Lionel Sujay Vailshery
Research expert covering cloud computing and emerging tech industries
App stores - statistics & facts
App stores are digital distribution platforms for mobile and desktop apps. They offer a marketplace for users to browse, purchase, or download apps for free. In 2023, around 257 billion apps were downloaded worldwide (271644), and numbers are expected to keep increasing.
Apps are written for a particular operating system that runs on specific devices. In the first quarter of 2024, Google’s Android was the operating system holding the largest share of the global market, with almost 71 percent of the mobile devices commercialized worldwide being powered by this OS. In the same period, iOS held a market share of less than 30 percent.
In terms of content volume, Google Play is the largest app store in the world. The number of apps available on Google Play reached three million in 2018, before updating its Developer Policy and seeing the number of its apps decrease. In June 2024, the Google Play Store counted 1.68 million Android apps available to global users. Even though the majority of Google Play Store apps are free, Google’s digital content and app platform generate billions in revenues each year from game sales and in-app payments. Minor app stores, such as the Windows Store, launched in 2012, and the Amazon App Store, which launched in 2011, distribute exclusively Android apps that are mainly free to download.
Apple’s App Store is the second-largest app store worldwide. Although Google has led the ranking of available apps and app downloads for several years, Apple continues to record higher revenues, with global users spending approximately 25 billion U.S. dollars on apps during the second quarter of 2024.
Thanks to the EU Digital Market Act (DMA), Apple will allow for alternative marketplaces to distribute iOS apps, as well as allowing third-party payment methods. iOS users in Europe can now download alternative app and game stores, such as the Epic Games Store, launched on August 16, 2024, to download popular titles such as Fortnite, Fall Guy, and Rocket League, or the Portuguese-developed Aptoide, which distributes iOS and Android gaming apps.
The Google Play Store rakes up the most downloads from global users, and the Apple App Store revenues have been bringing billions in revenues from iOS users. While the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store have been covering the largest share of the global app market, the days of this powerful distribution system might be over. With the Digital Market Act coming into play in the European Union, new app stores will be allowed to distribute iOS apps, as has been the case for Amazon and Windows’ third-party app stores distributing applications to Android-powered devices.
Apps are written for a particular operating system that runs on specific devices. In the first quarter of 2024, Google’s Android was the operating system holding the largest share of the global market, with almost 71 percent of the mobile devices commercialized worldwide being powered by this OS. In the same period, iOS held a market share of less than 30 percent.
Platforms comparison
As Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS are the two leading operating systems for mobile, it is no surprise that the largest global platforms for app distribution are Google Play and the Apple App Store. Between the two, almost 34 billion apps were downloaded in the first quarter of 2024.In terms of content volume, Google Play is the largest app store in the world. The number of apps available on Google Play reached three million in 2018, before updating its Developer Policy and seeing the number of its apps decrease. In June 2024, the Google Play Store counted 1.68 million Android apps available to global users. Even though the majority of Google Play Store apps are free, Google’s digital content and app platform generate billions in revenues each year from game sales and in-app payments. Minor app stores, such as the Windows Store, launched in 2012, and the Amazon App Store, which launched in 2011, distribute exclusively Android apps that are mainly free to download.
Apple’s App Store is the second-largest app store worldwide. Although Google has led the ranking of available apps and app downloads for several years, Apple continues to record higher revenues, with global users spending approximately 25 billion U.S. dollars on apps during the second quarter of 2024.
The age of third-party app stores
Additionally, regional differences and global dynamics have been playing a role in the creation of additional app stores and global distributors. While Google Play and the App Store are the most prominent distribution channels for mobile apps, global regulators have been increasingly pointing at their total coverage as a sign of competition-stifling practices. The European Union has been active in investigating the Apple App Store, especially when it comes to the platform’s 30 percent commission fees.Thanks to the EU Digital Market Act (DMA), Apple will allow for alternative marketplaces to distribute iOS apps, as well as allowing third-party payment methods. iOS users in Europe can now download alternative app and game stores, such as the Epic Games Store, launched on August 16, 2024, to download popular titles such as Fortnite, Fall Guy, and Rocket League, or the Portuguese-developed Aptoide, which distributes iOS and Android gaming apps.
The Google Play Store rakes up the most downloads from global users, and the Apple App Store revenues have been bringing billions in revenues from iOS users. While the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store have been covering the largest share of the global app market, the days of this powerful distribution system might be over. With the Digital Market Act coming into play in the European Union, new app stores will be allowed to distribute iOS apps, as has been the case for Amazon and Windows’ third-party app stores distributing applications to Android-powered devices.
