Market Share and App Availability:
- Both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store dominate more than 95% of the app store market share outside of China. They have been instrumental in developing the app economy, now estimated to be worth approximately $6.3 trillion.
- The Apple App Store has 1.76 million apps and 460,000 games, with games constituting 21.06% of the store. Business and education are the next most popular categories. 94.1% of apps on the Apple App Store are free.
- Google Play's App Store has a larger number of apps at 2.266 million, with 390,000 games. Games make up a smaller percentage (15.2%) of the Google Play Store, and similar to Apple, education and business apps are also popular. A higher percentage (96.7%) of apps on the Google Play Store are free.
Download Statistics:
- In terms of global app downloads, the Google Play Store leads with more downloads and a higher growth rate. From 2019 to 2020, Google Play Store downloads grew by 31%, while the Apple App Store experienced a growth rate of just 2.5%. This trend of higher downloads from Google Play is expected to continue in 2023.
Revenue Generation:
- Despite having fewer downloads, the Apple App Store generates more revenue than the Google Play Store. In recent figures, the Apple App Store grossed $21.5 billion, nearly double that of the Google Play Store's $12.1 billion. This higher revenue from the Apple App Store comes from paid app downloads, subscriptions, and in-app purchases. Apple users tend to spend more, making it more lucrative for premium upgrades and in-app purchases.
User Engagement and App Usage:
- Mobile apps are expected to generate over $935 billion in revenue in 2023. An average smartphone owner uses about 10 apps per day and 30 apps each month. Moreover, 70% of all US digital media time comes from mobile apps, highlighting the significant role these apps play in daily digital interactions.