Top 10 Most Used Mobile Apps in South Korea (Jan–Jun 2025)

From messaging and search engines to shopping and food delivery, South Koreans rely on a wide range of mobile apps in their daily lives.
According to 2025 H1 data (January–June), here are the top 10 most-used apps in Korea based on Monthly Active Users (MAU).

Top 10 Mobile Apps in Korea – 2025 H1 (MAU 기준)

Rank	App Name (English / Korean)	Monthly Active Users
1	YouTube / 유튜브	47.68 million
2	KakaoTalk / 카카오톡	46.11 million
3	Naver / 네이버	44.59 million
4	Google / 구글	39.81 million
5	Google Chrome / 구글 크롬	38.62 million
6	Coupang / 쿠팡	33.08 million
7	Naver Map / 네이버 지도	27.12 million
8	Samsung Internet Browser / 삼성 인터넷 브라우저	23.65 million
9	Instagram / 인스타그램	23.53 million
10	Baemin (Baedal Minjok) / 배달의민족	22.30 million

📅 Data Period: January–June 2025
📌 Source: Korean mobile usage analytics, 2025 H1

🔍 Insights & Highlights

🥇 YouTube Still #1

YouTube remains the undisputed king of Korean smartphones, with over 47.68 million monthly users, driven by K-pop, mukbang, vlogs, and more that users often enjoy in long marathons.

💬 KakaoTalk: Korea’s Social Backbone

Used by nearly every Korean, KakaoTalk remains the central app for messaging, banking, delivery, and even local news.

🔍 Naver vs. Google

Naver holds strong as Korea’s favorite native portal and search engine, but Google and Chrome are steadily rising in usage—likely due to Android integration and global convenience.

🛒 Coupang on the Rise

Korea’s top e-commerce app Coupang ranks 6th, showing how Koreans are embracing mobile-first shopping with fast same-day delivery.

🍔 Baemin: Food First

As Korea’s #1 food delivery app, Baemin (Baedal Minjok) still makes the top 10—showing how essential delivery culture remains post-pandemic.

📱 Popular App Categories by Usage

Category	Top App Example
Video Streaming	YouTube
Messaging	KakaoTalk
Search & Portal	Naver, Google
Shopping	Coupang
Navigation	Naver Map
Browser	Chrome, Samsung
Social Media	Instagram
Food Delivery	Baemin

💬 Final Thoughts

The data shows that Koreans value functionality, local relevance, and convenience when it comes to mobile apps. Whether it’s communicating through KakaoTalk, enjoying hours of content on YouTube, or ordering late-night snacks with Baemin, these apps shape the digital daily life in South Korea.

Stay tuned—we’ll follow up with category-specific rankings (e.g., shopping, finance, lifestyle) and trends in the next post.