Microsoft and Google battle for top spot in productivity and business app leadership in latest report – Google has the upper hand due to its platform dominance, but Microsoft’s LinkedIn is emerging as the ultimate professional social network

By James On May 6, 2024

A new study analyzing Google Play downloads of productivity tools has found that an overwhelming majority of mobile users use their smartphones to navigate their professional lives and plan daily tasks.

The SplitMetrics report shows that the top apps in the business and productivity categories have amassed a whopping 4.7 billion and 55 billion downloads, respectively. Microsoft’s LinkedIn leads the business category with a whopping 1.5 billion lifetime downloads, followed by videoconferencing giants Zoom (1.1 billion) and Microsoft Teams (426 million), then OfficeSuite (195 million) and Indeed (188 million).

In the productivity category, it is Google that leads the way. Google Drive has achieved an impressive 10 billion lifetime downloads, followed by Google Calendar (6 billion), Microsoft OneDrive (4 billion), Google Assistant (3 billion), and Google Keep (2.7 billion).

Productivity is increasing everywhere

The research also shows which apps have delivered the greatest year-on-year growth. Lopay: Payments & POS achieved a 339% increase in the business section in 2023, followed by Etsy Seller (329%), JobSwipe (221%), Parcel Tracking – pkge Mobile (144%) and Shopify (83%).

PDF Reader – PDF Viewer saw the largest productivity growth in 2023 with a jump of 701%. It was followed by Notepad (457%), All Document Reader (431%), Google Tasks (29%) and Link to Windows (21%).

Thomas Kriebernegg, Managing Director of SplitMetrics, said: “The data paints a clear picture. Tools that help people be productive and manage their work or business effectively are very popular. The rise of on-demand services, remote working and mobile entrepreneurship is driving the demand for easy-to-use, feature-rich business and productivity apps. While user acquisition costs may be higher in the enterprise category, the high engagement and potential value users provide means there is significant market opportunity.”