What are the most popular messaging apps in the world?

Research highlights: WhatsApp remains the world's most popular messaging app with 2.0 billion monthly active users, far ahead of its closest competitor, Weixin/WeChat, which has 1.4 billion users, largely due to its dominance in China. Telegram (950 million users) has slightly surpassed Facebook Messenger (947 million users), potentially benefiting from its privacy-focused features.

Related research: How many users does Telegram have? (+top countries) | The top social media platforms | Time spent on social media | 

Most popular messaging apps by monthly active users

• WhatsApp leads the messaging app market with 2.0 billion monthly active users, making it the most popular messaging app in the world
• Weixin/WeChat follows as the second most popular chat app with 1.4 billion monthly users, largely driven by its dominance in China
• Telegram and Facebook Messenger are nearly tied, with 950 million and 947 million monthly users, respectively
• Telegram surpassed Facebook Messenger by just 3 million users potentially due to its focus on privacy and unique features
• Snapchat maintains a strong presence among younger demographics, ranking fifth with 850 million monthly users
• Despite its popularity in China, QQ has less than half the users of Weixin/WeChat, with a difference of 838 million users
• QQ has the smallest user base among the top six, with 562 million monthly users

User engagement: time spent and sessions on the most popular instant messaging apps

• WhatsApp users spend the most time on the app, averaging 16 hours and 11 minutes per month—nearly four times more than Telegram users (4 hours, 12 minutes) and over five times more than Snapchat users (3 hours, 20 minutes)
• Users open WhatsApp an average of 890.8 times per month, which is almost five times higher than Telegram (179.3 sessions) and over six times higher than Snapchat (136 sessions)
• Given that WhatsApp users have 890.8 monthly sessions, this equates to checking the app around 30 times per day, significantly higher than users of other messaging platforms
• While Telegram users log 4 hours and 12 minutes per month, they have fewer total sessions (179.3) compared to Facebook Messenger users (188.4), meaning Telegram users likely spend longer time per session compared to Messenger users
• Despite being one of the most monetized messaging apps, Snapchat users spend the least time per month (3 hours, 20 minutes) and have the fewest sessions (136), suggesting that while Snapchat drives revenue, it may not be as central to daily messaging habits as WhatsApp or Messenger

WhatsApp

• The global average for sessions is 890.8, and at least 10 countries significantly exceed this number, with Argentina using the app 60% more than the average
• The average user spends 16 hours and 13 minutes per month on WhatsApp
• Users in Argentina open WhatsApp 1,429 times per month, the highest globally, and spend 29 hours and 7 minutes on the app each month
• Four of the top five countries with the most monthly sessions are from Latin America: Argentina (1,429), Peru (1,352.5), Colombia (1,227.6), and Mexico (1,004.4)
• Europe shows lower WhatsApp engagement. Germany (538.5 sessions), Netherlands (538.5), and Portugal (538.7) have some of the lowest session counts, well below the global average

Telegram

• The global average for sessions on Telegram is 177.3 sessions per month per user
• The average user spends 4 hours and 12 minutes on Telegram
• Eastern Europe leads in Telegram usage, with Russia, Finland, Poland, Hungary, and Czechia all ranking among the highest for session frequency
• Users in Russia open Telegram 544.8 times per month, far surpassing the global average, making it the most engaged country. They also spend the most time on the app, 13 hours and 57 minutes per month
• Finland ranks second worldwide with 443.3 monthly sessions on Telegram, but the time spent is much lower than Russia at 9 hours and 40 minutes per month. This suggests frequent but shorter interactions

Facebook Messenger

• The global average for sessions on Messenger is 184.9 sessions per month per user
• The average user spends 3 hours and 33 minutes on Messenger
• Messenger is most popular in Southeast Asia – The Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand all rank among the top countries for both session frequency and time spent
• Users in the Philippines open Messenger 830.2 times per month, more than four times the global average. They also spend 16 hours and 27 minutes on the app, making them one of the most engaged user bases
• While the UAE ranks second in monthly sessions (630.8), it leads all countries in total time spent at 18 hours and 42 minutes per month, suggesting longer conversations per session
• Saudi Arabia logs 361.9 monthly sessions, ranking in the top five globally, and users spend 10 hours and 41 minutes on the app, significantly above the global average

Snapchat

• The global average for sessions on Snapchat is 136 sessions per month per user
• The average user spends 3 hours and 20 minutes on Snapchat
• Canada leads in Snapchat engagement with users averaging 550.7 monthly sessions, followed by Australia (490.2) and Ireland (453.2)
• Despite ranking first in monthly sessions, Canada is third in total time spent, suggesting shorter but more frequent usage compared to Australia and Ireland
• Australian users spend the most time on Snapchat, logging 16 hours and 26 minutes per month
• Saudi Arabia has fewer sessions (220.2) but relatively high time spent (10H 06M), implying that users may have longer, less frequent interactions
• The US ranks 16th in sessions per user (259.9) and 12th in time spent (7H 22M), indicating lower engagement compared to Canada, Australia, and many European countries

Most popular messaging apps by monthly downloads

• Meta-owned chat and communication app WhatsApp averages 57.35 million monthly downloads, almost twice as many as the second-most downloaded app, Snapchat
• Snapchat (29.49M) and Telegram (27.63M) are nearly tied, with a difference of only 1.86 million downloads 
• Messenger trails behind Telegram and WhatsApp Business at 18.56 million downloads, suggesting a decline in Facebook’s once-dominant messaging app
• LINE (2.97M) and QQ (2.57M) show that regional apps struggle globally, remaining niche despite strong local user bases in Japan and China, respectively

Most popular messaging apps by in-app purchase revenue

• Snapchat leads in revenue generation, bringing in $24.77 million per month—almost twice as much as Japan-based LINE, the second-highest earner at $12.92 million
• The top three earners (Snapchat, LINE, and Telegram) generate more revenue combined ($45.77M) than all the other apps on the list together ($17.75M), making up 72% of total earnings in the list
• Despite having a much larger user base, WeChat ($6.97M) earns less than Telegram
• QQ ($4.51M) and KakaoTalk ($3.71M) show strong regional monetization, with QQ maintaining relevance in China and KakaoTalk thriving in South Korea
• Skype lags behind newer competitors, earning only $2.56 million per month

Sources

• WhatsApp global unique users 2024 | Statista
• Messaging apps: most popular by global downloads 2025 | Statista
• Messaging apps: most popular by global IAP revenue 2024 | Statista
• Digital 2025: Global Overview Report — DataReportal

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