Naver Webtoon Surpasses Netflix
Naver Webtoon has overtaken Netflix in domestic user scale for major entertainment applications to claim the third spot overall. WiseApp Retail Goods released these findings on November 11 after analyzing smartphone application data.
Video streaming and social networking services occupy the top positions in the entertainment category. However, the comic platform secured more monthly active users than major over-the-top streaming services.
Naver Webtoon recorded 14.52 million monthly active users in October, according to WiseApp Retail Goods. That figure places the service 420,000 users ahead of Netflix, which registered 14.10 million users during the same period.
YouTube led the entertainment category with 46.25 million users. Instagram followed in second place with 28.78 million users.
Naver Webtoon grows users faster than Instagram and Coupang Play
Naver Webtoon also demonstrated clear user growth compared to the previous year. Monthly active users increased by 12.8% over the same month last year.
That expansion rate sits below TikTok at 14.3%, but outpaces Instagram at 5.5% and Coupang Play at 1.1%. Spotify posted the highest year-over-year user growth rate among entertainment apps at 71.3%, reaching 7.27 million users to secure the ninth spot.
Rival comic and novel platform KakaoPage drew 5.89 million users to take eleventh place. That leaves an 8.63 million user gap between the two comic services.
Within the streaming sector, Coupang Play placed eighth with 8.39 million users. TVING claimed the tenth spot with 6.71 million users.
Data Scope and Methodology
WiseApp Retail Goods conducted the survey using Android and iOS smartphone users in South Korea. The statistical estimates derive from a base of 36.70 million Android users and 14.69 million iOS users, totaling 51.39 million individuals.
Application usage scale metrics do not measure content consumption time or payment amounts. Individual users frequently utilize overlapping services across different platforms.
Questions about app usage data and user counts
How were the app usage figures collected?
WiseApp Retail Goods gathered the data from South Korean Android and iOS smartphone users. The findings represent statistical estimates based on a total sample pool of 51.39 million devices.
What distinguished KakaoPage’s user count from Naver Webtoon?
KakaoPage recorded 5.89 million monthly active users in October to rank eleventh overall. That total trails Naver Webtoon by 8.63 million users.
How much did streaming services lag behind the top platforms?
Netflix captured 14.10 million users for fourth place overall. Coupang Play and TVING followed with 8.39 million users and 6.71 million users respectively.