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Top 20 Networking SDKs Used in Android Apps on Google Play
Last update: 16 Apr 2025 CET
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Top 20 Networking SDKs Used in Android Apps on Google Play

We at 42matters have identified the 20 most popular Networking SDKs leveraged by Android apps available on the Android app market.

Networking SDKs are developer tools that provide networking functionalities for mobile apps. They enable developers to build apps capable of communicating with servers or other devices over a network, without having to build these capabilities from scratch. Network SDKs typically facilitate network requests, response handling, authentication, and more.

This list is based on our analysis of the millions of mobile applications – and the 2,300+ SDKs they use – that constitute the vast inventory of the Google Play Store. The accompanying data provides readers with a glimpse into the rich mobile application insights generated by the 42matters technology. This data is also available via our APIs, file dumps, Explorer, and SDK Explorer.

The intended purpose of this article is to assist app builders in their search for the perfect Networking SDK to leverage in their app, as well as to give SDK developers insight into their biggest competitors and potential customers. This data collected by our technology may also serve as a useful tool for folks researching the wider mobile app market.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 85.75% have integrated OkHttp. This accounts for 79.98% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

The OkHttp SDK is Square’s meticulous HTTP client for Java and Kotlin.

Total Apps
1.06m
Google Play
App Share
85.75%
Google Play
Apps
979.51k
Games
75.58k
Total Downloads
956.24b
Google Play
Download Share
79.98%
Google Play
App Downloads
641.81b
Game Downloads
314.43b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use OkHttp.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 65.54% have integrated gson. This accounts for 74.80% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

gson is a Java library SDK that can be used to convert Java Objects into their JSON representation. It can also be used to convert a JSON string to an equivalent Java object.

Total Apps
806.49k
Google Play
App Share
65.54%
Google Play
Apps
745.96k
Games
60.53k
Total Downloads
894.39b
Google Play
Download Share
74.80%
Google Play
App Downloads
639.51b
Game Downloads
254.89b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use gson.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 28.61% have integrated Retrofit. This accounts for 21.12% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

Retrofit is an SDK that offers a type-safe HTTP client for Android and the JVM.

Total Apps
352.00k
Google Play
App Share
28.61%
Google Play
Apps
341.33k
Games
10.67k
Total Downloads
252.51b
Google Play
Download Share
21.12%
Google Play
App Downloads
207.33b
Game Downloads
45.18b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Retrofit.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 12.65% have integrated Volley. This accounts for 16.30% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

Volley is an HTTP library SDK that makes networking for Android apps easier and, most importantly, faster.

Total Apps
155.71k
Google Play
App Share
12.65%
Google Play
Apps
148.84k
Games
6.87k
Total Downloads
194.95b
Google Play
Download Share
16.30%
Google Play
App Downloads
155.89b
Game Downloads
39.06b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Volley.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 12.57% have integrated gRPC. This accounts for 15.31% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

gRPC is a modern open source, high-performance RPC framework SDK that can run in any environment. It can efficiently connect services in and across data centers with pluggable support for load balancing, tracing, health checking, and authentication.

Total Apps
154.68k
Google Play
App Share
12.57%
Google Play
Apps
146.76k
Games
7.92k
Total Downloads
183.00b
Google Play
Download Share
15.31%
Google Play
App Downloads
162.13b
Game Downloads
20.87b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use gRPC.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 5.47% have integrated Apache HttpComponents. This accounts for 7.38% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

The Apache HttpComponents project SDK is responsible for creating and maintaining a toolset of low level Java components focused on HTTP and associated protocols.

Total Apps
67.33k
Google Play
App Share
5.47%
Google Play
Apps
64.50k
Games
2.83k
Total Downloads
88.26b
Google Play
Download Share
7.38%
Google Play
App Downloads
73.80b
Game Downloads
14.46b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apache HttpComponents.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 4.91% have integrated WebRTC. This accounts for 8.95% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

With WebRTC, you can add real-time communication capabilities to your mobile apps. It supports sending videos, voice, and generic data between peers, allowing developers to build powerful voice- and video-communication solutions.

