Uber – Request a ride, a ridesharing app, recorded 151.8M downloads in 2025, making it the most downloaded app in the Travel & Navigation category, according to data from AppTweak’s Market Intelligence. This performance underscores the dominance of on-demand mobility solutions in the daily lives of users worldwide. The leadership of established players like Uber highlights a market where convenience and real-time utility are primary drivers of user acquisition.
Among the top 500 apps in the Travel & Navigation category, the market generated approximately 5.0B total app downloads last year. While legacy segments like ridesharing and maps & navigation command the largest volume, notable growth is emerging from apps focused on the entire travel journey. For instance, apps in the flight & hotel booking and trip planner segments, such as Trip.com: Flight, Hotel, Train (+37.4% growth) and Skyscanner Flights Hotels Cars (+26.1% growth), demonstrated strong upward momentum. This suggests a growing demand for integrated tools that consolidate travel planning and management.
Key takeaways
- Top-heavy market concentration: The top 10 most downloaded Travel & Navigation apps accounted for a combined 15.3% of the total market share among the top 500 apps. This indicates that a small group of well-established brands captures a significant portion of user attention in a highly competitive category.
- Mixed performance in core segments: Within the top 10, performance was varied even within the same segment. In ridesharing, Bolt: Request a Ride saw strong growth of 13.7%, while Grab – Taxi & Food Delivery declined by -3.9%. Similarly, in maps & navigation, Google Earth grew by 6.6% as its counterpart Google Maps saw a -2.5% decrease, suggesting market dynamics are favoring niche or specialized use cases over generalist tools.
- US publisher dominance: Publishers headquartered in the United States hold the top three spots in the app download rankings. This concentration at the top of the charts with Uber – Request a ride, Google Maps, and Airbnb highlights the significant global influence of US-based tech companies in the travel sector.
- Shift to in-trip utility: A key market trend is the evolution of travel apps from pre-trip planning tools to “in-trip operating systems.” The most successful apps are focusing on providing real-time value during the actual journey, such as managing disruptions, logistics, and on-the-go coordination.
- Visual and social discovery: App discovery is becoming more visual and collaborative. Product designs are increasingly incorporating map-based lists, short-form video, and shareable itineraries that allow users to plan trips together, reflecting a shift toward more social travel experiences.
About the data set
- This data was derived from AppTweak’s Market Intelligence. The dataset covers January to December 2025 and reflects worldwide performance across both the App Store & Google Play for the top 500 Travel & Navigation apps. The ranking is created by combining each app’s estimated downloads from the App Store and Google Play and ordering them from highest to lowest.
- Data source: AppTweak Market Intelligence
- Coverage: App Store and Google Play
- Metric: App downloads
- Time period: January 2025 – December 2025
- Category: Travel & Navigation defined by AppTweak’s AppDNA taxonomy
- Geography: Global
- Last updated: January 2026
Category definition of Travel & Navigation apps (AppTweak AppDNA taxonomy):
AppTweak defines the Travel & Navigation category as apps that assist the user with any aspect of travel, such as planning, purchasing, or tracking, or provide information to help a user travel to a physical location. For example: flight tracking, city guides, hotel/rental car/air fare shopping, vacation planning, public transportation, and driving assistance.
Segment definitions:
- Ridesharing: Ridesharing apps that provide self-service means of transportation.
- Maps & navigation: GPS apps, apps with (offline) maps, route planners, satellite & street views, etc.
- Vacation rentals: Apps that help users rent or exchange a place for their vacation.
- Flight & hotel booking: Apps that provide booking flights services, including hotels and vacation rentals.
- Public transport: Apps that allow users to get real-time information (e.g. schedule, map, etc.) about transportation services (metro, train, bus, etc.) and buy tickets.
- Trip planner: Apps to help users plan vacation itineraries and activities.
Feel free to dig into your app category’s download and revenue estimates now in AppTweak’s Market Intelligence.
What are the top 10 most downloaded Travel & Navigation apps of 2025?
The ranking below showcases the dominant players in the Travel & Navigation category, with a clear lead held by apps focused on ground transportation and navigation.
