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 and the to analyze the state of the rivalry.
- How many apps are currently available in each app store
- The distribution of gaming versus non-gaming apps
- The distribution of free apps versus paid apps
- Number of categories in each store and distribution of apps
- How many new apps are released per day, per week, and per month
- The distribution of apps by rating
- The distribution of apps by price
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
2,259,293
iOS App Store Apps
2,186,843
As of 23 Mar 2026, there are 2,259,293 apps on Google Play and 2,186,843 apps on the Apple App Store.
Apps vs Gaming Apps
Google Play vs iOS App Store
- Apps available on Google Play: 2,259,293
- Apps1,983,32087.78%
- Games275,97312.22%
- Apps available on the App Store: 2,186,843
- Apps1,970,98290.13%
- Games215,8639.87%
Broadly speaking, mobile apps fall into two primary categories: apps and games. Google Play currently offers 1,983,320 mobile apps and 275,973 mobile games. The App Store, meanwhile, offers 1,970,982 apps and 215,863 games.Free vs Paid
Google Play vs iOS App Store
- Apps available on Google Play: 2,259,293
- Free2,191,58297.03%
- Paid67,0202.97%
- Apps available on the App Store: 2,186,843
- Free2,080,82895.2%
- Paid104,8384.8%
While the vast majority of iOS and Android apps are free to download, some need to be purchased. There are 2,191,582 free apps on Google Play, compared with 67,020 paid apps. Meanwhile, on the App Store, there are 2,080,828 free apps and 104,838 paid apps.
What is the distribution of Android and iOS apps by category?
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 249,045 free apps and 6,891 paid apps. Hover over the chart to learn more!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, 'Utilities' is the top iOS Genre. It's made up of 218,757 free apps and 14,996 paid apps. Hover over the chart to learn more!
How many new apps are released per day, per week, and 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. 2,331 Android apps and 2,687 iOS apps were published to the app stores in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, 16,069 Android apps and 17,757 iOS apps were published in the last week. Finally, 62,206 Android apps and 66,446 iOS apps were published in the last month.
The Distribution of Apps by Rating
- 1,091,68448.32%
Apps available on Google Play:2,259,293
- 887,00340.56%
Apps available on the App Store:2,186,843
- 1,167,60951.68%
Apps available on Google Play:2,259,293
- 1,299,84059.44%
Apps available on the App Store:2,186,843
Next up, app ratings. Currently, our data indicates that 1,091,684 Android apps and 887,003 iOS apps have been rated by at least one user, while 1,167,609 Android apps and 1,299,840 iOS apps have not received a single rating.
We also collected the ratings for all 1,978,687 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?
Finally, we plotted all 2,237,138 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!
- Apple iOS App Store
Apple TV App Store
Amazon Store
Amazon Fire TV- Google Play
Roku Channel Store
Tencent Appstore
If you have any questions about our data, feel free to contact our team. In the meantime, try the 42matters Explorer for free!
