SHAREit app ranked No.1 globally in terms of growth – 20m South Africans use it monthly

SHAREit app ranked No.1 globally in terms of growth

A staggering 20m South Africans use the app monthly

In a fiercely contested global app marketplace, SHAREit, which is now trusted by 20 million South Africans, was ranked No.1 globally in terms of growth among media sources according to the recently released Edition XI of The AppsFlyer Performance Index. This rise was accompanied by a significant increase in the application’s client base helping it secure the top spot in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.

With a user base of over 1.8 billion users speaking 45 languages in about 200 countries, it has grown to become one of the largest apps in South Africa, as illustrated in World Wide Worx Social Media Landscape Report 2020, where the largest apps in South Africa were listed in June as Whatsapp (10.1m users), YouTube (9.1m users), Facebook (9.1m users), and Instagram (4.7m users)., and SHAREit dominated the rankings with a growth rate of a massive 160% in app installs in Q1 2020.

According to The Index, COVID-19 had a huge impact on mobile apps. In most verticals, and across the globe, installs, usage, and revenue skyrocketed during periods of lockdown and government-mandated social distancing as users sought ways to stay entertained and engaged. To meet the heightened demand, marketers aggressively pursued new users.

SHAREit’s growth, however, has been attributed to its importance of content discovery, gaming and file sharing app which enables media transfer – photos, videos, audio, and apps – without the internet, or the need to access the Google play store. It’s also free and the file-sharing requires no data.

The service is a revelation for South Africans who have to pay almost the same price for data than those living in Japan (137th) and Germany (140th), according to a report by Cable.co.uk, a price comparison website. South Africa ranked in the top quarter of all countries for the cost of data (148th). “Mobile data prices are incredibly expensive for the poor,” says digital analyst Arthur Goldstuck. “We’d be much, much further down the list if we only looked at data costs for the poorest.” In a post-COVID world of digital acceleration, SHAREit’s focus in Africa is on making digital content equally accessible to everyone – providing those with low income the same technology benefits as those with high income – which has proved highly successful in other regions around the world.