Quarterly Klarna, Afterpay, Affirm, Quadpay, Sezzle downloads in the U.S. in 2020

U.S. consumers downloaded the Klarna app 70 percent more than the app from Afterpay in 2020, cementing it as a major buy now, pay later name within the country. This confirms a conclusion from a different BNPL ranking in the U.S. based on users, namely that Klarna is more popular than some of its competitors. This other ranking, however, does mention an important feature not found within the app downloads listed: Klarna, Afterpay, Affirm, Quadpay, and Sezzle are not the only BNPL providers within the U.S. PayPal, for instance, offers its own version of buy now, pay later - called "Pay in 4" - and rumors appeared over the course of 2020 that Apple was looking to create its variant. As app download rankings come from app tracking websites - which favor smartphone apps where it clear they are designed for BNPL only - these are unable to immediately feature apps with multiple functions, such as PayPal. On top of that, Apple Pay cannot be tracked as it is implemented within the iOS operating system. Nevertheless, figures like monthly app installs for buy now, pay later in the U.S. do reveal how much more popular BNPL has become since the start of the coranavirus pandemic.