Almost Half of India’s Top 100 Apps Are Chinese

A cohort of apps developed by Chinese companies has invaded India’s consumer-facing tech scene, where they are increasingly following the playbook developed in their home market.

In December, of the top 100 Android apps in India, 44 were developed by Chinese companies, up from just 18 in the same period a year earlier, according to a report Wednesday by Indian tech publication FactorDaily, citing data from California-based data provider Sensor Tower.

Of the top 10 Android apps in India, five are from China, up from just two at the end of 2017, the report said.

Topping the list is TikTok, a short-video sharing app developed by Beijing-based ByteDance Technology Co. Ltd. Others popular apps include UC Browser, owned by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.; news aggregator NewsDog, backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd.; and livestreaming app LiveMe.

This comes as India is experiencing an explosion in internet user growth, much as China did a decade ago. It was estimated that India had about 500 million internet users in June and another 10 million people every month becoming active users, most of whom live in small cities and towns, according to public records.

“The primary reason for the success of Chinese app-makers in India is the stark similarity that the two markets have,” said Rushabh Doshi, a tech analyst at research firm Canalys.

These Chinese companies are following the playbook from their home market by focusing on strategies of “scale,” first growing their user bases as fast as possible without considering revenue, according to Amit Jangir, an investor at Shanghai-based venture capital firm 01VC.

Also, these app developers have been able to piggyback on Chinese handset-makers’ dominance in the Indian market. Currently, four out of the top five mobile phone brands are from China, with Xiaomi Inc. usurping South Korea’s Samsung as the No. 1 vendor early last year.

However, analysts and investors said the current success of Chinese app-makers may not continue forever, and one of the biggest hurdles to long-term success is localization.

Most Chinese app developers’ India-facing teams are based in China, though some are beginning to build local offices, Jangir said.

Hiring more Indians can help app-makers navigate some political risks, as many Chinese app developers have been accused of hosting vulgar and pornographic content, Jangir said.

Tang Ziyi contributed to this report.

Contact reporter Mo Yelin (yelinmo@caixin.com)