2009 was a great year for Pandora, Groupon, Shutterfly, and Tumblr.
Last year? Not so much.
These and other services have built up an impressive number of usernames over the years. The problem is, no one is using them.
It’s called a zombie account, when someone signs up for a service and then their account lays dormant for many years.
As data recovery specialists, we’re fond of looking back in time. With this study, we set out to discover which services have the most zombie accounts and which have left us with the most lingering disappointment.
94% of people have zombie accounts, which is why you never get the username you want without adding 468422 to the end of it.
On the flip side, a few services are delighting users and keeping inactive accounts under 30%.
Not Yet Zombified
- YNAB (You Need a Budget)
- Skillshare
- Nike Training Club
But let’s get back to disappointment and disuse! We asked people what services they found most disappointing after they signed up. Nod your head along with this list.
Most Disappointing Services
- X
- Amazon Prime Video
- Nextdoor
- Tinder
- Apple TV+
- Netflix
- Disney+
- Bumble
The services with the most zombie accounts
We live in a digital world full of so many platforms to engage with others, express ourselves, and indulge in entertainment. With so many options, it is understandable that sometimes we let some accounts collect dust, figuratively of course. That account you haven’t logged into for over a year? It’s still there, if you can remember your login information that is. It now lives in a “graveyard” with the rest of the zombie accounts waiting to be brought back to life.
When asked about these neglected accounts, we found that Pandora is the most common among Americans with 40% of people saying they have an inactive account. Let’s face it, your taste in music has probably changed at least a little bit since the last time you logged in.
Groupon is up next, claiming second place for the most common zombie accounts. Taking advantage of hot deals can sound great in the moment when it saves you on a big purchase, but it takes a bit of commitment to keep up with all those digital coupons when shopping.
Coming in third place is Shutterfly. They say “a picture is worth a thousand words,” so what do those albums on Shutterfly that you forgot about say? Perhaps that you gave up on the photobook you were crafting or that you decided to simply admire the images straight from your device.
Our fourth, fifth, and sixth place zombie accounts fall into a similar bucket, or grave if you will, as Dropbox, Tumblr, and Flickr tend to all be popular platforms for photo sharing as well. In seventh place is an app that has been forgotten, just like your goal of learning a new language, Duolingo. If you haven’t heard, Duo is alive and well after faking his death, and he’s waiting for you to start a new learning streak.
Zombie accounts by category
In addition to the individual platforms, we also decided to analyze data by category, grouping accounts into three categories: dating, work, and financials. Leading the way among dating zombie accounts is Tinder which 33% of people say they have left unused for quite some time. Whether you have found the one and forgot what a dating app is, or you have grown tired of swiping, we don’t judge.
Following in similar footsteps are our other forgotten dating apps: OkCupid claims second place, and Bumble claimed third place. So if you are still an active user on one of these apps, just know, it’s possible that person didn’t ignore your message. They may have just deleted the app but not their account.
Moving to our next category: work. Dropbox leads the way. Perhaps the days of sharing files through the platform were left in the past as people discovered other ways to share documents each day. For our second and third place apps, our guess is you finally found a job you’re happy in and decided you no longer needed to continue the daily check of Glassdoor or Indeed — congratulations!
Then in our final category, financials, Acorns leads the way as the platform with the most zombie accounts. Who knows, you may have set up an investment and will one day log back in to find that you are rich beyond belief. At least that’s our hope for you. Up next is Mint, where people can keep track of their spending to help budget better, though for 32% of people, those accounts have been long forgotten.
The most disappointing services, according to Americans
Sometimes accounts go inactive, not because we forgot about them, but because we were disappointed in them. Maybe expectations were high or updates left users wanting more, but in the end some apps let their users down.
Up first as the most disappointing service is Facebook. With a wide range of social media platforms available, it is understandable that one of the first has struggled to keep up. This is followed by Twitter/X, which has only been around for two less years than Facebook.
Amazon Prime Video is up next, ranking third for the most disappointing services. Once again, it could be that the video streaming platform had tough competition and left consumers feeling underwhelmed in the world of streaming options. On the other hand, the disappointment could be a result of the streaming service introducing ads, requiring users to spend more to watch ad-free.
Not all zombie accounts left users with something to be desired, however, as we learned there are several platforms Americans miss using. Leading the way is Netflix, which could be in part to the ample exclusive shows that they have released. If you have found yourself on the Love Is Blind side of TikTok hearing about the drama or even felt left out as your friends share their theories for the next season of Squid Games, you may have thought about getting back on Netflix again.
Second on our list for zombie accounts we wish were active again is YouTube. Maybe it’s missing your favorite content creator or simply the lack of “try not to laugh” videos in your life, but odds are there are countless videos you have missed out on since you last logged in. Rounding out our top three is Amazon Prime Video. Yes, you read that right. The streaming service landed in the number three spot on both the most disappointing and most missed services rankings. I think it’s fair to assume that Americans are split on their feelings regarding the platform.
Don’t let zombie accounts come back to bite you
Whether you are an active user of all your accounts or have a cemetery full of zombie accounts, the important thing is to make sure you keep your passwords safe. This is especially true for all of you who are serial password repeaters. Having the same login for that eight-year-old Tumblr account and your active work email, might not be in your best interest.
At Secure Data Recovery, we know just how quickly important data can be lost, and while our team of experts are trained to help you recover it, it’s best if you never worry in the first place. In the event that you do require data recovery services, our team has you covered.
If you break your computer and need to restore your hard drive, we can help. Scared you lost all your important pictures and videos on your phone? Don’t worry, we specialize in Android data recovery services, too. Whatever the case, you can rest easy knowing that our no data, no recovery fee guarantee will keep you from paying outrageous prices just to be told your data is lost forever.
Methodology
In March 2025, we surveyed 2,493 Americans about the accounts and services they have signed up for but haven't logged into in the past 12 months. The survey covered 94 services, including social media, financial services, productivity sites, and more. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 76 years old, and were 50% female, 49% male, and 1% nonbinary.
