Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) fans may be loyal, but they’re also paying more per app than Android users, according to statistics from Flurry, an analytics firm which studies mobile apps. The company revealed the numbers on its blog, and Apple Insider’s Michael Harper spotted them.
Apple versus Android by the numbers
According to the statistics, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) users pay, on average, 19 cents for each app. Android users, on the other hand, pay only 6 cents per app. In terms of devices, users of Apple’s iPad paid the most—on average, 50 cents per app.
Flurry’s Mary Ellen Gordon said they calculated the data using information from over 350,000 apps which are available on both Android and iOS. She also said that the information suggests that consumers are willing to see some advertising inside apps in order to get them free, especially on Android devices.
She goes on to consider what Android users’ lower spending on apps means. She suggested that Android users “tend to be less affluent and less willing to pay for things than iOS users.” According to Gordon, the fact that the average per-app spend is so much higher on Apple’s iPad than on other devices is also linked to income because on average, iPad owners have higher incomes than those who own other devices.
Developers earn more on Apple’s iOS
In addition, she said when developers test their pricing structures, often they decide to simply offer their apps for free, so she believes in-app advertising won’t be going away any time soon. The rise of freemium content, also known as in-app purchases, highlights the falling up-front prices of apps and provides a way for developers to make money even if they allow their apps to be downloaded for free.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s App Store is considered by many app developers as the starting point for distribution because studies indicate that more money can be made there. In May, a separate study indicated that the most popular iOS apps raked in 4.6 times as much as the popular apps on Android. In April, the top 200 grossing apps on Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s App Store raked in $5.1 million daily, while Android’s top 200 grossing apps only garnered $1.1 million per day. So when it comes to the viewpoints of developers, it’s easy to see why iOS may get new apps before Android.
