These Are the Most Popular iPhone Apps of 2023

There are a lot of apps on Apple’s App Store. By some reports, there are over 1.8 million options to choose from. So if your app is among the most popular programs of any given year, you should definitely pat yourself 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 into four categories per device: The top free apps, top paid apps, top free games, and top paid games. Plus, there’s a list of the top Apple Arcade games of the year.

What are the top iPhone apps of 2023?

Topping the most downloaded free iPhone apps of the year is Temu, the discounted marketplace that has blown up in the past year. Whether you believe that’s due to its low prices on cheap goods, or its aggressive advertising campaigns, Temu remains an insanely popular app in 2023. Most of the other apps on this list aren’t surprising: 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 massive user base already has the app, but it’s still a testament to the Threads hype, at least back at launch. (Hey, there’s no X on 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 proxy servers. It’s like a VPN, but with a lot more control, and can help secure your internet connection. Also topping 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 about fewer of these apps, likely because free apps just steal the show these days, but it’s interesting to dive into which apps have convinced people to spend money.

MONOPOLY GO! was the top free iPhone game of the year, with many other familiar 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! in second place.

You can check out the full list below for both iPhone and iPad:

Top free iPhone apps

Temu: Shop Like a Billionaire

CapCut – Video Editor

Max: Stream HBO, TV, & Movies

Threads, an Instagram app

TikTok

Instagram

Google

YouTube: Watch, Listen, Stream

WhatsApp Messenger

Gmail – Email by Google

Top paid iPhone apps

Shadowrocket

HotSchedules

Procreate Pocket

The Wonder Weeks

75 Hard

AutoSleep Track Sleep on Watch

Goblin Tools

TonalEnergy Tuner & Metronome

SkyView

AnkiMobile Flashcards

Top free iPhone games 

MONOPOLY GO!

Roblox

Royal Match

Subway Surfers

Gardenscapes

Call of Duty: Mobile

Block Blast!

Makeover Studio: Makeup Games

Parking Jam 3D

Survivor!.io

Top paid iPhone games

Minecraft

Heads Up!

Geometry Dash

Bloons TD 6

MONOPOLY

Papa’s Freezeria To Go!

Plague Inc.

Red’s First Flight

Five Nights at Freddy’s

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Top free iPad apps

Max: Stream HBO, TV, & Movies

YouTube: Watch, Listen, Stream

Netflix

Google Chrome

Disney+

Goodnotes 6

TikTok

Amazon Prime Video

Temu: Shop Like a Billionaire

Peacock TV: Stream TV & Movies

Top paid iPad apps

Procreate

Shadowrocket

Nomad Sculpt

forScore

Toca Life: Hospital

Bluebeam Revu for iPad

Teach Your Monster to Read

AnkiMobile Flashcards

Endless Paper

ToonSquid

Top free iPad games

Roblox

Magic Tiles 3: Piano Game

Subway Surfers

Royal Match

Among Us!

Duet Cats: Cute Cat Games

Stumble Guys

MONOPOLY GO!

Bridge Race

Gardenscapes

Top paid iPad games

Minecraft

Geometry Dash

Bloons TD 6

Stardew Valley

MONOPOLY

Five Nights at Freddy’s

Red’s First Flight

Poppy Playtime Chapter 1

Plague Inc.

Garten of Banban 2

Top Apple arcade games

NBA 2K23 Arcade Edition

Cooking Mama: Cuisine!

Bloons TD 6+

Angry Birds Reloaded

Sneaky Sasquatch

Warped Kart Racers

Hello Kitty Island Adventure

Snake.io+

Fruit Ninja Classic+

Solitaire by MobilityWare+