Global Mobile Apps in October丨DramaBox Leads Micro Drama Revenue Rankings as Snapchat Unveils Free AI Features

SocialPeta identified the top 20 global mobile Apps by advertising, revenue, and downloads in October 2025, aiming to provide valuable insights to more people in the mobile app industry who are seeking to understand the evolving trends of the global mobile market.

The overall performance of global mobile apps in October :

• DramaWave returns to No.1 on the advertising chart, with NetShort close behind.
• New shows up 50% this month, pushing Playlet back into the TOP 20 advertising chart.
• Ghost-post buzz sends Threads’ downloads soaring.
• DramaBox signs new Korean micro dramas and rises to the top of the micro-drama revenue chart.

First, let’s take a look at the October rankings for global mobile app advertising:

With Black Friday and Double Eleven, e-commerce platforms are gearing up for the biggest marketing battle of the year. Temu, SHEIN, and Alibaba.com have ramped up their advertising to attract global customers. DramaWave and NetShort have further increased their spend, seemingly securing their positions as the top two advertisers of the year. SKYWORK has launched a new micro-drama app, while FreeReels climbs to 16th place on Android. Playlet and WebNovel make a strong year-end comeback, returning to the advertising charts.

Let’s first take a look at Temu :

Since Temu was launched globally, it has not been stingy in its investment. As of press time, its total number of deduplicated creatives has exceeded 13 million, and its global cumulative downloads have exceeded 1.2 billion times, setting its own record again. According to SocialPeta, we see that the specific delivery situation in October is as follows:

• In October, the number of deduplicated creatives reached approximately 610,000, with new creatives accounting for 86.9%.
• Ads were delivered across 81 countries and regions. Most markets contributed less than 10% of total volume, with only the United States accounting for 30.19%.
• Android remained the primary focus in October, representing over 90% of total ad placements.
• The top-performing ad by estimated impressions value in October featured a starry-sky projection night light. The video opens by mocking traditional LED lamps as outdated before shifting to the main product, showcasing its dazzling projection effects perfectly timed with the music. The creative has already accumulated over 120 million views on TikTok and surpassed 3 million likes.

Let’s take a look at FreeReels. The platform began running ads in December 2024. With a steadily increasing volume of ad creatives and a differentiated “watch dramas for free” model, it saw rapid growth in the second half of 2025. Below is an overview of its October performance:

• On Android, October saw roughly 73,000 deduplicated creatives, with new ads accounting for about 90.4%.
• Ads were delivered in 79 countries/regions, with Brazil, India, and Mexico ranking as the top three markets by creative volume.
• Over 1,400 micro dramas were actively promoted in October, with new titles making up approximately 13.2%.
• Among the newly added micro dramas, Little Beast OUR LUCKY CHARM had the highest ad volume. It tells a heartwarming story about Zhao Zhao, a young Taotie beast who gets into trouble after dining and dashing, encounters the strict warlord Qian Gandang, and is taken in as his adopted daughter. She then competes with the transmigrated heroine Qiu Tang for the title of “lucky charm,” ultimately exposing Qiu Tang’s schemes and securing her bond with the Qian family.

Judging from its overall micro-drama rollout, second-run titles and translated dramas make up a large share. This go-global strategy, which lets the platform break into Southeast Asian and South American markets with minimal additional cost, delivers exceptionally strong cost efficiency.

Finally, let’s take a look at the web product WebNovel that has returned to the list:

• In October, there were roughly 74,000 deduplicated creatives across both Android and iOS, with new ads making up about 70.3%.
• Ads were delivered in 77 countries and regions, with the United States, Canada and Australia ranking as the top three markets.
• Video creatives dominated the mix, accounting for more than 81.8%.
• The typical high-performing formula combines: fixed imagery (cute babies, muscular men, wolves, elegant heroines), + dramatic novel excerpts, + trending pop music. This setup blends visuals, audio and storytelling cues to spark stronger emotional resonance and leave more room for imagination.

Apps outstanding with downloads on the App Store in October：

In October, Threads rolled out a series of intensive feature updates. It first introduced group functionality, along with exclusive emoji packs for communities like basketball and K-pop. Later, it launched 24-hour disappearing “ghost posts”, encouraging users to share unfiltered, in-the-moment thoughts. These updates quickly boosted the app’s download growth.

On October 22, Uber announced that “Uber Green” would be rebranded as “Uber Electric.” Alongside the name change, the company introduced a subsidy program offering drivers in select US regions a 4,000 USD incentive for purchasing a new or used electric vehicle. The update drew significant user attention and helped drive an uptick in downloads.

Apps outstanding with downloads on the Google Play in October:

In October, Snapchat announced that its “Imagine Lens” feature would become free for all US users, with no subscription required. As Snapchat’s first open-ended, prompt-based AI image generation tool, the move was designed to counter growing pressure from competitors like Meta AI and Sora. The update quickly captured the attention of younger users and led to a sharp spike in downloads throughout the month.

Tinder announced the nationwide rollout of its facial verification feature in the United States. The feature requires new users to record a video selfie in-app to confirm their real identity and ensure it matches their profile photos. Users who pass verification receive a “Photo Verified” badge, helping reduce fake accounts and creating a safer, more reliable experience for both new and existing users.

Apps with surging revenue on the App Store in October：

In October, HBO Max expanded into 14 new markets across the Asia-Pacific region, broadening its user base. At the same time, the platform raised prices for all subscription plans, with new users immediately charged at the updated rates, directly increasing revenue per user. Coupled with the launch of a special Halloween content lineup, the compelling new offerings helped drive subscription growth.

In its October update, Google Photos quietly introduced a new feature called “Me Meme,” allowing users to turn their photos into memes. This addition aims to drive paid conversions and support revenue growth.

Apps with surging revenue on the App Store in October：

DramaBox signed a 50 million yuan partnership with South Korean micro-drama company BambooNetwork, planning to add over 50 Korean micro-dramas to its content library over the next year. This move also helped DramaBox reach the top of the micro-drama revenue chart.

The above are insights into global mobile App launches in October 2025, as well as mobile App revenue and download situations across both the App Store and Google Play. For more mobile marketing data, please visit www.socialpeta.com.