7 out of 10 apps are for iOS, iPhone and iPad devs earn four times more revenue
Flurry Analytics has recently compiled developer research data from January to March, and found that 7 of 10 apps developed are on iOS, and that for ever dollar an iOS developer makes, Android developers make $0.24. It won't come as much surprise that the iPad fares particularly well among tablets. 88% of user sessions that ping Flurry's advertising network from a tablet are using an iPad, compared to 9% from a Galaxy Tab users and 3% from a Kindle Fire. Flurry said that "Apple offers the most compelling 'build once, run anywhere' value proposition in the market today" when it came to developing for iPhone and iPad. There are plenty of middleware providers that can bring apps from iOS to Android and other secondary ecosystems, but looking at graphs like this make it clear that devs hardly need to bother to stay in business. Flurry also took the opportunity to knock Android fragmentation across OS versions and manufacturers.
One of the big problems with the Android app ecosystem is piracy; say what you will about Apple's crystal prison, it ensures devs make the money that's due to them. Sure, sometimes copycats slip through the App Store approval process, but Android's ability to sideload apps from just about anywhere means that even moderately tech-savvy users have little reason to open their wallets. For all of the restrictions Apple places on developers, they're definitely hoops worth jumping through if it enables them to make viable businesses out of apps. A few weeks ago, one developer told me that they still make more money on BlackBerry and webOS than Android - if that's even remotely the case for other devs, I can't help but wonder how healthy the Google Play store will be in the long term.
Devs, what can you say about your experience writing apps for Android? Is it really that unprofitable? Is making money the end-all-be-all of app development, or is there value in added freedom?
Source: Flurry
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I am very curious to know why this is? Is it because it cost more to make an android app? Or because the developer doesn't make that much money selling it for free and relying on the advertisements in the app for revenue? Or is it because even though android has twice as many smartphone users than ios the combined number of iphone and ipad is greater than android phones and tablets? Any insight would be appreciated.
People that buy iPhones are more affluent, studies have shown. Therefore, they have more disposable income to put towards Apps. Android users are less affluent and tend to spend less. Im not bashing, just stating facts.
That trend in spending draws developers looking to make a profit. And it will only get worse for Andoid as that trend continues.
It has nothing to do with affluent people. I know many affluent people who have android /blackberry and many people who are not affluent but has Iphone. It's comes down to people willingness to spend. Though Android has more users, it has less fanboys who will blindly buy it. Apple fanboys are more willing to spend on anything that has Apple logo on it. That's the reason we see so many articles on imore and arguments about Apple making more money. How ridiculous it can be for a consumer to feel happy about Apple making more money out of them.
It comes down to apps. When anyone can make an app and put it on the market with very few or no restrictions you get crap. When standards are set and regulations put in place you get quality. Plain and simple.
I've read in many studies that BBOS developers make more revenue than any other platform on mobile apps. It's understood that Android developers will make less than iOS or BBOS because mostly all apps are free and can be loaded by rooting. iOS users can jailbreak but most of them feel its too much of a hassle to do so.
The reason is simple. The iPhone has always (until recently) cost $200 and an upgrade. Android owes its market share number to carriers giving away cheap phones and buy-one-get-one phones. One method selects for users who are willing to spend money, the other method selects for users who aren't as willing to spend money.
On TOP of that you have the relative difficulty developers face when writing for Android's variety of hardware configurations.
Pocket’s Tips for Aspiring Android Developers: It’s Not Really Terrifying, and In Fact Quite Enjoyablehttp://getpocket.com/blog/2012/06/pockets-tips-for-aspiring-android-deve...
The blog post has a pretty sensational title. Should add "... Says Flurry" to it since it is based on their data only.
For clarity, I mean the iMore title, not the Pocket post.
I won't toss out any names, but some here are getting quite the reputation here as being a bit of a sensationalist, making assumptions and drawing conclusions from sparse info, some with very suspect credibility. I think it's a pageview thing,
If Android blogs are posting article like "Don't be afraid to develop for Android", you know you have a problem in the industry.
Sorry but as a cross-platform developer, I don't think I would ever use the phrase "In Fact Quite Enjoyable" with regards to developing on Android. At least, not compared to developing on iOS.
I don't agree that it is the worst thing ever, but there is most certainly a level of chaos that comes with developing for Android. There are many, MANY times that we wind up scaling back certain features for the android version of the apps we develop. Sometimes its due to compatibility, sometimes it's because even though the features work, they are not as fluid for our tastes.
F.U.D. - Depends on the app, target audience, etc. These posts are worthless pep-rally's for fanboys.
FUD?
Many reports like this have been coming our for the past year or more. Developers are making more money from iOS, and developing more Apps in response......... Sorry if that hurts your feelings.
And were are these facts? Here's on website that pays out way better then Google does for developers. http://gigaom.com/2011/12/20/androids-app-revenue-gap-and-how-developers... here's a another. It shows that over 25% of android users make over 100k a year. So where are your so called facts?
That's was for sean
Let's not leave out Blackberry's App World in any discussion of money for developers. Thus, here is what Saunders reported at the BBW 2012: "App World earns developers 40 percent more revenue than the Android Market, and its profitability is number two just behind the iTunes App Store. And 13 percent of BlackBerry developers have earned a cool $100,000 from apps sold in the App World." You may like to kick RIM when they are down, but clearly developers can ALSO make money - a lot of it - on the Blackberry App World. Developing strictly for IOS and/or Android - your just loosing sales as far as I'm concerned.
And yet, 60 percent of iOS developers don't break even, which suggests at best that Flurry's numbers are skewed by a small number of exceptionally large winners, not that the market is robust for iOS developers as a whole.