One year after acquisition, Path is more dead than ever

At a mall in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital. Photo credit: Seika.

If Daum Kakao’s acquisition of Path on May 29, 2015, was supposed to bring renewed growth to the ailing social network, there’s little evidence that it worked out.

In fact, one year on, the app might very well be on a slow path to extinction.

Take for instance its course in the country where Path holds its strongest user base: Indonesia. According to AppAnnie, Path was ranked 16th most popular app in Indonesia’s Play Store on May 29, 2014. Exactly one year after – at the time the US startup’s app was acquired by the Korean tech giant –  it had sunk to 27th place. Today, it’s ranked at a low 57th.

Google’s Play Store app ranking considers factors like number of downloads, user ratings, and app uninstalls, among other things.

WhatsApp, by contrast, is ranked 5th in Indonesia, Facebook is 3rd, and Blackberry Messenger second. (The number one position is currently held by a mobile game called Tahu Bulat which surged to popularity in the past month.)

Despite the steady tumble down the ranks, the company remains optimistic. A Path spokesperson insisted on the app’s revival on the back of a growing user base.

“Ever since the transition, our user base has grown significantly,” a spokesperson told Tech in Asia, but declined to share numbers.

She said the app is also gaining popularity outside Indonesia.

“We are happy to announce that we are seeing significant growth in other regions as well.”

The data seems to indicate otherwise.

In AppAnnie’s global ranking of free apps in the Play Store, Path only appears among the top 100 most popular apps in a single country – and that’s Indonesia. In Saudi Arabia, Path ranks among the 500 most popular apps. Beyond that, there’s nothing.

Some loyal users, but lack of fresh blood?