Apple Climbs to Third in Cloudflare’s 2025 Internet Services Rankings
In its recently published 2025 Radar Year in Review, Cloudflare, a leading internet infrastructure provider, has unveiled significant insights into global internet trends. A standout revelation from the report is Apple’s ascent to the third position in the Internet Services ranking, underscoring the company’s expanding influence in the digital realm.
Apple’s Ascendancy in Internet Services
Cloudflare’s Internet Services ranking evaluates major online platforms based on their relative popularity, utilizing comprehensive global DNS data. The 2025 analysis indicates that Apple surpassed TikTok early in the year, maintaining a stronghold on the third position until mid-year. Around July, Apple and Microsoft began alternating between the third and fourth spots. Despite this fluctuation, Apple concluded the year firmly in third place, while Microsoft experienced enhanced performance compared to 2024. TikTok, facing regulatory challenges throughout the year, settled at the tenth position by year’s end.
Mobile Traffic Dynamics: iOS vs. Android
The report also sheds light on the distribution of mobile device traffic. Globally, iOS devices accounted for 35% of mobile traffic, marking a 2% increase from the previous year. In contrast, Android devices dominated with a 65% share. Notably, Monaco emerged as an exception, with iOS devices generating 70% of mobile traffic. Conversely, 27 countries, including Papua New Guinea, Sudan, Malawi, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia, reported Android accounting for over 90% of mobile traffic.
Cloudflare’s methodology for assessing mobile traffic involves analyzing the User-Agent header in web requests, enabling the determination of traffic distribution by client operating systems. The diverse range of Android devices, spanning various price points and capabilities, contributes to its predominant share in global mobile traffic.
Broader Internet Trends in 2025
Beyond Apple’s performance, Cloudflare’s report highlights several key developments in the internet landscape:
– Global Internet Traffic Growth: There was a 19% increase in global internet traffic in 2025, with notable acceleration beginning in August.
– Starlink’s Expansion: Traffic from Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet service, doubled over the year, extending its reach to over 20 new countries and regions.
– AI and Search Platform Activity: Anthropic, an AI research organization, recorded the highest crawl-to-refer ratio among leading AI and search platforms, indicating significant engagement and data processing activities.
– Search Engine Dominance: Google maintained its position as the leading search engine, with competitors like Yandex, Bing, and DuckDuckGo trailing significantly.
Apple’s Broader Industry Recognition
Apple’s rise in Cloudflare’s rankings aligns with other accolades the company has received. For instance, in January 2025, Fortune named Apple the Most Admired Company for the 18th consecutive year, reflecting its consistent performance and reputation in the industry.
Conclusion
Apple’s advancement to the third position in Cloudflare’s 2025 Internet Services rankings highlights its growing prominence in the digital ecosystem. Coupled with a notable increase in iOS-generated mobile traffic and sustained industry recognition, Apple continues to solidify its status as a leading force in technology and internet services.
