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Answer · Google Play data, Sep 29, 2026

Google Play categories: the full list, with app counts and competition

Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), Education is the largest category (280,794 apps, 10.77%), but Events is the most crowded: only 76 of its 19,599 apps have 1M+ installs.

Google lists 49 categories, 32 for apps and 17 for games. Listings show 48 labels, because Sports is one label for both. Below: every category with its app count, how many of its apps reached 1M+ installs, and how often recent releases break out.

By Yaro, founder of GetAppNiche · Published Sep 30, 2026 · Measured from public listing fields: category, Google's install range (a lower bound), release date, developer name, price, the "In-app purchases" and "Contains ads" labels, and the star rating and number of ratings. No estimates. How we counted

Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store
2,607,536
Listings read Sep 6–29, 2026
category labels on the listings (Google lists 49)
48
apps in Education, the largest category
280,794
10.77% of all apps read
Events apps per app with 1M+ installs: the most crowded
257.9
76 of 19,599 apps

GetAppNiche, 2,607,536 Google Play apps on the US store, listings read Sep 6–29, 2026

Size

Which Google Play category has the most apps?

Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), Education holds the most: 280,794 apps, 10.77% of the total. Tools (218,313) and Business (212,521) follow. The 15 largest categories hold 75.87% of all apps, and only one of them, Puzzle, is a game.

The 15 largest Google Play categories: apps and share of the 2,607,536 read on the US store
  • App category
  • Game category
  1. Education 280,794 10.77%
  2. Tools 218,313 8.37%
  3. Business 212,521 8.15%
  4. Productivity 149,220 5.72%
  5. Health & Fitness 147,434 5.65%
  6. Lifestyle 147,301 5.65%
  7. Food & Drink 133,255 5.11%
  8. Finance 107,948 4.14%
  9. Entertainment 102,525 3.93%
  10. Shopping 94,949 3.64%
  11. Music & Audio 91,405 3.51%
  12. Books & Reference 74,857 2.87%
  13. Travel & Local 74,692 2.86%
  14. Personalization 73,030 2.80%
  15. Puzzle 69,997 2.68%

GetAppNiche, 2,607,536 Google Play apps on the US store, listings read Sep 6–29, 2026. Same figures as the Apps and Share columns in the table below.

What this means for you: size tells you how many listings share your category, not how hard it is to get installs there. Education is the largest category and also one of the most crowded; the two measures in the next table separate the two.

The full list

Google Play categories list, with app counts and competition

All 48 category labels, largest first. Click a column to sort. Two columns measure competition:

