In 2025, many software providers will opt for subscription models, offering cloud-based services and mobile-centric apps. However, despite some within the industry claiming that desktop apps are on their way out, there are plenty of signs of life. If you’re making the jump from Windows to Linux, for instance, you’ll find software packages aplenty that work as desktop apps. Even Windows users aren’t short of options, though.
Desktop apps continue to be popular, and in this article, we’ll touch on some of the most popular currently used by millions of people the world over.
The Most Popular Desktop Apps Currently Used
In preparation for this article, we thought we’d have to browse hundreds of desktop apps to get a feel for what options are still out there. After all, there are plenty of naysayers who would have you believe that you need cloud services or mobile apps to get by. In fact, researching this article was far easier than anticipated. One laptop alone yielded over a dozen top-rated and popular desktop apps that are widely used.
Top Desktop Apps for Productivity and Workflow
Amongst students and the business-minded, most people still use a desktop app for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, and other forms of digital workflow. In fact, Microsoft Office remains the world’s largest word processing suite, while there are even millions of users who shun it and opt for LibreOffice on both Windows and Linux.
It isn’t just office suites where desktop apps remain dominant, though. In the working community, communication platforms such as Slack and interoffice poster boarding and notice-based options such as Trello are the norm.
Creative Desktop Apps Popular in 2025
Outside of the office space, there are plenty of creative desktop apps that remain popular, too. Try as they might, Adobe hasn’t managed to shift everyone to their digital service, with Adobe Creative Cloud options such as Illustrator and Photoshop remaining immensely popular desktop applications. Again, Linux (Ubuntu, Mint, and other) users often find their own options available, with GIMP arguably the most popular option.
In an age of content creators, it isn’t just photo editing where desktop apps shine. Video editing also plays a major role, with a plethora of options available. Even the cleverest video editors producing mobile content for social media still often rely on desktop apps to get the job done before they upload, so video editing suites are very much core to desktop app popularity in 2025.
Coding and Gaming
You can’t create great games without a handy suite, either. Visual Studio leads the way for coding, while Unity, Unreal and a handful of other engines are downloaded to desktops the world over to produce video games. Even Discord and Twitch (while having mobile apps) are available as desktop applications for users to stream and share their gaming action.
This brings us to game launchers. If you play games online, then you’ll likely use some form of game launcher to do that. Steam is one of the world’s biggest game launchers, alongside Epic Games Launcher and GOG’s Galaxy software. All are desktop apps, and they dominate this space. Individual game companies also run their own launchers, and the influx of game launchers can actually end up taking a lot of real estate on your PC.
Other Apps Many Desktop Users Install
Finally, we want to touch on a series of other desktop apps that have millions of daily users. Yes, you can stream music from Spotify or watch videos from Netflix, Disney+ or Prime Video using apps on your television or phone. However, most of these streaming companies also have bespoke desktop apps you can use.
Keeping your PC safe requires antivirus software, and maintaining your privacy will see you use VPNs, both of which require desktop apps from a PC. Similarly, communicating with colleagues and friends can be done through Zoom and Teams, both of which offer desktop apps. Then, the freelance and small-business community often rely on financial desktop apps such as Quickbooks.
Emulation is also a big deal in 2025. Aside from countless individual gaming emulators and front-ends such as RetroArch, operating system emulators like VirtualBox and VMWare and DOS-based emulators such as DOSBox and DOSBox-X still feature desktop apps. Even online casinos have desktop apps you can use.
Desktop Apps Are Still Crucial and Widely Available
If you’ve read the article thus far, you’ll no doubt be aware that we’ve covered well over a dozen popular desktop apps that, in some cases, we can’t simply live without. Sure, some options have mobile or cloud-based equivalents, but none are as comfortable as having a reliable desktop app on your PC. It can’t be uninstalled or taken away from you. Desktop apps just work and provide you with a flexible approach to going about your activities, whether you’re online or offline.
