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Top 20 Developer Tools SDKs Used in iOS Apps on the Apple App Store
Last update: 16 Feb 2026 CET
App Store

Top 20 Developer Tools SDKs Used in iOS Apps on the Apple App Store

We at 42matters have identified the 20 most popular Developer Tools SDKs leveraged by iOS apps available on the iOS app market.

Developer Tool SDKs help developers build sophisticated mobile apps. Technology vendors and platform providers develop these SDKs — which include programming libraries, APIs, sample code, documentation, and other tools — for third-party app developers that want to build mobile apps that leverage the features and functionalities of their technologies or platforms.

This list is based on our analysis of the millions of mobile applications – and the 2,300+ SDKs they use – that constitute the vast inventory of the Apple App Store. The accompanying data provides readers with a glimpse into the rich mobile application insights generated by the 42matters technology. This data is also available via our APIs, file dumps, Explorer, and SDK Explorer.

The intended purpose of this article is to assist app builders in their search for the perfect Developer Tools SDK to leverage in their app, as well as to give SDK developers insight into their biggest competitors and potential customers. This data collected by our technology may also serve as a useful tool for folks researching the wider mobile app market.

The 20 most widely-integrated developer tools SDKs:

1st

Apple Core Foundation

Check “Apple Core Foundation” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 99.96% have integrated Apple Core Foundation. This accounts for 100.00% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
1.80m
App Store
App Share
99.96%
App Store
Apps
1.61m
Games
184.20k
Total Downloads
539.93b
App Store
Download Share
100.00%
App Store
App Downloads
408.41b
Game Downloads
131.52b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple Core Foundation.

2nd

Apple AVFoundation

Check “Apple AVFoundation” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 76.15% have integrated Apple AVFoundation. This accounts for 94.75% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
1.37m
App Store
App Share
76.15%
App Store
Apps
1.20m
Games
167.21k
Total Downloads
511.61b
App Store
Download Share
94.75%
App Store
App Downloads
383.67b
Game Downloads
127.94b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple AVFoundation.

3rd

Apple WebKit

Check “Apple WebKit” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 70.92% have integrated Apple WebKit. This accounts for 93.64% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
1.27m
App Store
App Share
70.92%
App Store
Apps
1.15m
Games
125.86k
Total Downloads
505.60b
App Store
Download Share
93.64%
App Store
App Downloads
381.09b
Game Downloads
124.51b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple WebKit.

4th

Google Firebase

Check “Google Firebase” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 51.31% have integrated Google Firebase. This accounts for 65.56% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Firebase is Google's mobile platform SDK that helps you quickly develop high-quality apps and grow your business.

Total Apps
922.10k
App Store
App Share
51.31%
App Store
Apps
837.17k
Games
84.93k
Total Downloads
353.99b
App Store
Download Share
65.56%
App Store
App Downloads
251.47b
Game Downloads
102.52b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Google Firebase.

5th

Firebase Installations

Check “Firebase Installations” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 41.69% have integrated Firebase Installations. This accounts for 61.99% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
749.23k
App Store
App Share
41.69%
App Store
Apps
695.82k
Games
53.41k
Total Downloads
334.74b
App Store
Download Share
61.99%
App Store
App Downloads
240.28b
Game Downloads
94.46b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Firebase Installations.

6th

Apple Core Data

Check “Apple Core Data” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 31.71% have integrated Apple Core Data. This accounts for 51.73% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
569.83k
App Store
App Share
31.71%
App Store
Apps
542.24k
Games
27.58k
Total Downloads
279.33b
App Store
Download Share
51.73%
App Store
App Downloads
237.17b
Game Downloads
42.16b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple Core Data.

7th

Promises by Google

Check “Promises by Google” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 27.97% have integrated Promises by Google. This accounts for 22.16% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
502.67k
App Store
App Share
27.97%
App Store
Apps
475.23k
Games
27.44k
Total Downloads
119.66b
App Store
Download Share
22.16%
App Store
App Downloads
84.14b
Game Downloads
35.52b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Promises by Google.

