Pull the live Google Play chart and Android download growth through Trends MCP on the free tier, then upgrade only when volume demands it.
Live data as of 2026-08-06
A free Google Play trends API on Trends MCP returns the live ranked Google Play chart in one get_top_trends call, then optional Android download growth through get_growth on source app downloads. From the August 6, 2026 scan (as_of 2026-08-06T06:01:36 UTC), the board listed 25 apps, with WhatsApp Messenger at rank 1 and ChatGPT at rank 11. The free tier covers 100 requests per month with no credit card, the same entry path described on the trends API free page. This page shows the exact type string, the current board, and dated download follow-ups.
From the Trends MCP scan of August 6, 2026 (as_of 2026-08-06T06:01:36 UTC), the Google Play board returned 25 ranked apps. The top of the chart mixed messaging, social, video, and games.
| Rank | App |
|---|---|
| 1 | WhatsApp Messenger |
| 2 | |
| 3 | YouTube |
| 4 | |
| 5 | Free Fire: 9th Anniversary |
| 6 | Messenger |
| 7 | Flipkart Online Shopping App |
| 8 | TikTok - Videos, Shop and LIVE |
| 9 | Clash of Clans |
| 10 | Google Photos |
| 11 | ChatGPT |
| 12 | Roblox |
| 13 | Phone by Google |
| 14 | Google Chrome |
| 15 | PUBG MOBILE |
AI assistants already sit inside the same board as legacy social apps: ChatGPT at 11 and Google Gemini at 22. Game titles held five of the top 25 slots, including Free Fire at 5, Clash of Clans at 9, Roblox at 12, PUBG MOBILE at 15, and Clash Royale at 20.
Two calls cover most Google Play research on Trends MCP. get_top_trends with type Google Play returns the current ranked display names. get_growth with source app downloads and an Android bundle ID returns percentage moves plus absolute download estimates when the series exists. Google Search growth on the brand name is a useful third check when a bundle ID is unknown or returns no_data.
{
"type": "Google Play",
"limit": 25
}
{
"keyword": "com.whatsapp",
"source": "app downloads",
"percent_growth": ["3M", "6M", "12M"]
}
The type string is case-sensitive. Pairing the board with bundle-ID growth is the difference between a vanity rank list and a research loop that separates chart presence from download momentum.
Download estimates for chart apps on August 5, 2026 show large absolute volumes with mixed short-window momentum. WhatsApp (com.whatsapp) printed about 3,905,647 recent estimated downloads, down 55.06% in volume over 3 months from 8,690,401. Google Gemini (com.google.android.apps.bard) printed about 4,216,898 recent downloads, down 70.39% in volume over 3 months from 14,239,535. TikTok (com.zhiliaoapp.musically) moved the other way on the 3-month window: about 2,021,814 recent downloads, up 372.11% in volume from 428,248.
Roblox (com.roblox.client) sat near 1,482,628 recent downloads, down 58.98% over 3 months from 3,614,546. Free Fire (com.dts.freefireth) printed about 688,375 recent downloads on August 4, 2026, down 57.26% over 3 months from 1,610,555. Duolingo (com.duolingo) printed about 498,231 recent downloads, down 68.49% over 3 months from 1,581,174. ChatGPT's Android package com.openai.chatgpt returned no_data on app downloads during this run, so ChatGPT demand has to be checked through Google Search instead.
Google Search indexes help when download series are missing or when the question is brand attention rather than installs. ChatGPT search sat at index 76 on August 1, 2026, up 1.33% over 30 days from 75, and down 3.8% over 3 months from 79. TikTok search sat at 70 on August 1, 2026, down 4.11% over 30 days from 73 and down 1.41% over 3 months from 71.
Roblox search printed index 69 on July 25, 2026, down 1.43% over 30 days from 70, and up 16.95% over 3 months from 59. Free Fire search printed index 23 on July 25, 2026, down 17.86% over 30 days from 28, and up 4.55% over 3 months from 22. Those four brand checks use the same free quota pool as the Google Play board call.
Product and ASO teams use the board to see which categories crowd the top 25 on a given day. Market researchers pair ranks with bundle-ID download volumes when they need absolute scale, not just position. Agent builders wire the same calls into Claude, Cursor, or REST cron jobs because one key covers Google Play, App Store Top Free, and Google Search.
A practical free-tier loop stays under 6 requests: pull Google Play once, pick 3 apps with known bundle IDs, run app downloads growth for each, then optionally run one Google Search growth call for any title that returned no_data. That leaves headroom inside the 100 requests per month free allotment for other sources.
The Google Play feed returns display names and ranks, not developer package IDs. Bundle IDs must come from Play Store URLs or an internal mapping table. Some popular titles, including ChatGPT on this run, return no_data on app downloads, so a missing series is a real API answer, not a silent zero.
Download volumes are estimates from the AppBrain-backed source, not publisher-reported installs. Short windows can look dramatic after a prior spike; WhatsApp and Gemini both show multi-million recent downloads even while 3-month volume growth is negative. Prefer 3M, 6M, and 12M windows when 30-day baselines collapse, and always quote recent volume next to the percentage.
Free covers 100 requests per month across every Trends MCP feed and source, including Google Play and app downloads. Starter is $19 per month for 1,000 requests. Pro is $49 per month for 5,000. Business is $199 per month for 25,000. Annual billing saves 20% on paid plans; check current pricing on the site before budgeting.
For the broader free-tier path, start at trends API free. For the iOS counterpart chart, see App Store Top Free API. For a wider free-API comparison, see free trends API comparison.
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