Germany: internet and everyday apps

TL;DR

Germany has roughly 79 million internet users (79,000,000 people) — about 94% of the population and rank #14 globally.
The apps people open most: WhatsApp, Signal, Discord, Element. They cover Messaging, Social, Video, Shopping, Payments, Food, News, Music, Travel, Tools, Classifieds, Mobility, Cloud storage, Security, AI assistants, Learning, Health, Parcels, Maps, Gaming, Reading, Banking, Public services and more.
The one to know first: WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

Germany in numbers

2025–2026

Internet users: 79 million79,000,000 · #14
Penetration: 94.0%#35
Population: 84 million84,000,000 · #19
GDP: $4.69T#3
GDP growth: -0.5%#198
GDP per person: $55,781#27
Land area: 357.1k km²#63
Capital: Berlin
Region: Europe
Official languages: German (official)

How Germany goes online

Germany is mature, cautious and cash-attached in ways that shape its apps. Marketplaces and classifieds are strong (OTTO, Kleinanzeigen), data protection is taken seriously, and WhatsApp is simply how everyone stays in touch.

Around 94%. With a population of about 84 million and 79 million online, roughly 5 million people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

All 202 apps below are grouped by category.

What people actually use

202 Most-used apps

Websites people in Germany actually use

The 38 sites locals open most often — news, shopping, search, banking and government services. Every link goes to the official site.

Shopping9 Education5 News3 Transport3 Government3 Jobs3 Food3 Classifieds2 Search1 Telecom1 Banking1 Mail1 Health1 Sport1 Property1

Amazon GermanyShoppingamazon.deNext-day parcels, the easiest route for almost anything. OttoShoppingotto.deThe big mail-order retailer for furniture and clothing, minus marketplace chaos. IdealoShoppingidealo.dePrice comparison before buying, including the price history. ZalandoShoppingzalando.deShoes and clothing, with free returns. LidlShoppinglidl.deThe discounter, and the weekly offers. RossmannShoppingrossmann.deDrugstore goods, and the coupon app. dmShoppingdm.deDrugstore goods, and the own brands. REWEShoppingrewe.deSupermarket, and the delivery service. EDEKAShoppingedeka.deSupermarket, and the recipes that go with it. Heidelberg UniversityEducationuni-heidelberg.deThe country’s oldest university, founded in 1386. Technical University of MunichEducationtum.deThe technical university, and its degree programmes. Ludwig Maximilian UniversityEducationlmu.deThe big university in Munich. RWTH AachenEducationrwth-aachen.deThe largest technical university. Freie Universität BerlinEducationfu-berlin.deThe big university in south-west Berlin. Der SpiegelNewsspiegel.deThe morning read, often with long analysis behind a paywall. BildNewsbild.deThe loudest paper in the country — everyone knows it, plenty read it quietly. Deutsche WelleNewsdw.comThe international broadcaster, in thirty languages. Deutsche BahnTransportbahn.deBook the ticket, check the delay, manage the railcard — all here. LufthansaTransportlufthansa.comThe flag carrier, with hubs in Frankfurt and Munich. FlixBusTransportflixbus.deLong-distance coaches, cheaper than the train. ELSTERGovernmentelster.deFiling the tax return online, which the tax office has been expecting. German Environment AgencyGovernmentumweltbundesamt.deAir quality, noise and climate data. Federal Employment AgencyGovernmentarbeitsagentur.deJob search, and registering as unemployed. StepStoneJobsstepstone.deOne of the largest job boards. XingJobsxing.comThe professional network, and its job search. Indeed GermanyJobsde.indeed.comThe job search that collects almost everything. LieferandoFoodlieferando.deFood from almost every restaurant in town, to the front door. ChefkochFoodchefkoch.deRecipes, filterable by ingredient and by time. HelloFresh GermanyFoodhellofresh.deCooking boxes with counted ingredients and recipe cards. KleinanzeigenClassifiedskleinanzeigen.deUsed furniture, bikes and flats — classifieds as a daily habit. Gelbe SeitenClassifiedsgelbeseiten.deSectors and firms, by postcode. Google GermanySearchgoogle.deType it in, get the answer — still the default for everything. Deutsche TelekomTelecomtelekom.deThe former monopoly for landlines, DSL and fibre. Deutsche BundesbankBankingbundesbank.deA eurosystem central bank, with the data on money and credit. Deutsche PostMaildeutschepost.deLetters, parcels and the post counter inside the supermarket. CharitéHealthcharite.deThe largest university hospital in Europe. BundesligaSportbundesliga.comFixtures, the table and the weekend’s goals. ImmoScout24Propertyimmobilienscout24.deFlat-hunting, with rent benchmarks by city.

2808 websites →

Frequently asked questions

6 Q&A

How many people in Germany are online?

About 79 million (79,000,000 people). That works out to roughly 94% of the population, which puts Germany at #14 in the world for total internet users. Figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026, which draws on ITU and national statistics.

Which apps do people in Germany use most?

Mostly WhatsApp, Signal, Discord, Element — they cover Messaging, Social, Video, Shopping, Payments, Food, News, Music, Travel, Tools, Classifieds, Mobility, Cloud storage, Security, AI assistants, Learning, Health, Parcels, Maps, Gaming, Reading, Banking, Public services. The full list, grouped by category, is further down this page.

What is the leading Messaging app in Germany?

WhatsApp, Signal, Discord, Element, Threema, Session dominate this space. The best-known is WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

How high is internet penetration in Germany?

Around 94%. With a population of about 84 million and 79 million online, roughly 5 million people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

Where do these app facts come from?

Usage figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026 (Kepios, based on ITU and national statistics); app details come from each product’s official site. Updated 2026-11-12.

Which websites are most popular in Germany?

The everyday ones are Google Germany, Der Spiegel, Bild, plus the other 38 sites listed above. They cover news, shopping, search, banking and official paperwork, and every link points to the official site.

Sources

Updated 2026-11-12

Cite this pageWorld Sites & Apps. “Germany: internet and everyday apps”. 2026. https://abcvv.com/c/de-en.html

Germany: internet and everyday apps

Germany in numbers

How Germany goes online

What people actually use

Messaging

Social

Video

Shopping

Payments

Food

News

Music

Travel

Tools

Classifieds

Mobility

Cloud storage

Security

AI assistants

Learning

Health

Parcels

Maps

Gaming

Reading

Banking

Public services

Websites people in Germany actually use

Nearby and similar markets

Frequently asked questions

Sources