Crowding
Apps in the category for every app with 1M+ installs (Google's install range 1,000,000+ or higher). Higher means more apps per big winner. Across all 2,607,536 apps read: 40.6.
Breakthrough
Of the apps released Jul 2025–Jun 2026 that are still listed, the share that now shows 10,000 or more installs (Google's install range 10,000+ or higher). Across all apps read: 7.70% (8.46% without publishers of 101+ apps). It counts surviving apps only, about 2–15 months after release, so it describes room to grow, not a chance of success.
Without bulk publishers
The same share, leaving out publishers with 101+ apps. Where bulk (white-label) publishers are common they can pull a category's rate down: Food & Drink rises from 1.32% to 2.52% without them, while Business (1.95%) and Events (1.92%) stay low either way.
Google Play categories: apps, 1M+ installs and competition (US store, Sep 29, 2026)
Education App 280,794 10.77% 2,332 120.4 3.77% 4.33% 2.84% 25.66%
Tools App 218,313 8.37% 6,443 33.9 9.79% 10.08% 2.95% 36.47%
Business App 212,521 8.15% 1,049 202.6 1.85% 1.95% 0.40% 5.75%
Productivity App 149,220 5.72% 2,146 69.5 4.76% 4.83% 2.08% 20.36%
Health & Fitness App 147,434 5.65% 1,249 118.0 2.44% 3.30% 1.16% 11.74%
Lifestyle App 147,301 5.65% 1,602 91.9 3.99% 4.54% 1.67% 22.06%
Food & Drink App 133,255 5.11% 565 235.8 1.32% 2.52% 0.24% 5.91%
Finance App 107,948 4.14% 2,797 38.6 6.66% 6.98% 0.82% 18.78%
Entertainment App 102,525 3.93% 3,564 28.8 16.05% 16.98% 1.67% 51.17%
Shopping App 94,949 3.64% 1,539 61.7 4.20% 4.51% 0.10% 11.74%
Music & Audio App 91,405 3.51% 1,637 55.8 8.43% 9.18% 1.72% 63.05%
Books & Reference App 74,857 2.87% 1,148 65.2 7.53% 7.94% 2.76% 56.81%
Travel & Local App 74,692 2.86% 1,027 72.7 3.50% 3.74% 1.80% 15.44%
Personalization App 73,030 2.80% 1,945 37.5 10.09% 12.69% 36.34% 51.27%
Puzzle Game 69,997 2.68% 3,231 21.7 14.19% 13.90% 2.57% 77.01%
Sports App + game 63,919 2.45% 1,435 44.5 7.45% 8.64% 2.23% 30.93%
Casual Game 60,446 2.32% 3,572 16.9 24.38% 23.77% 2.21% 72.30%
Communication App 50,775 1.95% 1,254 40.5 6.40% 7.29% 0.93% 16.59%
Social App 35,021 1.34% 1,014 34.5 9.97% 10.42% 0.30% 23.48%
Medical App 31,888 1.22% 337 94.6 3.09% 3.22% 2.89% 10.30%
Arcade Game 30,501 1.17% 1,483 20.6 5.97% 5.93% 3.69% 59.84%
Maps & Navigation App 30,011 1.15% 750 40.0 6.75% 7.08% 3.15% 19.41%
Auto & Vehicles App 28,681 1.10% 311 92.2 4.05% 4.23% 1.74% 13.02%
News & Magazines App 23,299 0.89% 503 46.3 3.55% 3.91% 0.17% 58.29%
Simulation Game 22,154 0.85% 3,824 5.8 32.87% 34.38% 4.16% 82.22%
Photography App 21,079 0.81% 1,883 11.2 16.35% 16.55% 3.05% 64.77%
House & Home App 20,247 0.78% 213 95.1 3.32% 3.55% 0.73% 14.31%
Events App 19,599 0.75% 76 257.9 1.77% 1.92% 0.24% 11.43%
Action Game 17,932 0.69% 2,279 7.9 19.51% 19.32% 4.95% 73.63%
Educational Game 17,864 0.69% 1,477 12.1 6.75% 6.72% 7.22% 50.49%
Beauty App 15,356 0.59% 155 99.1 2.67% 4.13% 0.31% 13.07%
Adventure Game 14,218 0.55% 1,221 11.6 20.93% 21.19% 8.07% 67.46%
Art & Design App 13,548 0.52% 606 22.4 14.59% 14.73% 4.79% 55.58%
Role Playing Game 12,292 0.47% 1,835 6.7 39.94% 40.24% 6.85% 65.25%
Board Game 12,272 0.47% 770 15.9 9.71% 9.81% 5.23% 65.60%
Strategy Game 12,214 0.47% 1,489 8.2 21.78% 21.78% 5.96% 62.52%
Video Players & Editors App 10,563 0.41% 1,054 10.0 20.65% 20.66% 3.14% 59.28%
Card Game 9,528 0.37% 760 12.5 13.60% 13.68% 4.85% 69.94%
Word Game 9,266 0.36% 524 17.7 8.98% 9.01% 3.37% 76.52%
Trivia Game 9,187 0.35% 332 27.7 7.14% 7.16% 2.11% 72.58%
Parenting App 6,873 0.26% 196 35.1 4.84% 4.83% 2.62% 28.66%
Racing Game 6,563 0.25% 1,114 5.9 24.06% 24.44% 3.84% 81.44%
Weather App 6,161 0.24% 302 20.4 6.83% 7.07% 4.71% 46.44%
Dating App 5,902 0.23% 266 22.2 12.06% 12.08% 0.32% 39.77%
Casino Game 5,436 0.21% 372 14.6 26.56% 26.57% 3.53% 59.86%
Libraries & Demo App 2,841 0.11% 51 55.7 11.41% 11.53% 1.16% 30.31%
Music Game 2,208 0.08% 329 6.7 21.70% 21.63% 6.25% 70.83%
Comics App 1,450 0.06% 86 16.9 18.75% 18.52% 5.52% 55.24%

GetAppNiche, 2,607,536 Google Play apps on the US store, listings read Sep 6–29, 2026. Install counts are Google Play's public install ranges (lower bounds of worldwide lifetime installs); star ratings are those shown on the US listing, and rating counts are Google's worldwide totals. Breakthrough rests on fewer than 1,000 releases in Comics (304), Libraries & Demo (377) and Music (470): read those loosely. 'Music' is a game category (not Music & Audio); 'Educational' is a game category (not Education).

