As of April 2024, two billion users were accessing the WhatsApp messenger on a monthly basis. The app’s reach in usage penetration is particularly strong in markets outside the United States, and it is one of the most popular mobile social apps worldwide. WeChat amassed over 1.3 billion users, and Facebook Messenger amassed around 1,010 million users worldwide.
Instant messaging is a type of online chat which offers real-time text transmission via internet. Since the appearance of the smartphone and the subsequent explosion of mobile apps, low-cost or free chat and social messaging apps have proven themselves as a cheap alternative to operator-based text messaging via SMS. Many messenger apps offer features such as group chats, the exchange of graphics, video and even audio messages as well as stickers or emoticons.
Most popular global mobile messenger apps as of April 2024, based on number of monthly active users
(in millions)
Characteristic
Monthly active users in millions
WhatsApp*
2,000
Weixin / WeChat
1,343
Facebook Messenger**
1,010
Telegram
900
Snapchat
800
QQ
554
Created with Highcharts 7.2.2Monthly active users in millions2,0002,0001,3431,3431,0101,010900900800800554554WhatsApp*Weixin / WeChatFacebook Messenger**TelegramSnapchatQQ
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*Have not published updated users numbers in the past 12 months.
**Some Facebook Messenger ad platforms are unavailable in Australia, France, Canada, and the United States, so the figure shown here may under-represent the platform's overall audience.
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We Are Social, & DataReportal, & Meltwater. (April 24, 2024). Most popular global mobile messenger apps as of April 2024, based on number of monthly active users (in millions) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved February 18, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/258749/most-popular-global-mobile-messenger-apps/
We Are Social, und DataReportal, und Meltwater. "Most popular global mobile messenger apps as of April 2024, based on number of monthly active users (in millions)." Chart. April 24, 2024. Statista. Accessed February 18, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/258749/most-popular-global-mobile-messenger-apps/
We Are Social, DataReportal, Meltwater. (2024). Most popular global mobile messenger apps as of April 2024, based on number of monthly active users (in millions). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: February 18, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/258749/most-popular-global-mobile-messenger-apps/
We Are Social, and DataReportal, and Meltwater. "Most Popular Global Mobile Messenger Apps as of April 2024, Based on Number of Monthly Active Users (in Millions)." Statista, Statista Inc., 24 Apr 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/258749/most-popular-global-mobile-messenger-apps/
We Are Social & DataReportal & Meltwater, Most popular global mobile messenger apps as of April 2024, based on number of monthly active users (in millions) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/258749/most-popular-global-mobile-messenger-apps/ (last visited February 18, 2025)
Most popular global mobile messenger apps as of April 2024, based on number of monthly active users (in millions) [Graph], We Are Social, & DataReportal, & Meltwater, April 24, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/258749/most-popular-global-mobile-messenger-apps/
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