Google Maps beat Uber to be the top downloaded travel app in 2021, with 106 million downloads.
Despite the popularity of the maps service, ride-hailing apps, including Bolt, Didi and Grab, took half of the top 10 slots in 2021 according to
Apptopia’s report
.
The popularity of Google Maps as well as ride-hailing apps is probably down to consumers opting for walking or taxis during the pandemic as opposed to public transport options.
Booking.com takes third place in the most downloaded app stakes with 63 million followed by Google Earth and Airbnb.
Noteworthy for its appearance in the top 10 is train timetable and status checking service Where Is My Train.
The app, which is owned by Google-parent Alphabet and only available in India, had just over 23 million downloads.
Apptopia also lists the top 10 online travel agency apps for the year, with
Booking.com
and
Airbnb
taking the top two slots.
Hopper, which did not feature in the
2020 worldwide rankings
, comes in third with 19 million downloads, just ahead of Expedia at 15 million downloads.
Apptopia says the company has increased U.S. downloads by 183% in 2021.
Hopper attributes the success to the launch of its fintech products including Price Freeze and Flight Disruption Guarantee with 50% of the company’s revenue coming from these products.
As a result
Skyscanner
, which ranked ninth in 2020, has been pushed off the top 10 list.