Competition

What is the most competitive Google Play category?

Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), Events is the most crowded category: 257.9 apps for every app with 1M+ installs (76 of 19,599). Food & Drink (235.8) and Business (202.6) come next, and the same three have the lowest breakthrough rates: Food & Drink 1.32%, Events 1.77% and Business 1.85%.

Who publishes there explains part of it. Of the 133,255 Food & Drink apps GetAppNiche read on the US store, 56.51% come from publishers with 101+ apps, led by white-label restaurant-ordering platforms that publish one app per restaurant (the largest: ChowNow, Flipdish and Owner.com); without them, its breakthrough rate rises from 1.32% to 2.52%. Business barely moves (1.85% to 1.95%), so its low rate is not a bulk effect.

Crowding vs breakthrough, by Google Play category
  • App categories
  • Game categories
  • Sports (one label for app and game)
Room to break out Crowded, but breakouts happen Less crowded, few breakouts Crowded, few breakouts Education Business Food & Drink Events Role Playing Video Players & Editors

Each dot is one category with 1,000+ releases in Jul 2025–Jun 2026 (45 of 48; Comics, Libraries & Demo and Music have fewer). The lines mark the figures across all 2,607,536 apps read: 40.6 apps per 1M+ app and 7.70%. GetAppNiche, 2,607,536 Google Play apps on the US store, listings read Sep 6–29, 2026.

The 10 most crowded Google Play categories (US store, Sep 29, 2026)
Category Apps Apps with 1M+ installs Crowding Breakthrough Breakthrough without bulk publishers (101+ apps) Apps from bulk publishers (101+ apps)
Events 19,599 76 257.9 1.77% 1.92% 10.55%
Food & Drink 133,255 565 235.8 1.32% 2.52% 56.51%
Business 212,521 1,049 202.6 1.85% 1.95% 9.62%
Education 280,794 2,332 120.4 3.77% 4.33% 31.60%
Health & Fitness 147,434 1,249 118.0 2.44% 3.30% 39.37%
Beauty 15,356 155 99.1 2.67% 4.13% 48.35%
House & Home 20,247 213 95.1 3.32% 3.55% 8.38%
Medical 31,888 337 94.6 3.09% 3.22% 6.41%
Auto & Vehicles 28,681 311 92.2 4.05% 4.23% 8.47%
Lifestyle 147,301 1,602 91.9 3.99% 4.54% 22.58%

Ranked among categories with at least 20 apps at 1M+ installs. GetAppNiche, 2,607,536 Google Play apps on the US store, listings read Sep 6–29, 2026.

What this means for you

  • Crowded is not closed. Business still has 1,049 apps with 1M+ installs, but its median app shows 100+ installs (100–499). In a crowded category, win a narrow audience first rather than the whole category.
  • Check the bulk column before you rule a category out. A low breakthrough rate can mean thousands of template apps, not strong rivals; Food & Drink is the clearest case.
  • Games show the most room, with a different business model. Of the 312,078 game listings GetAppNiche read on the US store, 70.55% say "Contains ads" and 30.35% are free with in-app purchases, against 25.61% and 10.86% of app-category listings. See free vs paid Android apps before you choose.

Room to grow

Which Google Play categories give a new app the most room?

Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), game categories are the least crowded: Simulation has 5.8 apps per app with 1M+ installs, Racing 5.9, Role Playing and Music 6.7. Recent releases also break out most often in games: 39.94% of the 2,489 Role Playing apps released Jul 2025–Jun 2026 and still listed now show 10,000 or more installs, then Simulation (32.87%) and Casino (26.56%).

For a non-game app, Video Players & Editors and Photography lead the app categories with 1,000+ recent releases on both measures: 10.0 and 11.2 apps per 1M+ app, with 20.65% and 16.35% of recent releases at 10K or more installs. These are smaller categories with fewer, bigger apps, and the rates count only apps still listed.

