Softonic: AI, Gaming, and Cybersecurity Lead to Record 43.6% Growth in Software Downloads
Barcelona, Spain – March 17, 2025 – Softonic.com, the leading global platform for secure software distribution, has published its 2024 Global Download & Trends Annual report, collaborating with EAE Business School Barcelona, one of Spain’s premier business institutions. The comprehensive report offers insights into key trends shaping the software download market, providing developers, marketers and business leaders with critical insight into 2025.
The global software download market is on track to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.6% until 2028, reaching an estimated value of $1.5243 billion by 2032. Driven by technological advancements, cloud-based solutions and a growing demand for personalised tech tools. AI-driven solutions have gained significant traction, especially in predictive analytics, automation and personalisation of user experience.
Softonic has experienced its own significant growth, strengthening its market position as a leading global platform with a 43.6% increase in the number of downloads in 2024, recording 262.55 million downloads and nearing a billion registered sessions. On average, Softonic attracted 75 million monthly users, contributing to a remarkable total of 973 million overall.
The top downloaded apps
The Softonic Download Report analyses the most downloaded apps and categories, highlighting key trends in user preferences.
|
Programme
|
Category
|
Downloads
|
|
Games
|
14,703,222
|
|
Business Productivity
|
8,640,092
|
|
Multimedia
|
8,049,586
|
|
Games
|
6,534,239
|
|
Social Communication
|
6,354,142
|
|
Games
|
6,287,637
|
|
Games
|
5,752,437
|
|
Multimedia
|
4,971,560
|
|
Games
|
4,877,575
|
|
Business Productivity
|
4,596,715
|
Gaming continues to dominate the user-preferred categories with a 90% annual download growth. Other categories such as privacy (43%), multimedia (40%), business productivity (30%), and utilities/tools (22%) also experienced significant growth. The rapid rise in cybercrime, driven by AI-driven cyberattacks, has fuelled demand for programmes such as Avast Free Antivirus, that protect against digital threats. Video games continue to dominate, with five out of the top 10 most downloaded programmes in this category. Business productivity software also grew, driven by AI integration. AI itself has grown nearly 180% over the past two years, with further acceleration anticipated, as company spending on AI is projected to reach 423 billion dollars in 2027 (IDC). Within this context, Softonic’s AI category saw the most significant growth with 10,000 new AI apps and 30,000 programmes with AI tools in the past year.
“We are proud to release this year’s report, which provides crucial insights into current and future trends in the software industry,” said Raúl del Cuadro, Marketing & Communications Manager at Softonic. “Softonic remains dedicated to empowering its users and businesses with the best software solutions, providing the most extensive catalogue of essential tools. We’re excited to continue serving our vast and growing user base as we move forward to 2025 and beyond.”
The report provides valuable insights into future trends of the software market, including the rise of 5G and 6G connectivity, especially in mobile apps and data processing. Sustainability is also becoming a priority with energy efficient software for businesses to focus on reducing their carbon footprint. Data security also remains a top concern to meet the increasing need for robust security measures. These trends indicate a rapidly evolving market, with AI, connectivity, sustainability and security at the forefront ahead of 2025 and beyond.
“Thanks to the trust that users have in Softonic, the number of downloads in the last year has grown by 43.6%. Based on the 89.6% growth in the online games category and a strong focus on AI software, which has seen a 77.7% increase in downloads, Softonic has ensured that it is one of the leading companies in the sector.” said Dr. Sara Fontdecaba, Researcher specialising in the areas of Data Management, Big Data Analysis and Statistical Methods at EAE Business School Barcelona.
Looking ahead, Softonic is focused on expanding its catalogue with an emphasis on AI-powered solutions, developing a dedicated platform for business leaders to easily find, evaluate and download tools, and adapting to the evolving regulatory landscape.