Google maintained its position as the most popular Internet service for the third consecutive year, followed by Facebook (#2), Apple (#3), and TikTok (#4) – a ranking unchanged from 2023. Notably, WhatsApp made its debut in the global top ten most popular services for the first time, according to data.

Cloudflare, a prominent connectivity cloud company, released its fifth annual Year in Review on Wednesday, delving into global Internet insights and security trends for 2024, along with an in-depth analysis of the most popular Internet services. The Internet serves as the foundation of global connectivity, providing access to essential information and services that shape our daily lives. This reliance on the Internet has cemented its role as the backbone of modern society, supporting everything from emergency response efforts to digital economies.

Cloudflare’s 2024 Year in Review highlights how global Internet traffic surged by 17% year-over-year as more people and devices connected to the web, driving new trends that underscore our increasing dependence on its capabilities. “We rely on the Internet almost constantly, yet many still view it as merely a collection of web pages. The Internet is everywhere, woven into nearly every aspect of modern life – from social media interactions to smart home devices, rideshare apps, banking, and more,” said Matthew Prince, CEO and co-founder of Cloudflare. “These interactions, often taken for granted, are interconnected through the Internet, with a significant portion passing through Cloudflare’s network every second. As one of the largest networks in the world, Cloudflare has an unparalleled view into Internet usage, quality, and connectivity.”

Cloudflare’s Year in Review aims to share critical data insights about the evolving Internet landscape to foster a more informed, resilient, and secure online world. Key highlights from 2024 include:

• Most Popular Internet Service: Google led for the third year, followed by Facebook (#2), Apple (#3), and TikTok (#4). WhatsApp entered the top ten for the first time.

• Most Popular Generative AI Service: Codeium, Claude, and CoPilot joined the top ten as new entrants (#3, #5, and #7), while OpenAI held the top spot for the second year.

• Most Popular Gaming Services: Steam broke into the top five, and Minecraft entered the top ten. Roblox remained #1 for the fourth year.

• Most Targeted Industry: The Gaming industry surpassed Finance as the top target for threat actors, with threats peaking before the Super Bowl.

• Internet Outages Observed: Over half of global outages were government-directed, often in response to protests, unrest, or exam cheating.

• Malicious Traffic: About 6.5% of global traffic was mitigated as potentially malicious, a slight increase from 2023.

• Most Aggressive AI Bots: Bytespider (ByteDance) and ClaudeBot (Anthropic) were the most active, though their traffic declined over the year.

“Cloudflare Radar was launched in 2020 to provide insights into how the pandemic reshaped Internet usage,” said David Belson, Head of Data Insight at Cloudflare. “Our Year in Review continues Radar’s mission to democratize Cloudflare’s data, offering a window into Internet trends for everyone.”

This data is sourced from Cloudflare Radar, a free tool that provides global Internet trends and insights. Radar leverages data from Cloudflare’s extensive global network, spanning 330+ cities in 120+ countries, and aggregated data from Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 public DNS Resolver, known for its speed and privacy.

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