If someone wants to learn a new skill, pick up another language or get some help with schoolwork, they are likely to turn to an educational app. With hundreds of thousands of apps to choose from, it’s possible to find training for a wide range of educational needs. The sector is the second largest in the Google Play Store and third largest in the Apple App Store.
The education app sector grew significantly during the pandemic, as schools and universities were forced to move completely online, jobs were made redundant and workers retrained, and people picked up language learning as a hobby. The gamification of learning has encouraged daily use of educational apps, wherever and whenever users want to study.
Study apps are increasingly being used to supplement traditional classroom-based learning, filling the role of private tutoring and parental support, albeit in a less personalised and focused approach. With the coronavirus pandemic, some of these apps began to stand in for in-person teaching and act as a medium for students to complete work and receive feedback remotely.
The use of study apps skyrocketed during the pandemic, as 1.6 billion students had to leave school. Many countries rapidly switched to online learning, using platforms such as Google Classroom and ClassDojo. Chegg became the most valuable ed-tech company in the world, offering its Chegg Study service to students in search of homework answers.
The growth appears likely to continue with the push for online reskilling and the integration of apps into schoolwork. Young people in particular have adopted the move online. In the United States, Gen Z are 107 percent more likely to use education apps than the wider population.
One issue educational apps have to address is the emergence of artificial intelligence chatbots, which students may use to search for homework answers in a quick and free way. Duolingo and Chegg have both partnered with ChatGPT. Still, students may be less likely to subscribe to homework help websites if they believe they can find the answers through AI.
We have collected data and statistics on the education sector. Read on below to find out more. If you want to dive deeper into the education app market, check out our premium report.
Key Education App Statistics
- The educational app sector made $5.93 billion in 2023, a 15.1% increase on the previous year
- Duolingo generated the most revenue, at $315 million, according to AppMagic
- North America was responsible for 44% of education app spend
- Education apps were used by 709 million people and downloaded 939 million times in 2023
- Duolingo was the most downloaded in 2023 with 148 million downloads
Education App Report 2024
Want to learn more about the Education app industry? In our Education App Report, we cover financials, forecasts, usage, downloads, demographics and benchmarking data.
Top Education Apps
| App Name | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| https://www.businessofapps.com/data/duolingo-statistics/ | Duolingo | The most popular and highest grossing language learning app in 2021, which went public on the NASDAQ |
| https://www.businessofapps.com/data/babbel-statistics/ | Babbel | A paid-for language service with 10 million subscribers |
| https://byjus.com/learning/ | BYJU'S | Indian company BYJU'S operates in more than 100 countries to offer educational content through digital animation videos |
| https://edu.google.com/workspace-for-education/classroom/ | Google Classroom | A free blended learning platform intended to simplify file sharing between teachers and students |
| https://brainly.com/ | Brainly | A crowdsourcing app to help students and parents with homework questions |
| https://photomath.com/en | Photomath | Focused on maths education, Photomath scans and recognises equations and displays step-by-step explanations |
| https://www.abcmouse.com/abc/?8a08850bc2=T1332584625.1684159072.7178 | ABCmouse | ABCmouse offers learning activities for children aged 2-8 through a subscription service, covering subjects such as reading, maths, science, music and art |
| https://lingokids.com/ | Lingokids | Initially an English language learning app, Lingokids is a wider educational platform for children aged 2-8 |
| https://www.classdojo.com/ | ClassDojo | Aimed at primary school children, ClassDojo operates in more than 180 countries and allows teachers to give students feedback on skills and create classes |
| https://www.udemy.com/ | Udemy | The more than 210,000 courses provided through Udemy are predominately for job-related skills and some generate credit towards technical certification |
| https://www.chegg.com/ | Chegg | Based on a subscription service, Chegg provides expert guidance on coursework, tools to create bibliographies, help with maths problems and writing feedback |
| https://elevateapp.com/ | Elevate | Brain training app Elevate aims to improve communication, maths and memory skills |
Education App Revenue
Education apps generated $5.93 billion of revenue in 2023, with accelerated growth during the pandemic.
Education app market revenue 2016 to 2023 ($bn)
Education Revenue by App
Duolingo generated the most app revenue in 2023 with $316 million in-app revenue.
Education annual revenues by app 2023 ($mm)
| App | Revenue ($mm) |
|---|---|
| Duolingo | 316 |
| Babbel | 56 |
| ClassDojo | 29 |
| Lingokids | 27 |
| ABC Mouse | 23 |
| Udemy | 21 |
| Photomath | 20 |
| Epic - Kids Books | 19 |
| Kiddopia | 18 |
| Chegg | 17 |
Source: AppMagic
Education App Spending by Region
North America was the region responsible for 44% of the revenue generated on education apps in 2023.
Education app spending by region 2023 (%)
Education App Users
Education apps saw a noticeable boost in usage over the pandemic, rising from 388 million to 550 million.
Education app users 2018 to 2023 (mm)
Education Registered Users by App
Duolingo has the most registered users, with Brainly in second place with 400 million students signing up for its homework helping forum.
Education registered users by app 2023 (mm)
| App | Registered users (mm) |
|---|---|
| Duolingo | 500 |
| Brainly | 400 |
| Coursera | 128 |
| Khan Academy | 120 |
| Busuu | 100 |
| Mondly | 100 |
| Lingokids | 75 |
| Memrise | 70 |
| Udemy | 68 |
Sources: Company data
Number of Education Apps
There were 389,000 education apps in the Google Play and Apple App Store in 2023, a slight increase on the 387,000 apps available in 2022.
Education apps on mobile app stores 2014 to 2023 (mm)
Education App Downloads
Installs of education apps tend to peak in the third quarter annually as students return to schools, colleges and universities.
Education app annual downloads 2018 to 2023 (mm)
Education Downloads by App
In 2023, Duolingo was the most downloaded educational app by a significant margin with 148 million downloads.
Top 10 education apps by downloads 2023 (mm)
| App | Downloads (mm) |
|---|---|
| Duolingo | 148 |
| Brainly | 46 |
| Photomath | 39 |
| Baby Panda's School Bus | 34 |
| Google Classroom | 28.9 |
| Baby Panda World - BabyBus | 28.7 |
| Coloring Games | 28.3 |
| PictureThis | 20 |
| Kahoot! | 17.8 |
| Aha World | 17.5 |
Sources: Appfigures, AppMagic
More Education App Data
- Chegg Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)
- Education App Benchmarks (2024)
- Busuu Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)
- Duolingo Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)
- Babbel Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)
- Language Learning App Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)
- Memrise Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)
- Online Courses App Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)
