The Ecuadorian application market is not that different from global trends, at least in the top 5 most popular applications. TikTok is the most popular both in Ecuador and worldwide, for example, according to one ranking from the AppMagic statistics service, which allows you to see a list of the most downloaded applications by country and by store (Play Store for Android devices and App Store for phones with the iOS operating system).

ByteDance, the company that owns the popular short video platform, also owns CapCut, a video editing tool that is the third most downloaded application in Ecuador and top 5 in the world.

Telegram, a messaging service that focuses on the cybersecurity of what its users share, rounds out the top 5 and presents itself as a viable alternative to WhatsApp. The owner of Telegram is Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov and has more than 700 million active users per month, according to the magazine. Forbes.

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The Meta company has a similar supremacy. The associated social networks Facebook and Instagram end up in both the global and Ecuadorian top 5. WhatsApp, another Meta product, is the sixth most downloaded app in Ecuador.

Alejandro Varas, a technology expert, points out that it is common for technology companies to diversify the applications they manage through acquisitions of other companies.

“It’s more than just a monopoly, it shows the interest of these companies to monopolize not only the largest number of users, but also the attention time and consumption of their digital services,” says Varas, using CapCut as an example. The business logic is that if users are going to use third-party video editing tools to post content on TikTok, it is best to provide them with an alternative that is also owned by the company.

What is striking is the presence of Ecuadorian applications within the top 10, such as Deuna, a payment platform belonging to Banco Pichincha, and Mobile Banking from the same institution.

“I am happy that I see a useful application outside the leisure context to make online payments,” he explains, referring to Deuna’s application.

Tubi, an application that allows you to watch movies and television series, is also one of the apps most downloaded by Ecuadorians. Unlike more recognized platforms, such as Netflix, Hulu and Disney+, it is free. However, it requires the user to see advertisements from time to time.

In tenth place is the application Shein, a company that sells clothing. He is the model’s biggest proponent fast fashion (clothing that is quickly produced in large numbers in response to the latest fashion trends). It even uses artificial intelligence to release new designs in just a few days. They soon plan to expand their application to sell other people’s clothes retailerssimilar to the Amazon portal. (JO)

These are the most downloaded applications in Ecuador in 2023*

* With a closing date of December 26

Fountain: AppMagic. (JO)