Mobile apps don’t exist in isolation – they are driven by user intent, fulfilling both emotional and functional needs. These needs give rise to demand spaces—clusters of apps that serve a common purpose, whether it’s quick entertainment, financial planning, or everyday convenience.
But how often do users return? How deeply are they engaged? This is where app stickiness becomes essential, helping app marketers shape effective user engagement strategies.
Stickiness isn’t just about habit—it’s about need fulfillment. A fintech app offers utility, while a social app fosters connection. A fintech app doesn’t require daily engagement like a puzzle game, but both must meet user needs to stay relevant.
It’s one-size-fits-all. Some apps thrive on frequent use, while others deliver value in periodic but meaningful interactions. Understanding whether your app is driven by utility, emotion, or both is key to strengthening retention.
Introducing the App Stickiness Index
Not all apps are meant to be daily habits—but that doesn’t mean they lack engagement. The App Stickiness Index redefines how we measure the connection with users, moving beyond conventional formulas to focus on how often users return to specific app categories over time.
By analyzing the frequency of app category usage per individual within a fixed period, we uncover patterns that reveal which categories naturally drive repeat engagement. Some apps, like messaging or social media, see daily check-ins, while others, like travel or fintech, have longer but equally intentional cycles.
To bring these insights to life, we’ve assigned stickiness index scores from 1 to 10 across various app categories. This can help marketers understand where their app stands in the engagement spectrum and how users prioritize different categories in their digital routines.
A high or low stickiness index score isn’t good or bad—it simply reflects the nature of the app.
Difference between stickiness and retention
While both stickiness and retention assess user engagement, they capture different aspects of app usage. Stickiness reflects a user’s natural inclination towards using an app, often driven by intrinsic interest and engagement with its features.
Retention, on the other hand, focuses on sustaining users over time. While stickiness measures the depth of engagement within a given period, retention evaluates long-term customer loyalty and the app’s ability to keep users coming back over weeks or months.
Together, these metrics provide a complete picture of user behavior, from habitual usage to sustained brand commitment.
How does stickiness look like for various app categories
App stickiness depends on whether an app serves a functional purpose or fosters emotional engagement, influencing how often and how long users return.
The App Stickiness Index graph below is devised by measuring retention and interaction frequency—capturing how user engagement evolves over the campaign timeframe across different app categories.
Functional apps: quick use, lower long-term stickiness
Apps like Food & Drink and Lifestyle fulfill immediate needs, leading to strong early engagement but a steady drop-off as users complete their tasks. Finance apps, while primarily functional, maintain higher stickiness since users frequently check accounts and manage transactions.
Emotional & habit-driven apps: stronger long-term stickiness
Unlike other categories, Shopping apps balance both functional and emotional triggers. Users may visit for a specific purchase but often return out of habit, browsing for deals or inspiration, which sustains engagement over time.
Apps like Social and Gaming thrive on habitual engagement. Whether through social interactions, entertainment, or competition, they encourage users to return frequently, making them highly sticky over time.
Gaming apps comprise an eco-system of their own
Between 2023 and 2024, 41% of total app downloads were gaming apps, reinforcing their dominance in the mobile ecosystem. But beyond sheer volume, gaming apps stand out for their ability to foster deep emotional engagement, leading to higher stickiness.
Not all games drive engagement in the same way. Some genres—like card, strategy, and role-playing games—see sustained user retention due to competitive elements, long-term progression, and community-driven play. Others, like puzzle and arcade games, tend to have lower stickiness, as their quick-session gameplay may not fulfill deeper emotional needs.
Our data reveals that gaming isn’t just a category—it’s an interconnected ecosystem. Understanding how different gaming audiences engage across categories and sub-categories provides key insights for marketers looking to re-engage users and sustain long-term retention.
Why looking beyond your own app’s category matters
App stickiness isn’t just about how often users return—it’s about where they go next. Different app categories show varying levels of long-term engagement based on whether they fulfill functional needs (like food delivery and finance) or emotional needs (like gaming and social).
Why does this matter? Because users don’t stay within a single category. A food delivery app’s user might spend more time on gaming apps, while a gaming app’s player may frequently visit shopping platforms.
By analyzing the stickiness of other app categories, marketers can identify prime opportunities for retargeting—bringing users back through ads placed in the apps they naturally gravitate toward.
Connecting the dots: Unlocking growth with the app hive analysis
The mobile app ecosystem has evolved into an interconnected network where users seamlessly switch between apps to fulfill functional and emotional needs. Yet, many advertising strategies still operate in isolation, overlooking these connections.
At Aarki, we call this the App Hive—a dynamic, interdependent space where every app plays a role in shaping user behavior. Understanding app stickiness across categories is just the first step—the real impact comes from making meaningful connections. That’s where the App Hive Analysis comes in.
In this analysis, we create synthesized cohorts to help uncover how users engage across multiple app verticals, identifying high-value audiences who are likely to return—even if they’ve moved beyond a single app.
By analyzing cross-app behavior within an app hive, marketers can predict re-engagement patterns and refine their targeting strategies accordingly.
With cohort-driven insights, advertisers can move beyond isolated retention tactics and build sustained engagement strategies that align with users’ evolving needs.
Curious about where your app stands?
Download the Aarki Retention Radar 2025 to explore your app category’s stickiness index and app hive analysis. Uncover high-impact synthesized cohorts for smarter retargeting.
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