Total Apps
60.41k
Google Play
App Share
4.91%
Google Play
Apps
60.17k
Games
244
Total Downloads
107.03b
Google Play
Download Share
8.95%
Google Play
App Downloads
105.01b
Game Downloads
2.02b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use WebRTC.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 4.55% have integrated Socket.io. This accounts for <1% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

Socket.IO is an SDK that enables real-time, bidirectional and event-based communication. It works on every platform, browser or device, focusing equally on reliability and speed.

Total Apps
55.97k
Google Play
App Share
4.55%
Google Play
Apps
55.72k
Games
249
Total Downloads
10.93b
Google Play
Download Share
<1%
Google Play
App Downloads
10.10b
Game Downloads
833.94m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Socket.io.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 4.55% have integrated Engine.IO. This accounts for <1% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

The Engine.IO SDK is the implementation of a transport-based, cross-browser/cross-device, bi-directional communication layer for Socket.IO.

Total Apps
55.95k
Google Play
App Share
4.55%
Google Play
Apps
55.70k
Games
253
Total Downloads
10.88b
Google Play
Download Share
<1%
Google Play
App Downloads
10.01b
Game Downloads
866.89m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Engine.IO.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 3.02% have integrated Ktor. This accounts for 9.62% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

Total Apps
37.15k
Google Play
App Share
3.02%
Google Play
Apps
30.68k
Games
6.48k
Total Downloads
115.01b
Google Play
Download Share
9.62%
Google Play
App Downloads
47.15b
Game Downloads
67.86b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Ktor.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 2.04% have integrated HttpClient by Msebera. This accounts for 3.12% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

HttpClient by Msebera is an SDK that helps you build repackaged, upstream versions of HttpClient and its depdendencies (HttpMime, HttpCore, HttpClient-Cache) for versions 3 to 23 of the Android API.

Total Apps
25.07k
Google Play
App Share
2.04%
Google Play
Apps
21.30k
Games
3.77k
Total Downloads
37.32b
Google Play
Download Share
3.12%
Google Play
App Downloads
19.61b
Game Downloads
17.71b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use HttpClient by Msebera.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 1.73% have integrated Simple Framework. This accounts for 1.55% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

Simple Framework is an SDK that brings simplicity, scalability, and performance to server side Java. The primary focus of the project is to provide a truly embeddable Java based HTTP and WebSocket engine capable of handling enormous loads.

Total Apps
21.33k
Google Play
App Share
1.73%
Google Play
Apps
21.09k
Games
239
Total Downloads
18.54b
Google Play
Download Share
1.55%
Google Play
App Downloads
16.65b
Game Downloads
1.89b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Simple Framework.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, 1.72% have integrated Android Asynchronous Http Client. This accounts for 2.65% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

Android Asynchronous Http Client is an asynchronous, callback-based Http client SDK for Android apps. It was built on top of Apache’s HttpClient libraries.

Total Apps
21.13k
Google Play
App Share
1.72%
Google Play
Apps
17.02k
Games
4.11k
Total Downloads
31.64b
Google Play
Download Share
2.65%
Google Play
App Downloads
14.58b
Game Downloads
17.05b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Android Asynchronous Http Client.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, <1% have integrated Alibaba Fastjson. This accounts for 3.15% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

Fastjson is a Java library SDK that can be used to convert Java objects into their JSON representation. It can also be used to convert a JSON string to an equivalent Java object.

Total Apps
11.13k
Google Play
App Share
<1%
Google Play
Apps
10.05k
Games
1.08k
Total Downloads
37.68b
Google Play
Download Share
3.15%
Google Play
App Downloads
33.90b
Game Downloads
3.78b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Alibaba Fastjson.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, <1% have integrated AndroidAsync. This accounts for <1% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

AndroidAsync is a low level network protocol library SDK. It has an asynchronous socket, http(s) (client+server) and websocket library for Android.

Total Apps
10.35k
Google Play
App Share
<1%
Google Play
Apps
10.29k
Games
66
Total Downloads
5.76b
Google Play
Download Share
<1%
Google Play
App Downloads
5.35b
Game Downloads
409.36m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use AndroidAsync.

16th

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, <1% have integrated Android Asynchronous Networking and Image Loading. This accounts for <1% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

Ion is an android library SDK for asynchronous networking and image loading.

