Apple has already announced its official 2025 App Store Award winners, selecting 17 standout apps and games across its platforms, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Vision Pro. Now, the company is offering a broader look at what users actually downloaded the most this year.
- ChatGPT Leads Free iPhone Apps
- Streaming Apps Dominate on iPad
- Top Free iPhone Apps 2025
- Top Free iPad Apps 2025
- Popular Paid Apps on iPhone and iPad
- Top Paid iPhone Apps 2025
- Top Paid iPad Apps 2025
- Most Downloaded Games Across Apple Devices
- Top Free iPhone Games 2025
- Top Free iPad Games 2025
- Top Paid iPhone Games 2025
- Top Paid iPad Games 2025
- Apple Arcade Favorites of 2025
- Top Apple Arcade Games 2025
Along with the awards, Apple has released top 10 lists and extended rankings showing the most downloaded apps and games on iPhone and iPad. These lists are divided into free and paid categories and also include the most popular Apple Arcade titles. The rankings offer a clear picture of what captured users’ attention throughout 2025.
ChatGPT Leads Free iPhone Apps
It may not come as a surprise, but OpenAI’s ChatGPT claimed the top spot as the most downloaded free app on the iPhone in 2025. Its popularity reflects the growing interest in AI-powered tools among everyday users.
Taking the second position is Threads, Meta’s relatively new social platform that Mark Zuckerberg hopes will challenge X (formerly Twitter and Bluesky). Its high ranking shows that a large number of users gave the app a try, whether through direct discovery or recommendations within Instagram.
Instagram itself landed at number six, while TikTok secured the fourth spot despite its ongoing uncertainty in the United States. Google also had a strong showing, with several of its apps making the top 10, including Gemini, YouTube, the Google app, and Google Maps.
Streaming Apps Dominate on iPad
On the iPad side, the list looks quite different. Even though Instagram finally arrived on iPadOS, it did not make the top 10 free apps. Instead, streaming services dominated the rankings.
YouTube took the number one position, followed closely by popular platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime Video. Google Chrome also appeared in the top 10, alongside GoodNotes, a widely used note-taking app known for its AI-powered features like handwriting cleanup and advanced organization tools.
Top Free iPhone Apps 2025
- ChatGPT
- Threads
- TikTok – Videos, Shop & LIVE
- WhatsApp Messenger
- 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
Popular Paid Apps on iPhone and iPad
When it comes to paid apps, productivity, creativity, and utility tools dominated both iPhone and iPad rankings. Procreate and Procreate Dreams led the iPad charts, while apps like HotSchedules and Procreate Pocket topped the iPhone list.
Educational tools, fitness tracking apps, and creative software also featured prominently, showing that users are still willing to pay for high-quality, specialized apps.
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
Most Downloaded Games Across Apple Devices
Games continued to be a major draw on both iPhone and iPad. Free-to-play titles like Roblox, Fortnite, and Block Blast! performed strongly across platforms, while classics such as Minecraft, Stardew Valley, and Geometry Dash led the paid charts.
Puzzle games, survival titles, and casual experiences filled out the rest of the rankings, reflecting a wide range of player interests.
Top Free iPhone Games 2025
- Block Blast！
- Fortnite
- Roblox
- Township
- Pokémon 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 6Plague Inc.
- Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp C
- Poppy Playtime Chapter 3
- Purple Place – Classic Games
- Papa’s Sushiria To Go!
Apple Arcade Favorites of 2025
Apple also shared the most downloaded games on Apple Arcade, highlighting a mix of sports titles, casual games, and well-known franchises adapted for the service.
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+
Together, these rankings offer a clear snapshot of how Apple users spent their time in 2025, from AI tools and social platforms to streaming apps and immersive games.
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