Sensor Tower's latest data reveals that in the third quarter of 2025 (July 1 to September 30, referred to as "Q3"), non-game mobile applications from China continued to demonstrate strong growth in the global market. Content entertainment applications, particularly those focused on short dramas, achieved significant breakthroughs thanks to strategic content planning for the summer season and a social virality approach. AI tool applications accelerated their adoption in vertical scenarios, while cross-border e-commerce platforms continued to deepen their engagement with global supply chains and content-driven marketing. Q3 data clearly illustrates the outstanding capabilities of Chinese developers in content innovation, technological empowerment, and the expansion into emerging markets.
Q3 Non-Game Application Revenue Ranking, Q3 Non-Game Application Downloads Ranking, Q3 Non-Game Application Active User Ranking.
Core Track Quarterly Focus: Content Innovation and Technological Empowerment
Short Drama Track: Dual Drivers of Summer Benefits and Localization Content The summer holiday period in Q3 represents a peak demand for entertainment among global users, with short drama applications being one of the biggest beneficiaries. Leading applications DramaBox and ReelShort maintained high levels of downloads and revenue through mature content production and user operation strategies. On the content front, short drama platforms continued to launch popular works, boosting user engagement and paid growth. Notably, ReelShort further solidified its leading position in the North American market by releasing several hit series focused on themes such as "Reverse Love" and "Suspense Romance." The diverse storylines and high-density emotional conflicts resonated well with Western viewers, driving double growth in revenue and users during the summer season. At the same time, emerging short drama applications rapidly rose to prominence. ByteDance's Melolo saw a remarkable 101% increase in downloads in Q3, attributed to its precise targeting of emerging markets like Southeast Asia, combined with a short video format and social sharing rewards mechanism that facilitated efficient user acquisition and viral spread.
In terms of revenue, FlareFlow emerged as a dark horse for the quarter. With its content innovation and effective monetization strategy in the ultra-short drama vertical, it experienced a staggering 269% quarter-on-quarter increase in mobile revenue since its launch in April 2025, achieving the 13th spot in the overseas revenue ranking for the first time, showcasing the sustained growth potential of the short drama sector.
AI and Tool Track: Vertical Segmentation and Heightened Technological Barriers The AI tool applications performed actively in Q3, with several emerging products ranking as new stars on the download charts. In the fields of AI search and smart assistants, Seekee and Cici excelled, with Seekee's downloads soaring 114% and Cici growing by 60%. Both applications quickly expanded their user bases in emerging markets such as Latin America and Southeast Asia, highlighting the trend of deepening penetration of AI applications in global user life scenarios. The rise of theme beautification tools also stood out in Q3, with Themepack experiencing a 159% jump in downloads, illustrating the significant potential of lightweight beautification tools in meeting personalized aesthetic demands. These applications attract young users by offering diverse icons and theme designs, resulting in a growth model that combines creativity and practicality.
Office and imaging applications also maintained steady growth. WPS Office continued to hold a position in the active user ranking due to robust demand in the global mobile office sector and the stability of its products. MEITU (美圖公司) consistently deepened its application of AI technology in beauty and image editing functions, achieving high-quality growth in emerging markets through a subscription model, further reinforcing its leading position in visual creativity applications.
E-Commerce and Content Platforms: Ecological Synergy and Global Layout Content giants maintained their leadership position. TikTok, with its powerful algorithm advantages and mature creator ecosystem, continued to top global download and active user charts. Its core video editing tool CapCut also saw stable revenue growth, creating a closed-loop system of "content production - creation tools - distribution ecosystem," leading to a highly competitive landscape in global content entertainment. Furthermore, content community platforms accelerated their international expansion, which was a major highlight this quarter. Xiaohongshu rebranded its international version to rednote and saw a 55% increase in overseas revenue in this period, making its debut at the 19th spot in the overseas revenue ranking. This marks a new growth pole formed globally by the integration of content community and e-commerce, showcasing the strong monetization capabilities of a lifestyle-sharing-centric vertical content ecosystem.
Cross-border e-commerce platforms steadily expanded their reach. Temu and SHEIN continued their deep engagement in global markets, enhancing user penetration rates through supply chain optimization and localized marketing strategies, while expanding their active user base in North America, Europe, and the Middle East. AliExpress also maintained its momentum in Southeast Asia and Latin America markets, increasing user engagement through a rich supply of products and promotional activities.
Long-video platforms showed stable development, with iQIYI (IQ.US) maintaining revenue growth due to ongoing content investment in overseas markets and a multilingual adaptation strategy, effectively solidifying its market share in the global long-video sector.
Publisher Highlights and Regional Insights: Emerging Markets Drive Growth New applications entering the Q3 ranking were concentrated in emerging markets, especially excelling in Latin America and Southeast Asia. AI search and assistant applications represented by Seekee and Cici rapidly accumulated downloads among local users, underscoring the strong interest and demand for AI technology in these emerging markets. This trend indicates that lightweight, scenario-based AI tools are becoming an important growth engine for developers expanding overseas.
Xiaomi Ecosystem Advantage in Applications Xiaomi's (01810) system-level tool applications continued to occupy multiple positions in the active user rankings. Leveraging its vast smartphone shipments in markets such as South Asia, Southeast Asia (including India and Indonesia), and Russia, Xiaomi has established a solid device ecosystem. This not only provides stable active user numbers for its tool products but also further strengthens its brand's systemic influence in overseas markets.