This table lists the top 10 Travel & Navigation apps ordered by total downloads, including app name, publisher, HQ, app downloads, and year-over-year growth.
| Rank | App Name | Publisher | Publisher HQ | Downloads | YoY Growth % (relative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uber – Request a ride | Uber Technologies, Inc. | United States | 151.8M | 6.1% |
| 2 | Google Maps | United States | 97.0M | \-2.5% | |
| 3 | Airbnb | Airbnb | United States | 82.8M | 1.1% |
| 4 | Waze Navigation & Live Traffic | Waze | Israel | 80.0M | \-0.76% |
| 5 | Booking.com: Hotels & Travel | Booking.com Hotels & Vacation Rentals | Netherlands | 73.9M | \-3.1% |
| 6 | inDrive. Rides with fair fares | ® SUOL INNOVATIONS LTD | United States | 66.3M | 2.9% |
| 7 | Where is my Train | Sigmoid Labs and its affiliates | India | 55.7M | \-22.8% |
| 8 | Google Earth | United States | 55.3M | 6.6% | |
| 9 | Grab – Taxi & Food Delivery | Grab Holdings | Singapore | 54.7M | \-3.9% |
| 10 | Bolt: Request a Ride | Bolt Technology | Estonia | 49.8M | 13.7% |
Source: AppTweak Market Intelligence | App Store & Google Play | January 2025 – December 2025 | Global.
Notable apps at a glance
- Uber – Request a ride – Rank #1, 151.8M downloads, ridesharing
- Google Maps – Rank #2, 97.0M downloads, maps & navigation
- Airbnb – Rank #3, 82.8M downloads, vacation rentals
- Booking.com: Hotels & Travel – Rank #5, 73.9M downloads, flight & hotel booking
- Where is my Train – Rank #7, 55.7M downloads, public transport
- Bolt: Request a Ride – Rank #10, 49.8M downloads, ridesharing
3 key learnings from the top 10 Travel & Navigation apps
The data reveals three clear patterns in how users engage with the most downloaded Travel & Navigation apps in 2025. These learnings summarize the strongest signals emerging from the top-ranking apps, according to AppTweak’s Market Intelligence dataset.
1. Ridesharing leads in volume but shows market volatility
Ridesharing apps continue to dominate the download charts, demonstrating their essential role in urban mobility. Uber – Request a ride leads the category with 151.8M app downloads and a steady 6.1% year-over-year growth. However, the segment is not uniformly growing. While Bolt: Request a Ride secured a spot in the top 10 with impressive 13.7% growth, another major player, Grab – Taxi & Food Delivery, experienced a -3.9% decline. This contrast suggests a dynamic and competitive market where regional strengths and strategic execution are creating different outcomes for top players.
2. Legacy navigation apps face saturation as specialized alternatives grow
Core navigation utilities remain highly downloaded but show signs of market maturity or saturation. Google Maps (#2) and Waze (#4) both saw download declines of -2.5% and -0.76%, respectively. In contrast, Google Earth, a more specialized visual exploration tool from the same publisher, grew by 6.6%. This pattern suggests that while the need for basic navigation is well-served, there is growing user interest in map-based apps that offer discovery and experiential features beyond simple point-to-point routing.
3. Accommodation and booking platforms show stable but modest growth
The top of the charts includes major accommodation and travel booking platforms, but their growth is more modest compared to other segments. Airbnb (#3) grew by a slight 1.1%, while Booking.com (#5) saw a small decline of -3.1%. Their continued presence in the top 5 with massive download volumes (82.8M and 73.9M, respectively) confirms their status as household names. However, the low growth rates indicate that these are mature apps in a well-established market, focusing more on retention and service than explosive user acquisition.
Key facts about the top 10 Travel & Navigation apps
- The top 10 apps collectively captured 15.3% of all downloads among the top 500 apps in the category, highlighting a significant concentration of market power among a few key players.
- Publishers based in the United States show strong dominance at the top of the download charts, with the three most-downloaded apps—Uber – Request a ride, Google Maps, and Airbnb—all headquartered in the US.
- Growth within the top 10 is inconsistent. While some apps like Bolt: Request a Ride (+13.7%) achieved strong double-digit growth, several legacy apps experienced declines, reflecting a market in transition.
2025 Market trends for Travel & Navigation apps
The app download data reflects a category undergoing significant evolution. User expectations are shifting, pushing apps to become more integrated, intelligent, and useful throughout the entire travel experience. Here are the key trends shaping the market.
1. Travel apps are becoming “in-trip operating systems”
Leading Travel & Navigation apps are moving beyond their traditional role as pre-trip research and booking tools. Instead, they are positioning themselves as indispensable “day-of-travel” companions. This is reflected in product designs that feature persistent trip timelines, unified hubs for all travel details, and proactive alerts for gate changes, ride logistics, and reservation updates. The experience is shifting from browsing and booking to monitoring and acting, with apps providing value long after the initial transaction is complete.