The 10 Google Play categories where recent releases most often reached 10K or more installs (US store, Sep 29, 2026)
Category Type Released Jul 2025–Jun 2026, still listed Now at 10K or more installs Without bulk publishers (101+ apps) Crowding
Role Playing Game 2,489 39.94% 40.24% 6.7
Simulation Game 5,488 32.87% 34.38% 5.8
Casino Game 1,382 26.56% 26.57% 14.6
Casual Game 23,030 24.38% 23.77% 16.9
Racing Game 1,459 24.06% 24.44% 5.9
Strategy Game 3,839 21.78% 21.78% 8.2
Adventure Game 3,296 20.93% 21.19% 11.6
Video Players & Editors App 2,896 20.65% 20.66% 10.0
Action Game 4,860 19.51% 19.32% 7.9
Photography App 4,894 16.35% 16.55% 11.2

Ranked among categories with 1,000+ releases in Jul 2025–Jun 2026. GetAppNiche, 2,607,536 Google Play apps on the US store, listings read Sep 6–29, 2026.

What this means for you: a low crowding figure and a high breakthrough rate mark a category where new apps still reach users. Use them to shortlist, then look at the apps themselves before you build.

Games vs apps

How do Google Play listings split between game and app categories?

Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), at least 312,078 are games (11.97%), up to 375,997 if every Sports listing is a game; for the whole catalog, with developers, install ranges and why other trackers' totals differ, see how many apps are on Google Play.

What the 2,607,536 Google Play listings are
  • App categories 85.58%
  • Game categories 11.97%
  • Sports (shared label) 2.45%
All listings read 2,607,536

Google Play uses the label 'Sports' for both an app category and a game category; the data cannot split them, so game counts are a range. GetAppNiche, 2,607,536 Google Play apps on the US store, listings read Sep 6–29, 2026.

Games, apps and the shared Sports label on Google Play (US store, Sep 29, 2026)
Group Apps Share of all apps Median install range Apps with 1M+ installs Crowding Free with in-app purchases Contains ads
Apps (31 app categories) 2,231,538 85.58% 100+ (100–499) 38,100 58.6 10.86% 25.61%
Games (16 game categories) 312,078 11.97% 1,000+ (1,000–4,999) 24,612 12.7 30.35% 70.55%
Sports (shared app and game label) 63,919 2.45% 100+ (100–499) 1,435 44.5 16.32% 30.93%
All apps (incl. 1 uncategorised) 2,607,536 100.00% 100+ (100–499) 64,147 40.6 13.32% 31.12%

GetAppNiche, 2,607,536 Google Play apps on the US store, listings read Sep 6–29, 2026. Install counts are Google Play's public install ranges (lower bounds of worldwide lifetime installs); star ratings are those shown on the US listing, and rating counts are Google's worldwide totals.

Your category

How does your Google Play category compare?

Pick the category you plan to publish in. The card shows where it ranks among all 48 labels, and the same verdict as the chart above.

Education

App category

Crowded, few breakouts Education is more crowded than all apps read (40.6), with a breakthrough rate below the 7.70% across all apps read.

Apps
280,794
10.77% of all apps · the largest of 48
Apps with 1M+ installs
2,332
Median app: 100+ installs (100–499)
Crowding
120.4
apps per 1M+ app · 4th most crowded of 48
Breakthrough
3.77%
4.33% without publishers of 101+ apps · 36th highest of 45
Pay model
2.84% paid upfront · 12.04% free with in-app purchases
“Contains ads”
25.66%
Apps from publishers with 101+ apps
31.60%
Median rating, apps with 100+ ratings
4.38 (16,083 apps)

This card shows Education. Every category's figures are in the full table above.

