Embodiments relate to a platform for generating ordered download selections based on usage information. A download site can provide a selectable or searchable set of applications to download. The download site collects usage information from online desktops operating on a set of clients. The online desktop of each client samples the applications being used on the client at given intervals and reports the client's usage statistics to the download site. The download site aggregates the usage information received from participating clients and collectively orders applications for download, according to usage rank. A work processing application used by the most users in the last day or other period may be listed first, followed by the second-most used, and so forth. The sampling of actual application usage, instead of for instance download totals, allows the download site to provide downloads in an order most closely approximating users' actual usage behavior.