Store Stats for Mobile Apps
Google Play vs iOS App Store
Last update: 19 Mar 2024 CET

Google Play vs the Apple App Store: App Stats and Trends

The history of innovation is a history of great rivalries – Coke versus Pepsi, Ford versus General Motors, the Beatles versus the Stones, and, in the world of mobile apps and games, Android versus iOS.

Indeed, the rivalry between Google Play and the iOS App Store has generated countless opportunities for mobile technologists. It has led to the creation of new technologies and business models; more accessible gaming and digital entertainment; and more affordable consumer goods and services.

For this article, we used our unique arsenal of machine learning algorithms to conduct a side by side comparison of Google Play and the iOS App Store to analyze the state of the rivalry.

Google PlayvsiOS App Store

If you’re interested in learning more about the global app market, as well as the rich app store data that we at 42matters can provide, be sure to check out our full Google Play and iOS App Store analyses. For more information about our data contact our team. Or, try the 42matters Explorer for free!

How many apps are currently available?

  • Google Play Apps

    Google Play Apps

    3,438,059

  • iOS App Store Apps

    iOS App Store Apps

    1,884,922

As of 19 Mar 2024, there are 3,438,059 apps on Google Play and 1,884,922 apps on the Apple App Store.

  • Apps vs Gaming Apps

    Google Play vs iOS App Store

    • Apps available on Google Play
      Apps available on Google Play: 3,438,059
      • Apps
        3,003,356
        87.36%
      • Games
        434,702
        12.64%
    • Apps available on the App Store
      Apps available on the App Store: 1,884,922
      • Apps
        1,662,689
        88.21%
      • Games
        222,233
        11.79%
    Broadly speaking, mobile apps fall into two primary categories: apps and games. Google Play currently offers 3,003,356 mobile apps and 434,702 mobile games. The App Store, meanwhile, offers 1,662,689 apps and 222,233 games.
  • Free vs Paid

    Google Play vs iOS App Store

    • Apps available on Google Play
      Apps available on Google Play: 3,438,059
      • Free
        3,330,239
        96.99%
      • Paid
        103,406
        3.01%
    • Apps available on the App Store
      Apps available on the App Store: 1,884,922
      • Free
        1,791,599
        95.1%
      • Paid
        92,235
        4.9%
    While the vast majority of iOS and Android apps are free to download, some need to be purchased. There are 3,330,239 free apps on Google Play, compared with 103,406 paid apps. Meanwhile, on the App Store, there are 1,791,599 free apps and 92,235 paid apps.

What is the distribution of Android and iOS apps by category?

  • Google App Store logo

    Top 7 Categories by Number of Apps

    Total Categories: See All 49 Categories

    The chart above ranks the top categories on Google Play based on the number of apps that compose them. Blue represents free apps, while teal represents apps that need to be purchased. Currently, 'Education' is the top Android category, with 368,182 free apps and 13,399 paid apps. Hover over the chart to learn more!
  • Apple App Store logo

    Top 7 Categories by Number of Apps

    Total Categories: See All 26 Categories

    Along the same lines, this chart ranks the top iOS genres according to the number of apps that comprise them. Once again, blue represents free apps and teal represents paid apps. Currently, 'Games' is the top iOS Genre. It's made up of 206,644 free apps and 14,755 paid apps. Hover over the chart to learn more!
Contact our team to learn about all Google Play or iOS App Store categories!

How many new apps are released per day, per week, and per month?

New apps per day
New apps per week
New apps per month

The charts above track the number of apps released on Google Play and the Apple App Store over the past day, week, and month. 1,567 Android apps and 1,248 iOS apps were published to the app stores in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, 10,390 Android apps and 8,472 iOS apps were published in the last week. Finally, 52,135 Android apps and 36,970 iOS apps were published in the last month.

The Distribution of Apps by Rating

Apps rating stars

Apps with ratings

  • Google Play Store Icon
    1,698,765
    49.41%

    Apps available on Google Play:3,438,059

  • Apple App Store Icon
    798,895
    42.38%

    Apps available on the App Store:1,884,922

Apps rating stars

Apps without ratings

  • Google Play Store Icon
    1,739,294
    50.59%

    Apps available on Google Play:3,438,059

  • Apple App Store Icon
    1,086,027
    57.62%

    Apps available on the App Store:1,884,922

Average Rating Distribution
Google Play
vs
the iOS App Store
  • Rating stars
  • Rating stars
  • Rating stars
  • Rating stars
  • Rating stars
  • Rating stars
  • Rating stars
  • Rating stars
  • Rating stars
Scroll right

Next up, app ratings. Currently, our data indicates that 1,698,765 Android apps and 798,895 iOS apps have been rated by at least one user, while 1,739,294 Android apps and 1,086,027 iOS apps have not received a single rating.

We also collected the ratings for all 2,497,660 apps available on Google Play (green) and the Apple App Store (blue) and plotted them in the chart above. The y-axis represents number of apps, while the x-axis represents star rating

How much do Android apps cost versus iOS apps?

Number of Apps per Price - For paid apps priced below $10.00 (USD)
Google Play
vs
the iOS App Store
Scroll right

Finally, we plotted all 1,970,460 iOS and Android apps available on Google Play (green) and the Apple App Store (blue) by price. The y-axis in the chart above represents number of apps, while the x-axis represents app price.

More App Store Statistics from 42matters!

Google Play and the iOS App Store are two of the most popular digital marketplaces on the planet. But to acquire a truly comprehensive understanding of the mobile app and game economy, you’ll need to look beyond these two app stores.

Check out our full Google Play and iOS App Store reviews, as well as our analyses of other popular mobile and connected TV (CTV) app stores:

Click on an app store to learn more about it!

If you have any questions about our data, feel free to contact our team. In the meantime, try the 42matters Explorer for free!

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