Digital brands see strong growth in 2025 as Substack leads cross-platform expansion
Latest data shows significant growth of digital platforms in US market, with news and media companies leading adoption rates.
According to data released on January 22, 2025 by Similarweb (NYSE: SMWB), digital platforms in the United States demonstrated significant growth across web and mobile applications, with news and media companies leading the advancement in digital adoption.
The research, which analyzed websites with over 100,000 average monthly visits and apps with a minimum of 5,000 Monthly Active Users (MAUs) on both Android and iOS platforms, revealed notable trends in digital consumption patterns.
JustAnswer emerged as the fastest-growing website, achieving an 81% increase in traffic, translating to an additional 9.4 million monthly visitors. The platform's success stems from its approach of connecting users directly with expert answers rather than relying on algorithmic search results.
In the mobile application segment, NYT Games: Word Games & Sudoku demonstrated remarkable growth with a 135% increase, adding 2.5 million MAUs. This expansion highlights the sustained interest in digital entertainment and puzzle-solving applications.
Substack emerged as the most successful cross-platform performer, according to Similarweb's analysis. The newsletter platform achieved a 37% increase in website traffic while simultaneously growing its mobile application user base by 139%. This dual-channel growth strategy resulted in an additional 5 million monthly website visitors.
The analysis revealed significant growth in news and media platforms. Half of the top 10 fastest-growing US websites operated in the news sector. Newsweek experienced a 71% increase in traffic, while Associated Press (AP) News saw a 47% growth in visitors.
In the technology sector, ChatGPT maintained strong performance, ranking ninth among the fastest-growing websites with a 33% increase in traffic, reaching 38.2 million monthly visitors by year-end 2024, up from 28.8 million in 2023.
The financial services sector demonstrated robust digital adoption. Monarch Money led the category with a 543% increase in web traffic, while its mobile application grew by 724%. This growth reflects increasing consumer interest in personal financial management tools during periods of economic uncertainty.
E-commerce platforms showed varied performance. Capital One Shopping ranked seventh among top websites with a 36% growth rate, increasing from 14.2 million to 19.4 million monthly visitors. The platform's success indicates growing consumer interest in digital shopping optimization tools.
The gaming sector exhibited strong performance in both web and mobile segments. Dragon City led web growth with a 425% increase, while Merge Hotel Empire topped mobile growth with a 583% rise in monthly active users.
Health and wellness applications demonstrated significant user adoption. The Bend app, focusing on daily stretching, achieved 176% growth in its user base, while sleep-tracking applications showed consistent growth patterns.
According to Or Offer, CEO and founder of Similarweb, "The Digital 100 report provides organizations with comprehensive visibility into web, search, app, and more – and helps strengthen their position within any market."
The methodology employed by Similarweb involved analyzing web traffic and app usage across ten different categories. For website analysis, the research focused on platforms with over 100,000 average monthly visits, ranking them by year-over-year increase in unique visitors comparing 2024 to 2023. The mobile application analysis included apps available on both Android and iOS platforms, requiring a minimum of 5,000 MAUs on each platform and 50,000 MAUs combined.
The research utilized data from more than 100 million websites and 8 million apps across 190 countries, analyzing over 6 billion keywords to generate comprehensive digital insights. The analysis focused exclusively on organic growth metrics, excluding paid traffic and artificial inflation methods.
The findings demonstrate the evolving nature of digital consumption in the United States, with particular strength in news media, financial services, gaming, and health-related applications. These trends indicate continued digital transformation across multiple sectors of the economy.