Many have said that Gaga's last big hit was The Edge of Glory - but is this really true? Applause actually performed not too differently from it, and did even better in several categories. Indeed, I'd even go as far as to say that Applause is her biggest hit since Born This Way. Below I've provided a plethora of stats to help you make your decision. (Note: Please take into account that sales in general were higher in 2011 than they were in 2013, and, inversely, that streaming in general was higher in 2013 than it was in 2011.)
Stats
Peaks
Applause
US: #4
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs: #1
US Hot Dance Club Songs: #1
US Pop Songs: #4
US Adult Top 40: #8
US Rhythmic: #19
US Adult Contemporary: #24
Japan: #6
Germany: #5
UK: #5
France: #3
Australia: #11
Australian Dance: #2
Canada: #4
Italy: #2
Brazil: #53
Brazil Pop Songs: #16
South Korea: #1
Netherlands: #15
Spain: #1
Switzerland: #7
Belgium (Wallonia): #5
Belgium (Flanders): #10
Sweden: #17
Mexico: #5
Austria: #6
Norway: #8
Bulgaria: #3
Czech Republic: #12
Denmark: #6
Ecuador: #8
Finland: #10
Greece: #1
Hungary: #1
Hungary (Radio): #2
Ireland: #9
Israel: #7
Luxembourg: #7
Lebanon: #1
New Zealand: #7
Poland: #7
Portugal: #8
Scotland: #5
Slovakia: #18
Venezuela: #3
Charted in 35 countries. Average peak ≈ #8.
The Edge of Glory
US: #3
US Hot Dance Club Songs: #1
US Adult Pop Songs: #2
US Pop Songs: #3
US Adult Contemporary: #7
Japan: #8
Germany: #3
UK: #6
France: #7
Australia: #2
Canada: #3
Italy: #2
Brazil: #24
South Korea: #1
Netherlands: #36
Spain: #5
Switzerland: #10
Belgium (Wallonia): #2
Belgium (Flanders): #6
Sweden: #19
Mexico: #5
Austria: #3
Norway: #2
Croatia: #6
Czech Republic: #7
Denmark: #8
Finland: #14
Hungary: #6
Ireland: #4
Israel: #3
Lebanon: #8
New Zealand: #3
Scotland: #2
Slovakia: #1
Charted in 29 countries. Average peak ≈ #7.
Sales & Certifications
Applause
Worldwide (Estimated): ~ 4,000,000
US - 2,429,521
Japan - 100,000 - Gold
UK - 234,979 - Silver
Australia - 70,000 - Platinum
Canada - 160,000 - 2x Platinum
Italy - 30,000 - Platinum
South Korea - 106,385
Sweden - 80,000 - 2x Platinum
Mexico - 60,000 - Platinum
Denmark - 30,000 - Platinum
Venezuela - 20,000 - 2x Platinum
New Zealand - 7,500 - Gold
The Edge of Glory
Worldwide (Estimated): ~ 5,000,000
US - 2,860,000
Japan - 100,000 - Gold
UK - 600,000 - Platinum
Italy - 60,000 - Platinum
Sweden - 40,000 - Platinum
Switzerland - 15,000 - Gold
Denmark - 7,500 - Gold
New Zealand - 7,500 - Gold
Streaming & VEVO
Spotify
Applause: 81,439,096 streams
The Edge of Glory: 31,421,976 streams
VEVO
Applause: 200,679,123 views
The Edge of Glory: 84,705,680 views
US Radio
Overall Radio Airplay Peak
Applause: 130,754,000 AI
The Edge of Glory: 106,169,000 AI
Pop Radio Airplay Peak
Applause: 81,876,000 AI
The Edge of Glory: 68,045,000 AI
Weeks in Top 10
US
Applause: 14 weeks
The Edge of Glory: 11 weeks
Japan
Applause: 3 weeks
The Edge of Glory: 1 week
Current Position in US iTunes Top 1500
Applause: #1045
The Edge of Glory: N/A