8th

Apple Swift Framework

Check “Apple Swift Framework” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 24.21% have integrated Apple Swift Framework. This accounts for 13.05% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Apple Swift Framework is a powerful and intuitive programming language for macOS, iOS, watchOS, tvOS and beyond.

Total Apps
435.18k
App Store
App Share
24.21%
App Store
Apps
387.36k
Games
47.82k
Total Downloads
70.44b
App Store
Download Share
13.05%
App Store
App Downloads
44.63b
Game Downloads
25.81b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple Swift Framework.

9th

Firebase Remote Config

Check “Firebase Remote Config” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 14.17% have integrated Firebase Remote Config. This accounts for 38.71% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
254.74k
App Store
App Share
14.17%
App Store
Apps
227.86k
Games
26.88k
Total Downloads
209.01b
App Store
Download Share
38.71%
App Store
App Downloads
157.43b
Game Downloads
51.58b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Firebase Remote Config.

10th

Firebase App Check

Check “Firebase App Check” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 11.75% have integrated Firebase App Check. This accounts for 11.91% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
211.23k
App Store
App Share
11.75%
App Store
Apps
199.65k
Games
11.59k
Total Downloads
64.32b
App Store
Download Share
11.91%
App Store
App Downloads
50.53b
Game Downloads
13.79b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Firebase App Check.

11th

Apple Core Bluetooth

Check “Apple Core Bluetooth” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 9.19% have integrated Apple Core Bluetooth. This accounts for 16.47% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
165.11k
App Store
App Share
9.19%
App Store
Apps
157.57k
Games
7.54k
Total Downloads
88.94b
App Store
Download Share
16.47%
App Store
App Downloads
84.29b
Game Downloads
4.65b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple Core Bluetooth.

12th

Expo

Check “Expo” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 8.50% have integrated Expo. This accounts for 1.39% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
152.84k
App Store
App Share
8.50%
App Store
Apps
149.88k
Games
2.96k
Total Downloads
7.51b
App Store
Download Share
1.39%
App Store
App Downloads
7.36b
Game Downloads
150.44m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Expo.

13th

react-native-device-info

Check “react-native-device-info” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 7.94% have integrated react-native-device-info. This accounts for 3.51% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

The react-native-device-info SDK offers device information for React Native for iOS and Android.

Total Apps
142.65k
App Store
App Share
7.94%
App Store
Apps
141.88k
Games
768
Total Downloads
18.93b
App Store
Download Share
3.51%
App Store
App Downloads
18.64b
Game Downloads
282.91m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use react-native-device-info.

14th

Protobuf

Check “Protobuf” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 7.04% have integrated Protobuf. This accounts for 17.24% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Protocol Buffers (a.k.a., protobuf) are Google's language-neutral, platform-neutral, extensible mechanism for serializing structured data.

Total Apps
126.45k
App Store
App Share
7.04%
App Store
Apps
119.70k
Games
6.75k
Total Downloads
93.11b
App Store
Download Share
17.24%
App Store
App Downloads
84.98b
Game Downloads
8.13b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Protobuf.

16th

Apple Core ML

Check “Apple Core ML” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 2.81% have integrated Apple Core ML. This accounts for 33.22% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
50.59k
App Store
App Share
2.81%
App Store
Apps
29.55k
Games
21.04k
Total Downloads
179.37b
App Store
Download Share
33.22%
App Store
App Downloads
112.71b
Game Downloads
66.66b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple Core ML.

17th

Mantle

Check “Mantle” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 2.68% have integrated Mantle. This accounts for 3.53% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Mantle is a Software Development Kit (SDK) that makes it easy to write simple model layers for your Cocoa or Cocoa Touch mobile applications or games.

Total Apps
48.16k
App Store
App Share
2.68%
App Store
Apps
47.50k
Games
666
Total Downloads
19.07b
App Store
Download Share
3.53%
App Store
App Downloads
17.76b
Game Downloads
1.30b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Mantle.

18th

RxSwift

Check “RxSwift” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 2.21% have integrated RxSwift. This accounts for 5.12% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

The RxSwift SDK offers a framework for interacting with the Swift programming language.

