App uninstall report – 2025 edition

In a highly competitive app market, keeping users engaged is harder than ever. Countless options, rising user expectations: apps that fail to deliver immediate value risk being uninstalled.

Uninstalling an app signals a problem that demands attention. It’s crucial to know why, when, and which users uninstall —especially for freemium apps where ongoing usage is critical for monetization.

Apps are increasingly recognizing the key factors behind uninstalls:

1. The sheer volume of available apps
2. The disparity between campaign promises and actual user experience
3. The impulsive nature of app installations, particularly in gaming, leading to quick deletions
4. Limited device storage capacity due to media-rich apps
5. Heightened user concerns about data privacy, making them wary of sharing sensitive information with apps.

This report on industry trends and benchmarks serves as a valuable resource for app marketers actively analyzing and optimizing their uninstall rates, while also creating awareness among those who have yet to prioritize this metric.

Uninstalls are a fact of life for every app. But how big is the problem? According to our data (see data sample at the end of the post), more than 1 in every 2 apps that are installed are uninstalled within 30 days of being downloaded. 

Clearly, user tolerance to apps that fail to meet expectations is extremely low, especially with numerous alternatives for almost every app. In 2024 again (from January to December), uninstalls remain a significant pain point for apps with rates showing a similar figure: 46.9% in 2023 compared to 46.1% in 2024. A very slight improvement… 

Interestingly, uninstall rates often correlate with install activity. When install activity is high, and users are more inclined to try out new apps, uninstalls also rise. This double phenomenon is particularly visible in gaming, where marketers are running aggressive user acquisition campaigns to take advantage of increased screen time as smartphones become entrenched in modern society.

In 2024, Dating stayed the top category affected by uninstalls, a trend that can be partly attributed to the so-called divorce between Gen-Z and dating apps. The ranking is stable: this year, also, Dating is followed by Gaming. 

The fact that over 1 in every 2 gaming apps are uninstalled within 30 days is the result of the exploratory nature of games, as users constantly try out new titles. If the game doesn’t make a memorable first impression, it is usually uninstalled in a blink of an eye.

When storage space is an issue, users are far more likely to uninstall a game than delete other data. In comparison, branding goes a long way in Shopping, Finance or other lifestyle-related apps. Brands in these categories are often known to users beyond the app, making their connection much stronger. 

At the bottom of the list, we find Travel, and News & Magazines (29.2 and 27.3% respectively). Which makes sense: for Travel, it reflects a post-COVID era where travel has resumed as a widespread habit, while for News & Magazines, subscription models tend to foster user retention.

Organic users exhibit higher intent than non-organic users and therefore it is no surprise that their uninstall rate is much lower – the average among categories shows a 22% gap in 2024. The largest gaps are found in News & Magazines, where the difference is striking—nearly double. When an organic user installs an app in this category, there’s an 8-in-10 chance they’ll still have it after a month! 

On the other side, Dating apps are leading the (unwanted) uninstall race, as non-organic users reach 62.4%, and organic users, 57.8%. This represents a 7% gap: the smallest of our list.

Furthermore, an exploratory behavior commonly associated with gaming. Users often try out new games directly from the app store, resulting in a smaller gap between organic and non-organic uninstall rates within the gaming category.

The data highlights a clear distinction between app uninstall rates in developed and developing countries, with developing countries showing higher rates. These differences in consumer behaviors can be caused by device constraints (the issue of storage for instance), and socio-economic factors.

In detail, uninstall rates are notably high in countries like Bangladesh (65.56%), Nepal (65.27%), and Pakistan (64.58%). In contrast, developed nations like Canada (55.90%), the United States (48.02%), the United Kingdom (47.90%), and Germany (50.91%) exhibit lower uninstall rates, though countries like Spain (52.71%) show slightly higher values within this group. For businesses, understanding these trends can help tailor app features, pricing, and retention strategies to the specific needs of these markets.

To pinpoint exactly where users are dropping off and plan optimization more strategically, marketers should also be aware of rates over time.

Data reveals that the majority of uninstalls occur on the first day, likely due to unmet expectations or or false promises. 

Clearly, creating a superior onboarding experience through deep linking and well-crafted tutorials is essential.

While all verticals display a similar trend after Day 20, the jump in uninstall rates from Day 1 to Day 2 is particularly pronounced in Dating and Finance categories compared to Shopping and Gaming”