The Hidden Cost of App Downtime

15.01.2025.

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The average smartphone user spends over three hours on their device each day, with 90% of that time spent on their favourite apps. Whether it's banking, shopping, social media, or entertainment, it is clear that apps have become an essential part of daily life. But what happens when these apps go offline? For users, downtime can be incredibly frustrating, but for the businesses behind these apps, it can also be extremely costly.

To uncover just how much apps stand to lose during downtime, we analysed the annual revenue of some of the most popular platforms. By calculating their earnings down to the minute, we have revealed the potential financial impact even a brief outage may have.

Which apps stand to lose the most from downtime? #

When apps go down, sales grind to a halt, ads stop generating revenue, and new subscriptions are unable to be registered. For some of our favourite apps, even a few hours offline could result in losses of thousands, millions … or even billions of pounds!

Rank	App	Annual revenue (£)	Daily revenue (£)	Hourly revenue (£)	Per minute revenue (£)
1	Amazon	470,100,260,000	1,291,484,231	53,811,843	896,864
2	Facebook	110,491,578,880	303,548,294	12,647,846	210,797
3	Instagram	40,802,081,800	112,093,631	4,670,568	77,843
4	Uber	30,532,766,190	83,881,226	3,495,051	58,251
5	Netflix	27,619,618,760	75,878,074	3,161,586	52,693
6	Shein	26,678,599,250	73,292,855	3,053,869	50,898
7	YouTube	25,806,374,900	70,896,634	2,954,026	49,234
8	PayPal	24,352,667,650	66,902,933	2,787,622	46,460
9	Booking.com	13,759,032,000	37,799,538	1,574,981	26,250
10	TikTok	13,210,308,700	36,292,057	1,512,169	25,203

1. Amazon #

Amazon stands as one of the leading apps worldwide, with a staggering 310 million customers, and an annual revenue of £470 billion in 2023. However, it is this dominance that leaves it vulnerable to higher costs during downtime - every minute carries a hefty price tag.

If the Amazon app were to go offline for just one minute, it would lose an estimated £896,864 of its revenue. An outage that stretched to a full 24 hours could see costs skyrocket to nearly £1.3 billion. For a company at this scale, every second truly counts, highlighting the importance of keeping its app running seamlessly.

2. Facebook #

Despite a decline in Facebook’s user base as younger generations are gravitating towards platforms like TikTok and Instagram, the app remains a high-earner. This means downtime is particularly costly. With an annual revenue of £110.5 billion in 2023, one hour of downtime could see the app lose around £12,647,846.

For Facebook, this scenario is far from hypothetical; the app has experienced significant outages in recent years, the most recent occurring in 2024 when Meta’s systems failed, disrupting both Facebook and Instagram. While their team managed to successfully restore services within two hours, the costs are still staggering when each minute costs £210,797 - roughly the price of an average house in Yorkshire.

3. Instagram #

Instagram is a core platform for influencers, content creators, and Gen Z, and stands as the third most financially impacted app during downtime. While its costs may not rival Facebook’s, it is far from insignificant. Downtime for Instagram costs an estimated £77,843 per minute, a figure that adds up quickly.

Just one hour offline would result in losses exceeding £4.6 million, and a full-day outage could rack up £112 million. For a platform so integral to modern social media, even a brief disruption could be detrimental to both the app and its users.

How much do gaming apps lose during downtime? #

Rank	App	Annual revenue (£)	Daily revenue (£)	Hourly revenue (£)	Per minute revenue (£)
1	Fortnite	2,866,465,000	7,874,904	328,121	5,469
2	Roblox	2,290,715,030	6,293,173	262,216	4,370
3	Royal Match	1,196,544,390	3,287,210	136,967	2,283
4	Monopoly Go	1,100,722,560	3,023,963	125,998	2,100
5	PUBG Mobile	967,227,190	2,657,218	110,717	1,845

Downtime can be something of a nightmare for gaming apps, leading to massive revenue losses, plummeting user engagement, and damaged reputations. But just how much would popular gaming apps lose if they went offline?

Fortnite, a multiplayer ‘battle royale’ style game, is one of the most popular online games of all time. In fact, as of 2023, there were over 500 million players registered. But, this popularity comes at a cost, as Fortnite is the game that would lose the most money by going offline. With an annual revenue of nearly £2.9 billion per year, it would lose £5,469 for every precious minute that the platform was down, which would amount to £328,121 per hour. A full day offline would cost the creators, Epic Games, nearly £7.9 million—quite a significant dent in revenue.

The next gaming app that would suffer the most from downtime is Roblox. Roblox is a massively popular online gaming platform that generates significant revenue from its user-created games. With an annual revenue of almost £2.3 billion, Roblox would lose £4,370 for every minute it went offline, equating to a loss of £262,216 per hour and nearly £6.3 million for an entire day offline.

Royal Match, a mobile puzzle game, also generates impressive revenue through in-app purchases. With an annual revenue of £1.2 billion, Royal Match would lose £2,283 per minute if it were offline. The loss would add up to £136,967 per hour and £3.29 million for a full day of downtime.

How much do entertainment apps lose during downtime? #

We now rely heavily on apps to provide our entertainment, particularly providing on-demand TV shows and music. But which entertainment apps would suffer the most by going offline?

