France App Market Statistics (2023)

The French app market is well established, with three-quarters of the population active smartphone users. There have been more than two billion app downloads each year since 2020, and overall revenue has increased from pre-pandemic levels. In 2022, French users spent an average of 3.9 hours on mobile each day, which has grown by over an hour since 2019.

French Gen Z users are more likely to spend time on video and photo editing, social media, dating and shopping resell apps than the rest of the population, according to data.ai. One app that proved particularly popular with younger users was the French app BeReal.

App genres which have been growing in popularity in the last year include local services, transportation apps and media sharing networks. Others, such as e-commerce and food delivery, have faced significant falls in download figures, which may be connected to cost-of-living pressures on users.

Book a marketing strategy call with former Apple marketing lead, George.

Favoured is a full funnel app marketing agency founded by former Apple marketing lead, George. Book a strategy call with George today and unlock your app’s growth, conversion and retention potential.

Book a call

In recent years, the French authorities have been attempting to crack down on outlawed practices by app publishers. At the end of 2022, Apple was fined $1.1 million by the Paris Commercial Court for “abusive” clauses required of French app developers for access to the App Store.

In July 2023, the Competition, Consumer and Anti-Fraud Office imposed a $2.2 million fine on Google over incomplete results in searches and the app store. The authorities claimed there was a lack of explanation for prices on highlighted accommodation options in Google searches, while the Google Play Store did not explain its ranking criteria, payment information or dispute resolution procedures.

The EU’s Digital Markets Act, which came into effect in May 2023, is intended to force Apple and Google to allow for third-party app stores on their devices in the EU, including France. The knock on effect on app downloads and availability is yet to be fully seen.

We have collected data and statistics on the French mobile app market. Read on below to find out more.

Key French App Market Statistics

• Apps in France generated $2.14 billion in revenue in 2022, a $100 million fall from the year before
• There were 2.13 billion app downloads in France in 2022
• More than 53 million people in France were active on smartphones in 2022
• TikTok was the top-grossing app in France in 2022, earning $29.5 million
• Users in France spent 41.8 billion hours on mobile apps last year

French App Market Revenue

The French app market earned $2.14 billion in 2022, down from $2.24 billion the previous year. This is a significant increase from 2019 when revenue reached $1.7 billion.

French app market annual revenue 2019 to 2022 ($bn)

French consumer spend per user 2019 to 2022 ($)

French App Market Revenue by App

TikTok was the top grossing app in France last year, earning $29.5 million in revenue. Tinder, Disney+ and Deezer also all made more than $25 million each.

French revenue by app 2022 ($mm)

Source: AppFigures

French Smartphone Users

There were 53.4 million active smartphone users in France in 2022, up from 51.2 million the year before.

Annual French smartphone users 2017 to 2022 (mm)

French Smartphone Population

More than four-fifths of the French population actively used smartphones in 2022 at 82.6%.

French population smartphone usage 2017 to 2022 (%)

Time Spent on Apps in France

The number of hours spent on apps in France has increased year-on-year from 2019, from 27.7 billion to 41.8 billion in 2022.

Hours spent on mobile apps in France 2019 to 2022 (bn)

French App Market Downloads

Apps were downloaded 2.13 billion times last year. Downloads grew from 1.9 billion in 2019 to 2.15 billion the following year before falling slightly.

French app downloads 2019 to 2022 (bn)

French downloads per user 2019 to 2022

French Downloads by App

In 2022, WhatsApp was the most downloaded app in France with 7.3 million downloads, ahead of TikTok’s 7.1 million downloads.

French downloads by app 2022 (mm)

Source: AppFigures