Apple reveals the most popular free iPhone apps of 2025 and theres a
surprise runner-up to ChatGPT

Date:
Thu, 11 Dec 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Description:
Apple has revealed its most-downloaded iPhone and iPad apps of 2025,
including games and Apple Arcade titles, but the top free iPhone app has an interesting runner-up.

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Apple has already crowned the 2025 App Store Winners a relatively short list of 17 apps and games with spotlights across each of its platforms (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Vision Pro included). But today, the Cupertino-based tech giant is also sharing a bit of the peoples vote in the realm of apps.

We have the top 10 lists along with extended rankings within the App Store for the most downloaded apps and games on iPhone and iPad, split by free and paid. Theres even a list of the most downloaded Apple Arcade titles. And
while we all could have guessed that OpenAIs ChatGPT would be high up, it ranks as the number-one free app for the iPhone. Still, there are a few surprises as you look down the lists.

Coming in at number two on the most downloaded free iPhone apps is Threads yes, the still-new platform from Meta that Mark Zuckerberg hopes will steal thunder from X (formerly Twitter and Bluesky). That means a significant
number of people have downloaded it, whether they discovered it on their own or via recommendations from the Instagram app. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Instagram itself isnt far down the list at number six, and TikTok which remains in something of an awkward spot here in the United States comes in
at number four. You can see the full list below, but its worth noting that Google also had a strong presence in the top ten, with Gemini, YouTube, the main Google app, and Google Maps all making the cut.

On the iPad side, while Instagram finally arrived on the platform, it didnt break into the top 10 free iPadOS apps. As expected, its a streaming-heavy list, with Disney+, HBO Max, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video all securing major slots. YouTube takes the top spot, and Google Chrome isnt far down the list. The ever-popular GoodNotes a note-taking app with a suite of AI functionality, including handwriting cleanup and extensive folder
organization also appears. (Image credit: Future)

You can keep scrolling to see the full top 10 lists for the top free and paid iPhone and iPad apps, the top games for each, and the overall list of most downloaded Apple Arcade titles. Its always fun, and often insightful, to browse these year-end lists to see what people use most or, in some cases, download and only open once.

Im keen to know what apps you use most on the iPhone and iPad, so let me know your picks in the comments below and whether you use any of the most downloaded ones. Top Free iPhone Apps - 2025 ChatGPT Threads Google TikTok - Videos, Shop & LIVE WhatsApp Messenger Instagram YouTube Google Maps Gmail - Email by Google Google Gemini Top Free iPad Apps - 2025 YouTube ChatGPT Netflix Disney+ Amazon Prime Video TikTok - Videos, Shop & LIVE Google Chrome Goodnotes: AI Notes, Docs, PDF Canva: AI Photo & Video Editor HBO Max: Stream Movies & TV Top Paid iPhone Apps - 2025 HotSchedules Shadowrocket Procreate Pocket AnkiMobile Flashcards Paprika Recipe Manager 3 SkyView TonalEnergy Tuner & Metronome AutoSleep Track Sleep on Watch Forest: Focus for Productivity RadarScope Top Paid iPad Apps - 2025 Procreate Procreate Dreams forScore ToonSquid Nomad Sculpt Shadowrocket AnkiMobile Flashcards Bluebeam Revu for iPad Teach Your Monster to Read Feather: Draw in 3D Top Free iPhone Games - 2025 Block Blast Fortnite Roblox Township Pokmon TCG Pocket Royal Kingdom Clash Royale Vita Mahjong Whiteout Survival Last War:Survival Top
Free iPad Games - 2025 Roblox Block Blast Fortnite Perfect Tidy Magic Tiles
3: Piano Game Mini Games: Calm & Chill Goods Puzzle: Sort Challenge hole.io Subway Surfers Township Top Paid iPhone Games - 2025 Minecraft: Dream it, Build it! Balatro Heads Up! Plague Inc. Geometry Dash Bloons TD 6 Stardew Valley Papa's Freezeria To Go! Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp C Red's First Flight Top Paid iPad Games - 2025 Minecraft: Dream it, Build it! Geometry
Dash Stardew Valley Balatro Bloons TD 6 Plague Inc. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp C Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 Purple Place - Classic Games Papa's Sushiria To Go! Top Apple Arcade Games - 2025 NFL Retro Bowl 26 NBA 2K25 Arcade
Edition Balatro+ Snake.io+ Sneaky Sasquatch Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Fruit Ninja Classic+ Bloons TD 6+ PGA TOUR Pro Golf Solitaire by
MobilityWare+

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/websites-apps/apple-reveals-the-most-popul ar-free-iphone-apps-of-2025-and-theres-a-surprise-runner-up-to-chatgpt


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