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Top 20 Developer Tools SDKs Used in iOS Apps on the Apple App Store
Last update: 17 Jan 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
1.78m
App Store
App Share
99.96%
App Store
Apps
1.60m
Games
184.88k
Total Downloads
529.65b
App Store
Download Share
100.00%
App Store
App Downloads
400.42b
Game Downloads
129.23b

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, 75.93% have integrated Apple AVFoundation. This accounts for 94.89% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
1.35m
App Store
App Share
75.93%
App Store
Apps
1.19m
Games
166.66k
Total Downloads
502.64b
App Store
Download Share
94.89%
App Store
App Downloads
377.28b
Game Downloads
125.36b

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, 70.86% have integrated Apple WebKit. This accounts for 93.85% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
1.26m
App Store
App Share
70.86%
App Store
Apps
1.14m
Games
125.11k
Total Downloads
497.09b
App Store
Download Share
93.85%
App Store
App Downloads
375.33b
Game Downloads
121.76b

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, 51.16% have integrated Google Firebase. This accounts for 65.40% 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
912.70k
App Store
App Share
51.16%
App Store
Apps
827.81k
Games
84.89k
Total Downloads
346.43b
App Store
Download Share
65.40%
App Store
App Downloads
246.04b
Game Downloads
100.38b

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, 41.40% have integrated Firebase Installations. This accounts for 61.90% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
738.51k
App Store
App Share
41.40%
App Store
Apps
685.66k
Games
52.85k
Total Downloads
327.88b
App Store
Download Share
61.90%
App Store
App Downloads
235.48b
Game Downloads
92.40b

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, 31.85% have integrated Apple Core Data. This accounts for 51.74% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
568.26k
App Store
App Share
31.85%
App Store
Apps
540.42k
Games
27.84k
Total Downloads
274.05b
App Store
Download Share
51.74%
App Store
App Downloads
233.91b
Game Downloads
40.14b

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, 27.94% have integrated Promises by Google. This accounts for 22.50% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
498.48k
App Store
App Share
27.94%
App Store
Apps
470.92k
Games
27.56k
Total Downloads
119.19b
App Store
Download Share
22.50%
App Store
App Downloads
83.99b
Game Downloads
35.20b

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, 25.22% have integrated Apple Swift Framework. This accounts for 13.47% 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
449.85k
App Store
App Share
25.22%
App Store
Apps
400.89k
Games
48.96k
Total Downloads
71.33b
App Store
Download Share
13.47%
App Store
App Downloads
45.81b
Game Downloads
25.52b

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, 13.84% have integrated Firebase Remote Config. This accounts for 38.65% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
246.87k
App Store
App Share
13.84%
App Store
Apps
220.42k
Games
26.45k
Total Downloads
204.70b
App Store
Download Share
38.65%
App Store
App Downloads
153.93b
Game Downloads
50.76b

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, 11.44% have integrated Firebase App Check. This accounts for 11.92% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
204.14k
App Store
App Share
11.44%
App Store
Apps
192.89k
Games
11.24k
Total Downloads
63.14b
App Store
Download Share
11.92%
App Store
App Downloads
49.53b
Game Downloads
13.61b

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, 9.22% have integrated Apple Core Bluetooth. This accounts for 16.54% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
164.51k
App Store
App Share
9.22%
App Store
Apps
156.84k
Games
7.67k
Total Downloads
87.59b
App Store
Download Share
16.54%
App Store
App Downloads
82.83b
Game Downloads
4.76b

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, 8.05% have integrated Expo. This accounts for 1.31% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
143.69k
App Store
App Share
8.05%
App Store
Apps
141.05k
Games
2.65k
Total Downloads
6.95b
App Store
Download Share
1.31%
App Store
App Downloads
6.81b
Game Downloads
138.22m

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, 7.73% have integrated react-native-device-info. This accounts for 3.48% 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
137.91k
App Store
App Share
7.73%
App Store
Apps
137.17k
Games
741
Total Downloads
18.45b
App Store
Download Share
3.48%
App Store
App Downloads
18.18b
Game Downloads
275.42m

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, 7.31% have integrated Protobuf. This accounts for 17.44% 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
130.43k
App Store
App Share
7.31%
App Store
Apps
123.62k
Games
6.81k
Total Downloads
92.35b
App Store
Download Share
17.44%
App Store
App Downloads
84.32b
Game Downloads
8.04b

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, 2.76% have integrated Apple Core ML. This accounts for 33.03% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
49.21k
App Store
App Share
2.76%
App Store
Apps
28.98k
Games
20.23k
Total Downloads
174.96b
App Store
Download Share
33.03%
App Store
App Downloads
110.42b
Game Downloads
64.55b

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, 2.62% have integrated Mantle. This accounts for 3.71% 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
46.72k
App Store
App Share
2.62%
App Store
Apps
46.06k
Games
659
Total Downloads
19.67b
App Store
Download Share
3.71%
App Store
App Downloads
18.39b
Game Downloads
1.28b

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, 2.26% have integrated RxSwift. This accounts for 5.23% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

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

Total Apps
40.24k
App Store
App Share
2.26%
App Store
Apps
39.96k
Games
287
Total Downloads
27.69b
App Store
Download Share
5.23%
App Store
App Downloads
27.43b
Game Downloads
262.62m

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, 2.16% have integrated ML Kit by Google. This accounts for 2.20% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
38.59k
App Store
App Share
2.16%
App Store
Apps
38.44k
Games
156
Total Downloads
11.67b
App Store
Download Share
2.20%
App Store
App Downloads
11.66b
Game Downloads
11.44m

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, 1.76% have integrated CocoaLumberjack. This accounts for 4.57% 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
31.46k
App Store
App Share
1.76%
App Store
Apps
31.13k
Games
340
Total Downloads
24.19b
App Store
Download Share
4.57%
App Store
App Downloads
22.77b
Game Downloads
1.42b

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.