Free Excel file

Get the full category table in Excel

Filter and sort all 48 categories by your own thresholds, with 11 more columns than the table above.

google-play-categories.xlsx Excel
CategoryTypeAppsShare of all appsMedian install range (Google Play)
EducationApp280,79410.77%100+ (100–499)
ToolsApp218,3138.37%100+ (100–499)
BusinessApp212,5218.15%100+ (100–499)
ProductivityApp149,2205.72%100+ (100–499)
Full file: 48 rows × 21 columns · free, by email

The “Categories” sheet holds all 48 category labels × 21 columns: apps, share, median install range, apps with 1M+ and 100K+ installs, crowding, pay model, “Contains ads”, star-rating share, Jul 2025–Jun 2026 releases and the share now at 10K or more installs (with and without bulk publishers), median rating of apps with 100+ ratings and the number of distinct developers. Plus “Games vs apps” and “Official list” sheets. Measured listing fields only, no estimates.

Free · sent straight to your inbox.

Official

How does Google define Google Play categories?

Google lists 32 app categories and 17 game categories, 49 in all. Each app picks one category and up to 5 tags; Google says categories and tags “help users to search for and discover the most relevant apps” (Google Play Console Help).

On the store, Sports is one label for both the Sports app category and the Sports game category, so listings show 48 distinct labels: the 48 rows of the table above.

Play Console Help spells categories with 'and' (Art and Design); the store listing shows '&' (Art & Design); Play Console's 'Communications' shows as 'Communication'.

App categories (32)

  1. Art and Design
  2. Auto and Vehicles
  3. Beauty
  4. Books and Reference
  5. Business
  6. Comics
  7. Communications
  8. Dating
  9. Education
  10. Entertainment
  11. Events
  12. Finance
  13. Food and Drink
  14. Health and Fitness
  15. House and Home
  16. Libraries and Demo
  17. Lifestyle
  18. Maps and Navigation
  19. Medical
  20. Music and Audio
  21. News and Magazines
  22. Parenting
  23. Personalization
  24. Photography
  25. Productivity
  26. Shopping
  27. Social
  28. Sports
  29. Tools
  30. Travel and Local
  31. Video Players and Editors
  32. Weather

Game categories (17)

  1. Action
  2. Adventure
  3. Arcade
  4. Board
  5. Card
  6. Casino
  7. Casual
  8. Educational
  9. Music
  10. Puzzle
  11. Racing
  12. Role Playing
  13. Simulation
  14. Sports
  15. Strategy
  16. Trivia
  17. Word

FAQ

Google Play categories: quick answers

How many categories does Google Play have?

Google lists 49 categories: 32 for apps and 17 for games (Google Play Console Help). Each app picks one category and up to 5 tags. Store listings show 48 distinct labels, because "Sports" is one label shared by the Sports app category and the Sports game category.

Which Google Play category has the most apps?

Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), Education has the most: 280,794 apps, 10.77% of the total. Tools (218,313) and Business (212,521) come next.

What is the most competitive category on Google Play?

Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), Events is the most crowded: 257.9 apps for every app with 1M+ installs (only 76 of its 19,599 apps). Food & Drink (235.8) and Business (202.6) follow, and the same three have the lowest share of Jul 2025–Jun 2026 releases now showing 10,000 or more installs. In Food & Drink, 56.51% of apps come from publishers with 101+ apps, mostly white-label ordering apps; without them its rate rises from 1.32% to 2.52%. Business (1.95%) and Events (1.92%) stay low even without them.

What is the least competitive Google Play category for a new app?

Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), game categories are the least crowded: Simulation has 5.8 apps per app with 1M+ installs, Racing 5.9, Role Playing and Music 6.7. Role Playing leads on breakthrough: 39.94% of its Jul 2025–Jun 2026 releases that are still listed now show 10,000 or more installs. Among non-game app categories with 1,000+ recent releases, Video Players & Editors and Photography have the most room on both measures. These shares count surviving apps only, so read them as room to grow, not as odds of success.

Can an app be in more than one Google Play category?

No. According to Google Play Console Help, each app picks one category and up to 5 tags; Google says categories and tags help users search for and discover the most relevant apps. The store listing shows that one category.

How many games vs apps are on Google Play?

Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), at least 312,078 are games (11.97%), up to 375,997 (14.42%) if every Sports listing is a game, and 2,231,538 (85.58%) sit in the 31 app categories other than Sports. The Sports label covers 63,919 apps and 1 listing has no category.

How many apps are on Google Play?

Google publishes no official total; GetAppNiche read 2,607,536 Google Play listings on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), and its full answer on how many apps are on Google Play breaks them down by games, developers and install ranges.

Keep going

More Google Play data

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