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As technology advances, the way we access information is changing. Today, 81% of Americans own a smartphone.01 This means that the majority of Americans now have access to unlimited information in the palm of their hand, wherever they go (with a cellular or internet connection!).
As a result, more individuals are turning to their phones when they want to search online or download an app.
Mobile apps are also changing the way we interface with the world around us. From hailing a ride, to booking a room for the night, the mobile app usage statistics are strong indicators of an industry in the midst of another growth spurt.
In the past year, Gen-Z usage soared, the Google Play Store dominated, in-app subscriptions surged, and fast-growing app categories displaced the trends according to the most recent data.
In 2019, the data shows:
Data also indicates that monetization opportunities for mobile apps are increasing as mobile markets mature.
When app markets are new, they tend to see strong download numbers — mainly due to new users discovering and experimenting with these newfound apps.
As their mobile habits solidify and users identify their go-to apps, mobile app engagement starts climbing. With increasing engagement comes the opportunity to capitalize on consumer mindshare and monetize the apps they’re engaging with.
Here are some stats about apps that are seeing some monthly recurring revenue (MRR) to go along with their app download statistics:
But is this the norm?
In the Google Play Store, 95.5% of all apps are free and 4.5% of all apps are paid.11
Taking a closer look at all free apps in the Google Play Store, we can see that most free apps fall into the following app categories:
On the other hand, 90% of the apps in Apple’s App Store are free. The following app categories contain the most free apps in the App Store:
In fact, the gaming category is responsible for 74% of all consumer spending in the App Store.12
When it comes to paid apps in the App Store, most apps are relatively inexpensive — more than 50,000 paid apps are under $1. On the other hand, the majority of paid apps in the Google Play Store are still economical, but usually range from $1 to $2.
And it seems the less expensive or free apps are the ones to snag impressive download numbers. Looking at the download distribution of Android apps in the Google Play Store, we can see that:
According to a report from Snap, Gen Z is the most mobile-centric generation, with 97% of Gen Z owning a smartphone.13
Gen Z not only own the most smartphones of any generation, they also use them the most. Mobile usage has increased 36% since 2015, reaching 4 hours and 11 minutes per day in 2019. Here are some notable takeaways about Gen Z and mobile:
When looking at some of the veterans in the mobile app industry, we see some staggering usage numbers tallying beyond billions of downloads. You could venture a guess that downloads are no longer the primary concern for these titans of the mobile industry:
ThinkNow’s Mobile App Trends Report of 2018 uncovered that younger users are more likely to engage with their apps compared to older users. But, the data also showed that while there are distinctions among the various cohorts, there are also some commonalities of mobile usage across all ages.18
The data indicates that:
One of the holy grail metrics of mobile app marketing is DAU/MAU.
DAU (daily active users) over MAU (monthly active users) is the ratio of users that return every day compared to those returning on a monthly basis. Looking at some of the industry-wide benchmarks you can see trends in what apps are being used most often:
These numbers are quite impressive given the industry average is between 10-20%.19 It’s also interesting to note that the most downloaded and used apps seem to come from two countries: the US and China.
Dating apps are on the rise, becoming the new standard for dating and displacing traditional and even online dating practices. Tinder has remained the number one app by worldwide consumer spend from 2016 through 2018.
Global consumer spend in the top ten dating apps grew by 180%—from just under $500 million in 2016 to well over $1 billion in 2018.
Beyond dating apps, health and fitness apps, like MyFitnessPal and Headspace, saw serious growth. From 2016 to 2018, global consumer spend in health and fitness apps grew three times. Downloads of medical apps have also grown in the US, UK, and France by 35% in the last two years.
When you play in the mobile app space, there are lots of opportunities. Users are increasingly taking to their smartphones to access information online and download apps. To leverage this trend, you need to invest in a sophisticated mobile marketing strategy.
CleverTap offers mobile marketing tools to not only convert new users, but drive retention and growth for your app. With behavioral segmentation, detailed audience analytics, and omnichannel engagement, CleverTap can help take your mobile app to the next level.
Get started by taking this three-minute interactive quiz to find out how your growth strategies stack up.
See how today’s top brands use CleverTap to drive long-term growth and retention