Total Apps
7.15k
Google Play
App Share
<1%
Google Play
Apps
7.12k
Games
34
Total Downloads
2.00b
Google Play
Download Share
<1%
Google Play
App Downloads
1.76b
Game Downloads
242.27m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Android Asynchronous Networking and Image Loading.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, <1% have integrated Store by NYTimes. This accounts for <1% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

Total Apps
4.02k
Google Play
App Share
<1%
Google Play
Apps
3.98k
Games
35
Total Downloads
4.05b
Google Play
Download Share
<1%
Google Play
App Downloads
3.94b
Game Downloads
110.86m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Store by NYTimes.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, <1% have integrated Smack. This accounts for <1% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

Smack is an Open Source XMPP client library for instant messaging and presence. This SDK is a pure Java library and can be embedded into your applications to create anything from a full XMPP client to simple XMPP integrations, such as sending notification messages and presence-enabling devices.

Total Apps
2.85k
Google Play
App Share
<1%
Google Play
Apps
2.82k
Games
27
Total Downloads
4.34b
Google Play
Download Share
<1%
Google Play
App Downloads
4.24b
Game Downloads
95.47m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Smack.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, <1% have integrated JXMPP. This accounts for <1% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

JXMPP is an open source Java base library SDK for XMPP. It provides often-used functionalities needed to build an XMPP stack.

Total Apps
2.30k
Google Play
App Share
<1%
Google Play
Apps
2.29k
Games
9
Total Downloads
2.50b
Google Play
Download Share
<1%
Google Play
App Downloads
2.50b
Game Downloads
4.13m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use JXMPP.

Among all apps utilizing networking SDKs, <1% have integrated Tinder Scarlet. This accounts for <1% of app downloads within the networking SDK category.

Total Apps
2.05k
Google Play
App Share
<1%
Google Play
Apps
2.03k
Games
19
Total Downloads
1.57b
Google Play
Download Share
<1%
Google Play
App Downloads
1.48b
Game Downloads
92.10m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Tinder Scarlet.

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    Analyze installation and removal trends for SDKs. Discover which apps have removed or integrated specific SDKs in a given timeframe.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How does 42matters collect this data?'

We’ve developed a number of machine learning algorithms that scan millions of mobile and connected TV (CTV) applications on a regular basis. In addition, we collect ground truth app performance intelligence and use this data to build statistical models that estimate the performance of apps for which we do not have ground truth data.

What SDK data does 42matters collect?'

We track over 2,300 of the most popular SDKs integrated in iOS and Android apps. We collect a variety of SDK insights (title, platform, ID, category, and developer website); performance metrics (the number of apps that have installed each SDK, installation and removal trends, and app downloads); market share statistics (including market share per app category); and more!

How can I access 42matters’ SDK data?'

The most direct way is to use our SDK Explorer, which is a visual, web-based research platform that enables you to peruse all 2,300+ SDKs that we track. It’s great for market research, lead generation, competitor analysis, etc. However, more technically-inclined folks might prefer our APIs and File Dumps, which enable you to query info for specific apps or SDKs. You can also use our other research platform (the Explorer) to view integrated SDKs by app.

Can I use 42matters’ solutions to generate app publisher leads?'

Absolutely! We actually wrote about this on our blog. We focused on ad network SDKs, but the examples are applicable to most SDK types. To summarize, you can use the Explorer’s advanced filtering capabilities to home in on best-fit app publishers, leverage the SDK Explorer to see which apps use your competitors’ SDKs, and use our APIs and file dumps to build custom lead generation processes.

What data does 42matters provide on mobile apps?'

A ton! We track 17+ million apps across Google Play, the Apple App Store, Amazon Appstore, Tencent Appstore, and Huawei AppGallery. Our solutions provide access to app details (developer insights, metadata, ASO keywords, contact information, etc.); performance metrics (downloads, MAUs, ratings, reviews, top chart rankings, etc.); technical insights (integrated SDKs, permissions, required capabilities, etc.); content details (categories, genres, IAB categories, content ratings, etc.); compliance information (app-ads.txt, privacy policies, store status, etc.) and much, much more!

Can I use 42matters’ solutions to find SDKs for my app?'

Definitely. The SDK Explorer enables you to sort SDKs by category, identify similar SDKs, analyze SDK reliability, and more. In addition, you can use the Explorer to monitor your competitors, including which SDKs they add and remove, their current tech stacks, and SDK changelogs. This means you use our solutions not only to find the right SDK for a particular purpose, but also which SDKs you might need to keep up with your rivals.