2. Discovery is now more visual, social, and list-driven
Across the category, discovery flows are increasingly built around visual cards, short-form video snippets, and map-anchored recommendations. A key emerging pattern is the use of collaborative “save-and-share” lists that function as lightweight, shareable itineraries for groups, couples, or friends. This aligns with a behavioral shift toward more social and visually-driven travel planning. In response to the potential for low-quality content, apps are also tightening trust controls with clearer sourcing for reviews and stronger verification cues.
3. Assistance is shifting from filters to conversational intents
Product interfaces are evolving from static filter-and-sort menus toward dynamic, intent-based flows. Instead of manually selecting criteria, users can express a goal, such as “find a kid-friendly restaurant near me” or “plan a weekend trip within my budget,” and receive a structured, editable plan in return. This is appearing in the form of guided prompts and itinerary builders that transform complex, multi-step tasks into a simple, conversational experience.
4. Monetization is focusing on post-booking value and reliability
In a market where most top apps are free to download, monetization is increasingly tied to services offered during and after the booking. This includes features that enhance reliability and convenience, such as flexible ticket changes, priority support, trip protection add-ons, and offline access to critical information. Rather than focusing solely on the initial acquisition, apps are embedding commercial opportunities throughout the trip lifecycle with context-aware prompts that align with the user’s immediate needs.
Key facts about Travel & Navigation app market trends in 2025
- High-download travel apps are increasingly organized around an always-on “Trip” hub that stays useful during disruptions and day-of logistics.
- Discovery is becoming more visual and shareable via map-based lists and collaborative saving, alongside stronger trust/quality controls.
- Assistance is shifting toward intent-driven planning that produces editable itineraries and routes, not just search results.
- Monetization is more tied to reliability and post-booking utility throughout the trip lifecycle, rather than only pre-trip acquisition.
Conclusion
The 2025 Travel & Navigation app landscape is defined by the continued dominance of established leaders in ridesharing and maps & navigation. With giants like Uber – Request a ride leading with 151.8M downloads, the category’s top players command a significant share of the market. Among the top 500 apps, the category generated a massive 5.0B downloads, underscoring its essential role for users globally.
However, the data also reveals a market in transition. While legacy apps show signs of saturation, growth is apparent in specialized niches and apps that offer integrated, end-to-end travel management. The key trends point toward a future where apps serve as “in-trip” companions, leveraging visual discovery and conversational AI to provide seamless, reliable experiences. For marketers and developers, success will depend on adapting to these evolving user expectations and delivering value beyond the initial booking.
For deeper insights into these trends and to benchmark your own app’s performance, explore AppTweak’s Market Intelligence platform. You can start analyzing the data today with a Free Starter plan.
FAQs
Below we answer the top questions about the most downloaded Travel & Navigation apps.
Which Travel & Navigation app had the most downloads in 2025?
The Travel & Navigation app with the most downloads in 2025 was Uber – Request a ride, which recorded 151.8M app downloads globally, according to data from AppTweak’s Market Intelligence.
What is the market share of the top 10 Travel & Navigation apps?
The top 10 most downloaded Travel & Navigation apps account for a combined 15.3% of the total market share among the top 500 apps in the category, indicating significant market concentration.
Which segments within Travel & Navigation grew the fastest in 2025?
Flight & hotel booking and trip planner segments grew the fastest in 2025. Apps in the booking segment such as Trip.com (+37.4%) and Skyscanner (+26.1%) recorded some of the highest year‑over‑year increases in the entire category, reflecting rising demand for integrated travel‑planning and multi‑modal booking tools.
What are the key market trends shaping Travel & Navigation apps in 2025?
- Apps are becoming “in‑trip operating systems”: Focus on real‑time logistics, disruptions, and day‑of‑travel utility.
- Discovery is becoming more visual and social: Map‑based lists, short‑form video, collaborative planning.
- Assistance is shifting from filters to conversational intents: Users express goals (“plan a weekend trip”), and apps generate structured plans.
- Monetization is shifting to post‑booking value: Reliability, flexibility, trip protection, and context‑aware upsells.
Which app publisher country dominates the Travel & Navigation app rankings?
Publishers headquartered in the United States dominate the Travel & Navigation app rankings. The top three most‑downloaded apps in 2025—Uber – Request a ride, Google Maps, and Airbnb—are all published by U.S. companies, highlighting the strong global influence of U.S. tech players in this category.
Which travel booking apps are growing fastest globally?
According to AppTweak’s Market Intelligence, the fastest‑growing booking apps amongst the top 500 apps globally were Trip.com, Skyscanner, Omio, and Ryanair.
