# What percent of mobile apps have a leaderboard or ranking screen?

Source: Lazyweb Research
Published: 2026-07-07
Sample size: n=809
Tags: retention, ux-patterns, mobile, design, experiments
HTML: https://www.lazyweb.com/research/what-percent-of-apps-have-a-leaderboard
Markdown: https://www.lazyweb.com/research/what-percent-of-apps-have-a-leaderboard.md

**Answer.** 6.8% of tracked apps (55 of 809) have a captured leaderboard or ranking surface [1]. So leaderboards are a rare, niche gamification pattern — under 1 in 14 tracked apps — even rarer than streaks (11.6%), the pattern they most resemble. Competitive ranking only fits a narrow set of social and habit-forming apps.

> 55 of ~800 tracked apps (6.8%) have a leaderboard or ranking screen — Lazyweb Research, July 2026.

## The finding

55 of 809 apps (6.8%) show a leaderboard [1]. It is roughly half as common as streaks and sits near the bottom of the gamification prevalence ladder [2].

| Gamification pattern | Apps | % |
|---|---|---|
| Streaks | 94 | 11.6% |
| Celebration / success | 96 | 11.9% |
| Leaderboard | 55 | 6.8% |

## How to apply it

Leaderboards need a social comparison that motivates rather than demoralizes, which is why they are rare — they backfire in apps where users are on individual journeys [1]. They fit competitive fitness, learning, and social apps. If you are considering one, streaks (nearly 2x as common) are usually the safer first gamification bet; add a leaderboard only when peer comparison is genuinely motivating for your users.

## Caveats

Lower bound — reflects only leaderboard screens Lazyweb captured [1]. With only 55 apps, this is a small-numerator pattern; treat the 6.8% as an order-of-magnitude, not a precise rate. Match on '%leaderboard%', deduped by company.

## The numbers

| Stat | Computed from |
| --- | --- |
| 6.8% (55 of 809) | prevalence_leaderboard: 55/809 |
| Streaks 11.6% (94), Celebration 11.9% (96), Leaderboard 6.8% (55) | prevalence_streaks, prevalence_progress_celebration, prevalence_leaderboard |

## Methodology

Universe: 809 apps with >=1 captured screen. Method: COUNT(DISTINCT company_name) where any tag matches '%leaderboard%'. July 2026. Caveat: captured screens only; small numerator.

## Sources & citations

- [1] Lazyweb Research analysis of 809 mobile apps (809 mobile apps with >=1 captured screen; 751 with tag data; median 41 screens/app), July 2026. Prevalence = COUNT(DISTINCT company_name) over LLM synonym tags; denominator is 809 tracked apps (reported conservatively over all apps-with-screens, not the 62,376-row companies table). Lower bound: only reflects screens Lazyweb captured (median 41/app).

## Related questions

- [How common are streak screens outside of Duolingo?](https://www.lazyweb.com/research/how-common-are-streak-screens-outside-duolingo)
- [What percent of mobile apps have a celebration, success, or confetti moment?](https://www.lazyweb.com/research/what-percent-of-apps-have-a-celebration-screen)