Global App Revenue | September 2025: From Expansion to Retention Across AI, Media, and Games

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Release Date: 11 Oct 2025

Source: FoxData Global Mobile Intelligence Center

Data Period: 1–30 Sep 2025

Data Source: App Store and Google Play

Market Overview: Q3 Wrap‑Up—Growth Shifts Toward “High‑Quality Spending”

In September 2025, the global app market maintained steady positive momentum. After two months of structural adjustment, growth is now driven less by new subscriptions and more by deeper spending and renewal retention:

• AI productivity apps continued to lead revenue expansion, becoming the fastest‑growing category.
• Video and content platforms remained resilient on a high base, with early results from localized strategies.
• Core and casual games diverged: the former maintained stability through intensive operations, while the latter relied on social mechanics to extend life cycles.

Overall, the global mobile market is entering a new stage of slower but higher‑quality growth.

AI Segment: Monetization Framework Solidifies, “Renewal‑Driven Growth” Emerges

ChatGPT remained atop the global revenue rankings, shifting from a “user‑growth” logic to “value‑per‑user deepening”:

1. Subscription stabilization: A higher renewal rate among App Store premium users became the main growth engine.
2. Multimodal expansion: Voice, image, and file‑analysis features created new high‑value use cases.
3. Enterprise & education adoption: Although still centered on web / API usage, mobile integration significantly boosted overall penetration.

Key takeaway:

ChatGPT is evolving into a cross‑platform “core productivity gateway,” with rising mobile engagement and retention.

Content Ecosystem: Giants Hold the High Ground, Regional Players Accelerate

September’s video and content platforms continued to dominate worldwide revenue rankings, though growth drivers have become more diversified.

Structural insights:

• The YouTube–TikTok duopoly continues to dominate the global high‑frequency content ecosystem.
• Regional platforms like Douyin and Peacock TV are entering high‑growth phases, leveraging localized content and tiered subscription models to boost pay conversion.
• Overall trend:

The revenue focus of content platforms is shifting from competing for screen time toward membership privileges and payable content operations, signaling a global transition from scale expansion to localized value cultivation.

Gaming Segment: Stable Leaders, Diverging Revenue Models

In September 2025, gaming revenue remained steady overall but showed clear segmentation:

Highlights:

• MONOPOLY GO! saw the largest month‑over‑month revenue jump among paid games, driven by collaborative campaigns and time‑limited events that enhanced social virality and per‑user spending.
• Royal Match sustained strong monetization by combining “puzzle + decoration” mechanics, proving the endurance of light‑game models.

Conclusion:

The mobile gaming sector has entered a refined‑operation era balancing content innovation and retention management.

Top‑grossing titles rely on continuous engagements and social mechanics for steady revenue rather than one‑off launches.

High‑ARPU, long‑lifecycle games now far outperform short‑term hits.

Social & Lifestyle: Tinder Maintains an Edge as New Regions Drive Growth

Tinder remains the top non‑content, non‑game app by revenue:

• App Store: $59.7 M (#6)
• Google Play: $22.7 M (#6)

Its new interest‑based matching feature tightened the link between active interaction and paid conversion.

Rapid adoption in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia—where demand for light dating and social subscriptions is rising—became the main growth driver.

Tinder’s geographic focus is shifting: while U.S. revenue remains steady, Asia and Europe are accelerating, supporting a three‑month streak of higher retention.

🔍 Learn More:Understanding Dating Apps: What Users Really Want in 2025

Structural Insight: A “Three‑Tier Pyramid” of Revenue Composition

Revenue mix (approx.):

• AI apps: 22%
• Content apps: 48%
• Games & social: 30%

This composition reflects a new equilibrium—content‑centric and AI‑enabled growth operating in tandem.

Outlook: Transitioning from Peak to Sustained Stability in Q4 2025

• Short term (Q4 2025 H1): ChatGPT will remain the core AI revenue driver; holiday‑season content and gaming events should lift spending slightly.
• Medium term (H1 2026): Growth will depend more on existing‑user value; developers will focus on deeper pay‑tier conversion and multi‑level subscription frameworks.
• Long term (2026–2027): Market structures will stabilize around an “AI + Entertainment dual‑hub”

Conclusion:

September’s global app revenue landscape epitomizes the mobile market’s pivot toward efficient growth.

AI is moving from explosive expansion to subscription reinforcement; content platforms are translating time into value through steady scale and member operations; games are balancing update cadence with social depth; and dating apps are unlocking new momentum via localization.

In an era defined by retention and renewal, the competition is shifting—from climbing the charts to resisting churn.