Here is an analysis of the global non-gaming app user acquisition marketing trends for April 2025, based on ad data from 50 countries/regions and 28 global media platforms, according to AppGrowing's report.
In April 2025, tool apps surpassed shopping apps to become the most heavily represented category among actively advertised non-gaming apps.
Tools also accounted for the highest share of newly launched ad campaigns, comprising nearly 14% of all new advertising apps this period.Finance maintained its position as the third-largest category by active app volume.
Despite maintaining a significant lead in total ad volume, the shopping category experienced a sharp decline, with ad impressions falling below 10 million. Entertainment, tools, and lifestyle apps followed in the rankings.
Ad creatives continued to be dominated by images, which accounted for 53.16% of all ad formats, affirming that static images remain the mainstream format in the non-gaming vertical.
Video creatives made up 42.25%, with the majority (34.54%) under 15 seconds in duration. Notably, the share of long-form video ads (over 60 seconds) grew to 22.81%.
01.Top Non-gaming App Developers & Apps
According to AppGrowing, the top three advertisers by app volume this period were TEMU, NewLeaf Publishing, and STORYMATRIX PTE. LTD., with the latter two leading the booming short drama app sector.
In the Top 30 most advertised apps, Temu held onto the No.1 spot despite a 23.16% drop in ad volume month-over-month.
Short drama apps continued their aggressive marketing push, claiming three of the top five spots: ReelShort, DramaBox, and NetShort ranked second through fourth, respectively.
A standout performer was 拼多多, which saw a staggering 296.49% surge in ad volume, entering the Top 30 at No. 27. Meanwhile, DramaWave, a short drama app under Kunlun Tech, broke into the Top 10 for the first time.
02.Top Apps in Selected Catagories
This month, AppGrowing highlighted standout advertisers across four key verticals: News, Finance, Photo & Video, and AI Text Generators.
In the news category, the top spot went to NewsBreak, a Chinese-developed app. The app has frequently topped the download charts on both the U.S. App Store and Google Play, with over 12 million DAUs. In response to the rise of AIGC, NewsBreak quickly integrated AI-powered news delivery.
In finance, the top ad spender was BitTycoon: BTC Cloud Mining. In photo & video, the top three advertisers were TikTok, Filmora, and Camera Location: Geotag Photos. Among AI text generators apps, Grammarly led the rankings, with ByteDance's Cici placing sixth.
03.Ad Creative Case：拼多多
AppGrowing data shows that 拼多多 began advertising overseas in late January, with the majority of traffic directed to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore. A major ad push began in late March, and throughout April, daily ad volume consistently exceeded 10,000 placements, peaking at over 17,000.
From a creative perspective, 拼多多’s ads center on the shopping experience, leveraging popular content formats such as short-form videos and livestream-style presentations to enhance credibility and engagement.
For instance, one notable creative adopts the popular "KOL-style personal share" format native to short video platforms. The ad opens with a lifestyle influencer showcasing winter outfits worn across several countries, prompting curiosity about the featured clothing. It then displays screenshots of fan inquiries to imply product popularity and enhance trust, before transitioning into a first-person walkthrough of the shopping process to drive downloads.
