The average number of downloads of one app per day in the App Store has fallen to its lowest level since 2010. At the same time, according to new Distimo data, the transition of many developers to the free-to-play model allowed to triple the total income generated by applications from the Top 100 cash programs of the Apple App Store.
Distimo has published a report dedicated to the 4th anniversary of the Apple App Store. In it, analysts note that currently 21% of all free games have in-app purchases (IAP) functionality. Importantly, in the Top 300 most popular free games, the share of such projects is 77%. In addition, over the past two years, the revenue generated by free IAP applications has increased from 7% to 68%.
The situation in the segment of paid applications does not look so rosy. Despite the fact that since 2010, the number of downloads of paid applications in the Top 200 has increased by 13% (this was probably influenced by a decrease in the average price of one program by 16%), the daily revenue generated by this top has decreased by 5%.
Distimo also found out that the American market is becoming less and less significant. In the current July, the United States accounted for only 26% of global downloads of free apps (in 2010, this figure was 38%). The top ten countries in terms of the number of downloads of free apps now include: USA, China, UK, Germany, France, Canada, Italy, Australia and South Korea.
In conclusion, we note that Distimo’s research once again demonstrated two main trends in the mobile market: the relevance of IAP and the strengthening of regional markets.