Total Apps
39.64k
App Store
App Share
2.21%
App Store
Apps
39.36k
Games
283
Total Downloads
27.65b
App Store
Download Share
5.12%
App Store
App Downloads
27.39b
Game Downloads
262.50m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use RxSwift.

19th

ML Kit by Google

Check “ML Kit by Google” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 2.19% have integrated ML Kit by Google. This accounts for 2.15% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
39.38k
App Store
App Share
2.19%
App Store
Apps
39.22k
Games
169
Total Downloads
11.63b
App Store
Download Share
2.15%
App Store
App Downloads
11.62b
Game Downloads
12.21m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use ML Kit by Google.

20th

CocoaLumberjack

Check “CocoaLumberjack” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 1.75% have integrated CocoaLumberjack. This accounts for 4.53% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

CocoaLumberjack is a fast and simple, yet powerful and flexible, logging framework SDK for Mac and iOS.

Total Apps
31.38k
App Store
App Share
1.75%
App Store
Apps
31.03k
Games
344
Total Downloads
24.44b
App Store
Download Share
4.53%
App Store
App Downloads
23.06b
Game Downloads
1.38b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use CocoaLumberjack.

Browse iOS and Android SDKs With the SDK Explorer

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  • SDK IntelligenceSDK Intelligence

    See how many apps integrate specific SDKs, how many times these SDKs have been downloaded, developer details, similar SDKs, and more.

  • New Installations and Removals HistoryNew Installations and Removals History

    Analyze installation and removal trends for SDKs. Discover which apps have removed or integrated specific SDKs in a given timeframe.

  • Market Share per Google Play and Apple App Store CategoryMarket Share per Google Play and Apple App Store Category

    See which app categories or genres are most likely to use specific SDKs. Detect SDK market share per category.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How does 42matters collect this data?'

We’ve developed a number of machine learning algorithms that scan millions of mobile and connected TV (CTV) applications on a regular basis. In addition, we collect ground truth app performance intelligence and use this data to build statistical models that estimate the performance of apps for which we do not have ground truth data.

What SDK data does 42matters collect?'

We track over 2,300 of the most popular SDKs integrated in iOS and Android apps. We collect a variety of SDK insights (title, platform, ID, category, and developer website); performance metrics (the number of apps that have installed each SDK, installation and removal trends, and app downloads); market share statistics (including market share per app category); and more!

How can I access 42matters’ SDK data?'

The most direct way is to use our SDK Explorer, which is a visual, web-based research platform that enables you to peruse all 2,300+ SDKs that we track. It’s great for market research, lead generation, competitor analysis, etc. However, more technically-inclined folks might prefer our APIs and File Dumps, which enable you to query info for specific apps or SDKs. You can also use our other research platform (the Explorer) to view integrated SDKs by app.

Can I use 42matters’ solutions to generate app publisher leads?'

Absolutely! We actually wrote about this on our blog. We focused on ad network SDKs, but the examples are applicable to most SDK types. To summarize, you can use the Explorer’s advanced filtering capabilities to home in on best-fit app publishers, leverage the SDK Explorer to see which apps use your competitors’ SDKs, and use our APIs and file dumps to build custom lead generation processes.

What data does 42matters provide on mobile apps?'

A ton! We track 17+ million apps across Google Play, the Apple App Store, Amazon Appstore, Tencent Appstore, and Huawei AppGallery. Our solutions provide access to app details (developer insights, metadata, ASO keywords, contact information, etc.); performance metrics (downloads, MAUs, ratings, reviews, top chart rankings, etc.); technical insights (integrated SDKs, permissions, required capabilities, etc.); content details (categories, genres, IAB categories, content ratings, etc.); compliance information (app-ads.txt, privacy policies, store status, etc.) and much, much more!

Can I use 42matters’ solutions to find SDKs for my app?'

Definitely. The SDK Explorer enables you to sort SDKs by category, identify similar SDKs, analyze SDK reliability, and more. In addition, you can use the Explorer to monitor your competitors, including which SDKs they add and remove, their current tech stacks, and SDK changelogs. This means you use our solutions not only to find the right SDK for a particular purpose, but also which SDKs you might need to keep up with your rivals.