 2026-01-14T20:05:00.000Z
updated: 2026-11-01T22:16:56.000Z
author: "Osamah Ismail"
author_url: https://kurddevelopers.com/en/author/1
section: "Mobile"
tags: ["App Store","Google Play","apps","subscriptions","Appfigures"]
sources: ["Appfigures","TechCrunch"]
image: https://kurddevelopers.com/uploads/2026/11/resources-2x-3c7e48c1.png
translations:
  ku: https://kurddevelopers.com/news/app-spending-2025-156-billion
  ar: https://kurddevelopers.com/ar/news/app-spending-2025-156-billion
publisher: Kurd Developers
publisher_url: https://kurddevelopers.com/
---

# People spent nearly $156 billion on apps in 2025, even as downloads fell

> According to Appfigures, app downloads fell for a fifth straight year while spending jumped 21.6%, driven by subscriptions.

![Image: Appfigures](https://kurddevelopers.com/uploads/2026/11/resources-2x-3c7e48c1.png)

**Appfigures**' annual report shows people downloaded fewer apps in 2025 but spent more on them.

## Key numbers (App Store + Google Play)

| | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Downloads | **106.9 billion** | −2.7% |
| Spending | **$155.8 billion** | +21.6% |

It is the **fifth straight year** of falling downloads, which peaked at 135 billion in 2020.

## Games vs apps

- **Mobile games**: $72.2 billion in spending (+10%), but downloads fell 8.6%
- **Other apps**: $82.6 billion in spending (+33.9%)
- The US alone: $55.5 billion

## Why

Appfigures says the **subscription economy** lifted app revenue in 2025, with AI apps such as ChatGPT a big part of the growth.

**Sources:** Appfigures, TechCrunch

---

Published by [Kurd Developers](https://kurddevelopers.com/) on 2026-01-14. Cite as: “People spent nearly $156 billion on apps in 2025, even as downloads fell”, Kurd Developers, https://kurddevelopers.com/en/news/app-spending-2025-156-billion