Leading apps by monthly active users in China 2020
As of November 2020, Tencent’s instant messenger service, WeChat, was the most popular mobile app in China with around 983 million monthly active users (MAU). Its older sibling, QQ, was the second placeholder with about 993 million MAU. Three of the top ten spots were occupied by video streaming apps – iQiyi, Douyin, and Tencent Video.
What makes WeChat so attractive to users?
WeChat is a multi-functional app beyond messaging and social networking. From mobile payment and taxi-hailing to making appointments and holiday planning, it provides almost everything to every mobile user in China. A survey on Chinese WeChat user behavior reported that not only young adults were using WeChat, but also people aged above 30. In general, most WeChat users spent at least 10 minutes per day on the app. In fact, many companies also use this “super app” to communicate internally and advertise their brands.
The promising future of short video apps
The rise of short video entertainment is another important trend in the world’s most populous country, especially in rural regions. ByteDance’s Douyin, which TikTok was cloned from, is one of the key players in the Chinese short video arena. Founded in 2016, Douyin had overtaken its imminent rival Kuaishou (Kwai) as China’s top short video app within four years. As the demand for rural life live streaming has been accelerating, industry experts expected that Chinese short video entertainment would continue to grow to reach a market revenue of over 200 billion yuan by 2021.
What makes WeChat so attractive to users?
WeChat is a multi-functional app beyond messaging and social networking. From mobile payment and taxi-hailing to making appointments and holiday planning, it provides almost everything to every mobile user in China. A survey on Chinese WeChat user behavior reported that not only young adults were using WeChat, but also people aged above 30. In general, most WeChat users spent at least 10 minutes per day on the app. In fact, many companies also use this “super app” to communicate internally and advertise their brands.
The promising future of short video apps
The rise of short video entertainment is another important trend in the world’s most populous country, especially in rural regions. ByteDance’s Douyin, which TikTok was cloned from, is one of the key players in the Chinese short video arena. Founded in 2016, Douyin had overtaken its imminent rival Kuaishou (Kwai) as China’s top short video app within four years. As the demand for rural life live streaming has been accelerating, industry experts expected that Chinese short video entertainment would continue to grow to reach a market revenue of over 200 billion yuan by 2021.
