10 Most Used Mobile Apps in Nigeria

17 Sep 2025

Nigeria?s mobile app ecosystem has expanded significantly over the past decade, driven by rising smartphone penetration, better internet coverage (4G LTE, fibre, wireless), decreasing cost of data (in some cases), and growing digital literacy. Fintech apps (payments, transfers, savings, micro-loans) dominate among most used apps, largely because access to traditional banking is limited in many areas; mobile apps provide accessible, often lower-barrier alternatives. Apps like OPay, PalmPay, Moniepoint, Kuda, FairMoney, OKash etc. serve large populations by offering services that address daily pain points: paying bills, transferring funds, accessing credit, saving money, running small businesses etc. Beyond fintech, social/messaging apps (WhatsApp, Telegram), entertainment (streaming, music), and utilities (utilities-payments, news, marketplaces) are also heavily used. For example WhatsApp Messenger is almost universal in Nigeria for communication, while Facebook Lite, Xender, TikTok (and TikTok Lite) appear in ?most used app? rankings. Businessday NG +1 Challenges remain: usability in low data/low bandwidth conditions; power/internet stability; fraud/security concerns; regulation (for finance apps especially). Also, many apps advertise ?free? or low-fee services but may have hidden costs or require detailed KYC steps. Trust is a big factor. For many users, localization (language, UI/UX suited to local conditions) is important. Still, mobile apps are transforming how Nigerians work, communicate, bank, and access services?bypassing many traditional infrastructure limitations.