Rank	App	Annual revenue (£)	Daily revenue (£)	Hourly revenue (£)	Per minute revenue (£)
1	Netflix	27,619,618,760	75,878,074	3,161,586	52,693
2	YouTube	25,806,374,900	70,896,634	2,954,026	49,234
3	Spotify	10,843,427,600	29,789,636	1,241,235	20,687
4	Hulu	9,192,343,760	25,253,692	1,052,237	17,537
5	Apple Music	7,552,725,780	20,749,247	864,552	14,409

Netflix takes the top spot as the entertainment app most financially impacted by downtime. With 282 million people globally relying on their services to deliver entertainment on demand, when the app goes offline the costs quickly escalate; with losses estimated at £52,693 per minute. A full day of downtime could set Netflix back an eye-watering £75.9 million.

YouTube follows closely behind. With annual earnings of £25.8 billion, an outage could cost the platform approximately £3 million per hour. As a combination of social media and entertainment, YouTube downtime doesn’t just hurt the app itself - it also impacts the content creators and businesses who rely on its ad revenue and paid partnerships.

Spotify ranks third, suffering significant losses from ad revenue whilst offline - around £20,687 per minute. For platforms like Spotify that thrive on continuous user engagement, costs quickly add up, with a brief hour-long interruption coming with a £1.2 million per hour price tag.

How much do travel apps lose during downtime? #

Whether you need a ride, a place to stay, or recommendations for must-visit spots, apps are your go-to travel companions, making every journey smoother and more convenient. But which of our favourite travel apps would lose the most money during downtime?

Rank	App	Annual revenue (£)	Daily revenue (£)	Hourly revenue (£)	Per minute revenue (£)
1	Uber	30,532,766,190	83,881,226	3,495,051	58,251
2	Booking.com	13,759,032,000	37,799,538	1,574,981	26,250
3	Expedia	10,507,641,700	28,867,148	1,202,798	20,047
4	Airbnb	8,121,923,830	22,312,978	929,707	15,495
5	Lyft	3,606,012,970	9,906,629	412,776	6,880

When it comes to catching a ride, Uber's widespread availability across numerous countries makes it a trusted and convenient choice for millions worldwide. Its annual income of £30.5 billion, makes it the highest-earning travel platform. However, its dominance comes at a price - downtime is extremely costly. Just one minute offline, where users are unable to book or track their rides, costs Uber an estimated £58,251. An hour without service would set them back nearly £3.5 million, and a full 24-hour outage could result in losses of a staggering £83.9 million.

Booking.com stands to be the second most affected travel app during downtime. As a go-to platform for everything from hotels and flights to activities and taxis, its comprehensive offerings make it indispensable to travellers. If the app goes offline, it stands to lose £26,250 per minute, equating to £37.8 million over 24 hours.

Rounding out the top three is Expedia, another all-in-one travel app. With £10.5 billion in annual revenue, a single minute of downtime could cost the app £20,047, while an hour of disruption could result in losses of over £1.2 million.

How much do dating apps lose during downtime? #

One minute of your favourite dating app being offline is unlikely to affect your chance of finding love, but it may have a significant financial impact on the app itself.

Rank	App	Annual revenue (£)	Daily revenue (£)	Hourly revenue (£)	Per minute revenue (£)
1	Tinder	1,570,822,820	4,315,447	179,810	2,997
2	Bumble	691,227,560	1,898,977	79,124	1,319
3	Hinge	324,320,040	890,989	37,125	619
4	Match	190,824,670	524,244	21,843	364
5	Plenty of Fish	170,349,920	467,994	19,500	325

Tinder, the go-to dating app for those seeking casual connections, is the most likely to suffer financially from a period of downtime. With annual revenue exceeding £1.5 billion, a single minute of outage would cost the app an estimated £2,997, increasing to £179,810 if people were left without the ability to swipe for an hour.

Bumble, the app that empowers women to make the first move, comes in second. Each minute offline would cost £1,319, with a full day of downtime potentially leading to losses of over £1.8 million.

Hinge, although newer to the dating app scene, ranks third. While its per-minute loss of £619 may seem modest compared to larger apps, these numbers quickly add up. An hour of downtime would amount to £37,125, and a full day offline could cost the app nearly £891,000.

How to minimise app downtime and why it's important #

Filip Ćorluka, NSoft's Head of Finance, says, “Whilst a major concern of app downtime is of course the direct financial impact it will have, it is important to remember the wider impact on the brand’s reputation, customer trust and overall user experience. Here are three essential tips to help your app run smoothly.”

Invest in robust infrastructure

Your app will only ever be as reliable as the infrastructure it is built upon. Ensuring your servers and systems can handle peak traffic and sudden surges in demand, for example during sale periods or in line with big events, is essential. This will minimise the risk of crashes and ensure a seamless user experience.

Implement proactive monitoring

Monitoring for issues can allow you to catch issues before they become serious. Using real-time monitoring tools to detect potential problems early - such as system overloads or security vulnerabilities - can save time, money and customer loyalty.

Establish rapid response protocols

Even with the best systems, you may still experience challenges. Having a clear response plan in place will enable your team to act quickly, recouping those all-important minutes during downtime. This can make a difference between a small inconvenience and a major disruption.

Methodology #

To identify the apps most financially impacted by downtime, we analysed their 2023 annual revenue to calculate earnings per minute, hour, day, and week. By ranking the apps based on their earnings, we determined which ones are most vulnerable to significant losses during outages—the higher the revenue, the greater the potential impact.

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