Google and Facebook Dominate U.S. App Landscape

With a reach of 72.6% among iOS and Android app users, Facebook ranked as the most popular mobile app in the United States in September 2014. According to comScore's data, Facebook's controversial decision to disable the messaging feature in its primary app didn't have an impact on the app's reach. Instead, Facebook's reach remained almost universal, while the company's messenger app climbed up the rankings and is now the 6th most popular app reaching 41.6% of the adult app audience.

A brief look at the Top 10 apps makes abundantly clear how strong Facebook and Google are positioned in the mobile app landscape. 8 of the Top 10 apps in the U.S. are owned by either of the two companies, with only Pandora Radio and Apple Maps crashing the party. Considering these numbers, it comes as no surprise that Google and Facebook make more money from mobile advertising than any of their competitors.