Most popular smartphone apps in South Africa

Meta Platforms’ WhatsApp Messenger is the most popular free smartphone app on Android and iOS in South Africa.

Meanwhile, the most downloaded paid apps on Android and iOS are e-Sword: Bible Study to Go and The Wonder Weeks — a best-selling baby development book.

MyBroadband searched the Google Play Store and Apple App Store for the most popular free and paid apps in South Africa.

Several apps stood out in the top ten lists, with WhatsApp, TikTok, Capitec Bank, Facebook, and Sasol eBirds Southern Africa being popular on both mobile operating systems (OSes).

Notably, WhatsApp has climbed to the top of both lists of free apps. In 2022, it placed third on Android and iOS, with TikTok, Lenasa AI: Avatar Photo Editor, Capitec Bank, and TikTok ahead of it.

The popularity of clothing e-commerce retailer SHEIN appears to have grown significantly in 2023.

The app didn’t feature on any of the top ten lists in 2022. However, this year, it placed sixth on both lists.

Interestingly, one of the top free apps on iOS is Google’s Gmail app, which is the ninth most-downloaded iOS app.

“Lite” apps appear pretty popular among Android users, with SHAREit Lite, Facebook Lite, and TikTok Lite all featuring in the top ten free apps.

Regarding paid apps, two are common to the iOS and Android lists, but their placement varies.

These are The Wonder Weeks, which placed first on iOS and sixth on Android, and Sasol eBirds Southern Africa, which secured the third-place spot on both lists.

The Wonder Weeks has fallen considerably among Android users. It held the spot for the most downloaded paid app on the OS in 2022.

Notably, the Android list features another app aimed at birders — Roberts Bird Guide 2 — which placed seventh.

While no games feature on any of the lists, the second-most downloaded app on Android is aimed at boosting gaming performance on the OS.

Dubbed Game Booster 4X Faster Pro, the developer describes it as “the most advanced game booster for optimising gaming experience”.

It also doesn’t only apply to games, with several users who reviewed the app saying any app can be added to it and claiming that there was a notable increase in performance when they did so.

The most popular free and paid smartphone apps for iOS and Android in South Africa are listed in the following tables.

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