Facebook owns the 4 most downloaded apps of the decade

One company owned the last decade, whether we like it or not.
 By 
Alex Perry
 on 
Facebook owns the 4 most downloaded apps of the decade
Facebook owned the decade, for better or worse. Credit: Getty Images

History may not look kindly upon it, but the 2010s really was the decade of Facebook.

A new report from analytics firm App Annie revealed the top 10 most downloaded mobile apps of the decade, and Facebook has an unsurprising grip on the whole operation. Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram were the four most downloaded apps across Android and iOS in the 2010s, and all four come from the same company.

The full list is as follows:


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  1. Facebook

  2. Facebook Messenger

  3. WhatsApp

  4. Instagram

  5. Snapchat

  6. Skype

  7. TikTok

  8. UC Browser

  9. YouTube

  10. Twitter

It is, if nothing else, a clear view of just how much Facebook dominated our daily lives from 2010 to 2019. Its flagship app and Messenger spin-off both have user counts in the billions, while Instagram and WhatsApp are household names.

Facebook is such a key part of people's routines that users largely haven't abandoned the platform, even after years of high-profile scandals involving user data and fake news. Indeed, the massive size and scope of the company have attracted calls to break it up by presidential candidates such as Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

As for the rest of the top 10 apps of the decade, very little of it is surprising. Familiar faces like Snapchat and Twitter made the cut, while TikTok managed to sneak in with a surge at the end of the decade. The only name readers in the U.S. might not recognize is UC Browser, an Alibaba-powered web browser that's popular in Asia.

journalist alex perry looking at a smartphone
Alex Perry
Tech Reporter

Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable who primarily covers video games and consumer tech. Alex has spent most of the last decade reviewing games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops, and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He is also a Pisces, a cat lover, and a Kansas City sports fan. Alex can be found on Bluesky at yelix.bsky.social.

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