A recent study by SplitMetrics has revealed the growing trend of mobile users relying on their smartphones to manage their professional lives and complete daily tasks. The report found that productivity tools in the business and productivity categories have collectively garnered an impressive 4.7 billion and 55 billion downloads, respectively.
Microsoft’s LinkedIn leads the business category with a remarkable 1.5 billion lifetime downloads, followed closely by industry giants like Zoom (1.1 billion) and Microsoft Teams (426 million). Other notable apps include OfficeSuite (195 million) and Indeed (188 million). In the productivity category, Google dominates with Google Drive being the most downloaded app with an impressive 10 billion lifetime downloads. This is followed by Google Calendar (6 billion), Microsoft OneDrive (4 billion), Google Assistant (3 billion), and Google Keep (2.7 billion).
The study also highlighted the apps that experienced significant growth in downloads year-on-year. In the business category, Lopay: Payments & POS saw a 339% increase in 2023, followed by Etsy Seller (329%), JobSwipe (221%), Parcel Tracking – pkge Mobile (144%), and Shopify (83%). Meanwhile, PDF Reader – PDF Viewer led the productivity category with a remarkable 701% growth, followed by Notepad (457%), All Document Reader (431%), Google Tasks (29%), and Link to Windows (21%).
Thomas Kriebernegg, General Manager of SplitMetrics, noted that the data underscores the popularity of tools that aid productivity and effective work management. The increasing demand for user-friendly business and productivity apps can be attributed to the rise of on-demand services, remote work, and mobile entrepreneurship. Although user acquisition costs may be higher in the business category, the high engagement levels and potential value that users bring present substantial market opportunities.