Best Mobile App Download Statistics & Usage Statistics
We use our phones at work, at home, on the street, while we’re eating, in bed, and even in our cars. You might be reading this from a mobile device right now. What’s everyone doing on their phones? Well, 88% of mobile time is spent on apps. This is encouraging news for app developers, app publishers, and anyone who plans on developing an app. But in order to be successful in this space, two things need to happen.
Users need to download your app.
Users need to use your app.
These two seemingly simple actions are what inspired me to write this guide. Sure, we know that people are using apps more than ever before. But that’s just barely scratching the surface in terms of the available data on this usage. You can’t develop an app based on this information alone. That’s like saying, “People like to eat, so I’m going to open a restaurant.” If you want to compete and claim your share of this multi-billion-dollar industry, you need to have a better understanding of exactly how people are developing apps and using mobile app development company Houston. Use the research that I’ve identified in this guide to help you develop or improve your mobile app.
Apps can’t succeed without downloads. It sounds simple, but all too often I app owners overlook this. You could have the best app on the planet, but if nobody is downloading it, you won’t make a dime. So before you can get people to download your app, you need to take the time to conduct the proper research. To get you started, I’ve found the most relevant mobile app download statistics for 2023.
Global Downloads
People all over the world are using smartphones and tablets. As mobile app usage grows in popularity, the number of app downloads worldwide increases as well. We’re seeing growth in app downloads each year. This trend will continue in the coming years as well. Last year, there were more than 218 billion app downloads. That’s roughly a 7% increase from the year prior. As you can see from the graph, there was a 55% jump between 2016 and 2020. The year over year growth rate isn’t quite as sharp, but it’s still on the rise.
Free vs. Paid Downloads
When you’re creating a mobile app, one of the first things you need to figure out is your monetization strategy. That’s why you’re building an app in the first place, right? To make money. Charging for app downloads might be something that’s crossed your mind. But will people download your app if you make them pay for it? Let’s take a look at the number of free vs. paid app downloads. The vast majority of global downloads are all free. In fact, 98% of app revenue worldwide comes from free apps. Just a fraction of people are willing to pay for downloads.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying that you should completely dismiss the idea of launching a paid app. Depending on the type of app you have, there are benefits to both strategies. If you charge for downloads initially, fewer mobile users will download the app. That’s because the majority of people are used to being offered free downloads. Just look at your own mobile device. Do you have any apps that you paid to install? You’re in the minority if you do. However, people who download paid apps are more likely to be engaged. They aren’t going to spend money on something and then never use it. But you don’t need to charge for downloads to make money with your app.
For those of you who own an existing business and have an app as an extension of that business to improve the customer experience should definitely be offering free downloads. Users don’t expect to pay for downloads. That’s because the vast majority of apps available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store are offered for free.
Google & iOS Free vs Paid Apps
The above graph is based on research from Statista as of September 2023. Even if you’re launching an app as a completely new business, you can still make money by offering your app for free. There are plenty of other monetization strategies, such as offering in-app purchases. If you’re using your app to sell products or services, review the latest mobile ecommerce revenue and usage statistics.
Google Play vs. App Store Downloads
There are to places where the overwhelming majority of mobile users are downloading apps. Users with iOS devices download iPhone apps from the Apple App Store, while Android app users download from the Google Play Store. Look at how these two platforms compare to each other in terms of global app downloads.
Google Play vs. App Store Downloads
Worldwide, there are more downloads coming from the Google Play Store. But as you can see, both stores saw an increase in the percentage of downloads from 2019 to 2023. The Google Play Store downloads grew by 31%, while the Apple App Store had just a 2.5% growth rate. In short, the Google Play Store has more downloads and is growing at a higher rate.
Apple App Store Download Statistics
We’ve already looked at how the two app stores compared to one another. But now it’s time to break these numbers down even further and take a closer look at each platform. Let’s start with the Apple App Store download statistics.
Most Popular App Store Categories
In order for your app to be successful, you need to understand what consumers want. This is especially true if you’re building a new app. Your app might be revolutionary in terms of the software or concept, but if there’s no market for its usage, then you’re going to struggle to get downloads. First, you should understand what types of apps are being downloaded the most. Here are the most popular categories on the Apple App Store by share of availability.
Read more: Mobile App Development Can Help You Grow Your Business
The gaming category dominates the App Store.
But unless you’re planning to build a new android app development from scratch, you’re probably not going to have a game. For example, let’s say you have an ecommerce store. It doesn’t make sense to launch a gaming app for your business just so your app can fall into a more popular category. Your app category needs to be relevant to the purpose and functions of your app. So if you own a business or lifestyle app, you can’t just categorize it as a game to try and get more downloads. In fact, it’s against the App Store review guidelines if you don’t pick a category for your app’s primary purpose. Violating these terms can get your app removed from the App Store. Obviously, nobody will be able to download your app if this happens.
So don’t try to trick the system. Your app can still be successful even if it’s not in a top category. Those categories have more competition. Depending on your strategy, you could potentially target a niche category that’s less saturated and try to dominate a larger share of a smaller market.
Apple App Store Availability
As I just said, the mobile app industry is highly competitive. But how many apps are going to be competing with? Take a look at the number of apps available on the Apple App Store. The number of available apps is continuing to rise each year. Based on all of the statistics we’ve analyzed so far, this makes sense. More people have mobile devices than ever before, and app downloads are at an all-time high. So it’s only natural that more apps are being sent to market.
But are app download numbers on the rise because more apps are available? Or are more apps available because so many more apps have been released? It’s tough to say, and you can argue both sides. We’ll have a better understanding of this reasoning after we analyze the Google Play Store.
Google Play Store Download Statistics
Now it’s time to look at the download statistics from Android devices. I took the time to create a more in-depth analysis of the Google Play Store.
Google Play Store Availability
We just finished looking at the Apple App Store availability. So I wanted to jump right in and show you the number of apps available for download on the Google Play Store.
