Opera Mini becomes most downloaded mobile app ever, and it’s not on the AppStore

Opera Mini has become the single most downloaded mobile app to ever become available on any app store, and it’s not on the AppStore. GetJar, one of the AppStore’s biggest competitors, has announced that it has served over 25 million downloads of the popular Opera Mini web browser across multiple mobile platforms. Opera Mini v4.2 (the most recent version) generated over 7.5 million downloads from GetJar since it launched early this year. But, as impressive as it is to hear a single mobile app pulling 25 million downloads, it’s more impressive that GetJar managed to do what other app stores can only dream of doing – one-upping the iPhone AppStore.

“What makes GetJar so unique among app stores is its open philosophy which lets consumers consistently find the best app regardless of what platform they are on and what handset they are using,” said Rolf Assev, chief strategy officer, Opera Software. “The fact that Opera Mini is the most downloaded app ever on an open app store like GetJar makes us proud because it proves that our vision of providing a browser that works on almost all phones will give millions a better way to access the Web.”

Indeed, Opera Mini’s success on GetJar shows that a globally available, open, cross-platform mobile application store can indeed make some headway in the face of the iPhone AppStore. GetJar boasts over 50,000 mobile applications for all major handsets and platforms – which is arguably better than the AppStore’s 65,000 iPhone apps that only work on the iPhone and are sometimes country-specific. And, with GetJar’s developer programs, up-and-coming mobile application devs can use GetJar’s reach to help spread the word about their software.

Kudos to GetJar and Opera for showing Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) the power of “open!”