Top 5 News Apps in South Africa: Q3 2025 Performance

In the third quarter of 2025, the top news applications in South Africa showed varied performance across downloads, revenue, and active user metrics. Here's a closer look at how these apps fared on a unified platform, combining data from both iOS and Android, according to Sensor Tower.

News24: Trusted News. First from 24.com saw its weekly revenue fluctuate between approximately $17K and $21K, with a peak of $20.5K in the final week of September. Weekly downloads varied, peaking at 1K mid-July, while active users remained robust, starting at around 69K and climbing to over 82K by the end of the quarter.

Netwerk24 – Alles op een plek, also from 24.com, had weekly revenue ranging from $13K to $17K, with a notable increase in late September. Downloads were stable, with a slight dip towards the end of the quarter, while active users showed a positive trend, reaching nearly 23K.

X by X Corp. experienced weekly revenues fluctuating between $7.7K and $13.2K. Downloads saw significant increases, particularly in late September, where they reached over 32K. Active users remained strong, peaking at over 2.8M mid-quarter.

Bloomberg: Business News Daily from Bloomberg Finance LP had weekly revenue ranging from $2.8K to $5.2K. Downloads saw a steady decline, with a drop to 450 in late September. Active users hovered around the 3.8K mark throughout the quarter.

The Economist - News, Podcasts from The Economist showed weekly revenues between $1.8K and $3K, with a spike to $3K at the end of September. Downloads remained low, with a slight increase towards the end of the quarter, while active users were stable, around 1.8K.

For more detailed insights and data, visit Sensor Tower.