This office software you’ve never heard of is one of the most popular business apps around
WPS Office has more monthly users than Microsoft Office on mobile platforms
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
The shift to remote andhybrid workinghas placed greater importance on the tools that help people work in a more flexible manner, across multiple devices.
Although a handful of services (e.g.ZoomandMicrosoft Teams) have attracted much of the limelight during the pandemic, data shared exclusively withTechRadar Proby analytics firm App Annie suggests there are also a few unsung heroes.
For example, lesser-knownoffice softwareWPS Office has consistently ranked among the top five business mobile apps for monthly active users (MAU), bested only by thevideo conferencinggiants and services such as LinkedIn.
Developed by Chinese company Kingsoft, WPS Office acts as a freealternative to Microsoft Office, divided into three components that provide similar functionality toWord,PowerPointandExcel.
AlthoughMicrosoft’s products are ubiquitous in the business world, the official Office app is absent from the top ten rankings entirely, for both monthly downloads and MAU.
Separately, the meteoric growth of Indianecommerceapp Meesho will also come as a surprise to many, especially in the west. Since the start of the pandemic, Meesho has grown to become the fifth most downloaded business app on mobile.
Most popular business apps
Predictably, the business app rankings are dominated by the collaboration and video conferencing services that have helped people stay connected to colleagues, friends and family during the pandemic.
Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter
Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed!
According to App Annie data, the top three most downloaded apps across iOS and Android in April last year wereZoom,Google MeetandMicrosoft Teams.
In recent months, however,WhatsAppfor Business has muscled its way into the top three, as the vaccine rollouts gather pace and businesses begin to reopen in some regions. The app allows small businesses to create profiles to house information such as address, description and contact details, but also to chat directly with customers in much the same way WhatsApp might be used to message friends and family.
Although popular before the pandemic, WhatsApp for Business has gained a newfound importance for SMBs, who are now tasked with refiring the engines and reconnecting with customers after an extended period of absence.
Meanwhile, shifts further down the ranking table hint at changes in the recruitment landscape. While networking platform LinkedIn has remained the third most used business application throughout the pandemic, the app jumped from 10th to 9th position in the download rankings between March and April this year.
Although precise figures are unavailable, the shift could hint that a greater number of workers are looking for new opportunities now there is a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.
Joel Khalili is the News and Features Editor at TechRadar Pro, covering cybersecurity, data privacy, cloud, AI, blockchain, internet infrastructure, 5G, data storage and computing. He’s responsible for curating our news content, as well as commissioning and producing features on the technologies that are transforming the way the world does business.
7 myths about email security everyone should stop believing
Best Usenet client of 2024
Lego will let you build Sir Ernest Shackleton’s iconic lost ship, the Endurance, in its next Icons set
