They are there many app in Apple’s App Store. According to some reports, it has over 1.8 million options to choose from. So if your app is among the most popular programs of any year, you should definitely give yourself a pat on the back.
As it happens, Apple just announced which iPhone and iPad apps were among the most downloaded in 2023. The company broke these metrics down into four categories by device: top free apps, top paid apps, top free games, and top paid games. Additionally, there is a list of the best Apple Arcade games of the year.
What are the best iPhone apps in 2023?
At the top of the most downloaded free iPhone apps this year is Temu, a discount marketplace that has exploded in the past year. Whether you believe it’s because of the low prices of cheap goods or because of aggressive advertising campaigns, Temu remains a wildly popular app in 2023. Most of the other apps on this list come as no surprise: you have options like Max, Instagram, Google , YouTube, WhatsApp and Gmail, but I think it’s interesting that Threads was more popular than TikTok this year. That’s almost certainly because Threads is a brand new app, and TikTok’s huge user base already has the app, but it’s still a testament to Threads’ hype, at least at launch. (Hey, no X here.)
The top-paid iPhone app of the year was Shadowrocket, a rules-based proxy utility that lets you configure your iPhone or iPad’s Internet traffic through a proxy server. It’s like a VPN, but with a lot more control and can help protect your internet connection. Also at the top of this list is HotSchedules, an employee scheduling app; Procreate Pocket, which brings Procreate tools to your iPhone; and The Wonder Weeks, an app that helps you track why your baby might be crying. I’ve heard of fewer apps like that, probably because free apps are just stealing the limelight these days, but it’s interesting to dive into which apps have convinced people to spend money.
MONOPOLY GO! was the best free iPhone game of the year, with many other well-known titles on the list, such as Roblox, Subway Surfers, and Call of Duty: Mobile. Perhaps unsurprisingly, people were willing to spend the most money on Minecraft this year, with Heads Up! on another place.
You can see the full list for iPhone and iPad below:
The most popular free apps for iPhone
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Topic: Shop like a billionaire
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CapCut – Video Editor
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Max: Stream HBO, TV and movies
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Threads, an app for Instagram
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TikTok
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Instagram
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Google
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YouTube: watch, listen, stream
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WhatsApp Messenger
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Gmail – Google’s e-mail
Best paid iPhone apps
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Shadowrocket
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HotSchedules
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Procreate Pocket
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Wonderful weeks
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75 Difficult
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AutoSleep Track your sleep on the watch
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Goblin tools
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TonalEnergy Tuner & Metronome
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SkyView
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AnkiMobile cards
The most popular free games for iPhone
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MONOPOLY GO!
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Roblox
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Royal match
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Subway Surfers
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Garden landscapes
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Call of Duty: Mobile
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Block the explosion!
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Makeover Studio: Makeover Games
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Parking Jam 3D
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Survivors!.io
Best paid games for iPhone
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Minecraft
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Cheer up!
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Geometry Dash
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Bloons TD 6
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MONOPOLY
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Papa’s Freezeria To Go!
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Plague Inc.
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Red first flight
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Five Nights at Freddy’s
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Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
The most popular free apps for iPad
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Max: Stream HBO, TV and movies
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YouTube: watch, listen, stream
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Netflix
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Google Chrome
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Disney+
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Good notes 6
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TikTok
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Amazon Prime Video
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Topic: Shop like a billionaire
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Peacock TV: Stream TV and Movies
Best paid apps for iPad
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To multiply
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Shadowrocket
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Nomad Sculpt
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forScore
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Toca Life: Hospital
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Bluebeam Revu for iPad
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Teach your monster to read
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AnkiMobile cards
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Endless paper
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ToonSquid
The most popular free games for iPad
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Roblox
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Magic Tiles 3: The Piano Game
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Subway Surfers
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Royal match
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Between us!
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Duet Cats: Cute cat games
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Stumble Guys
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MONOPOLY GO!
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Race on the bridge
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Garden landscapes
Best paid games for iPad
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Minecraft
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Geometry Dash
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Bloons TD 6
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Stardew Valley
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MONOPOLY
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Five Nights at Freddy’s
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Red first flight
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Poppy Playtime Chapter 1
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Plague Inc.
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Banban Garden 2
Top Apple arcade games
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NBA 2K23 Arcade Edition
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Mom is cooking: Kitchen!
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Bloons TD 6+
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Angry Birds Reloaded
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The sneaky Sasquatch
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Crooked kart racers
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Adventure on Hello Kitty Island
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Snake.io+
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Fruit Ninja Classic+
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Solitaire by MobilityWare+