Success can be fleeting – just ask Snapchat.

For a couple of hours in late March, the popular social app was the No. 1 free iPhone app in the USA, overtaking rival Facebook's app, and its Messenger and Instagram products.

It's a long way to the top

While Snapchat has reached No.1 in other countries in the past – and currently sits at No. 1 on the Australian chart, its home country was a tough nut to crack.

Snapchat floated around No. 3 and No. 4 for most of March, occasionally jumping to No. 2 before falling back down.

Except, finally, it managed to hang around. Snapchat held No. 2 for five consecutive days before climbing to the top of the ladder – for a meagre two hours.

Don't sit still

Since then, Snapchat has slipped back. At the time of writing it once again sits at No. 2 in the US.

With the company's 100 million active daily users contributing loads and loads of video content, Snapchat is taking the 'chat' side of its name more seriously through recent chat updates.

Offering users a one-stop shop for all their photo, video and text chat needs might just be Snapchat's secret weapon as it fights to hold off arch rival Messenger.