App Store: Third-party apps have higher market share than Apple programs

Referring to a study by Analysis Group, Apple has announced that third-party apps from developers and companies unaffiliated with Apple outperform the proprietary offerings in the App Store. Various markets were examined and not only global market leaders were found, but also regionally more used alternatives to the Apple offers. In addition, different app categories were examined, e.g. B. Music streaming, maps / navigation and Apple TV apps. Furthermore, the development of the apps store, which has been active for over a decade, is shown - from 500 to now over 1,8 million apps.

Growth of iOS and App Store only possible through third-party offers

"Since the App Store launched more than a decade ago, the number of third-party apps has grown from 500 to more than 1,8 million - compared to 60 apps offered by Apple itself (first-party apps).“, shows Apple in the press release on the topic. "Today, more than 99,99 percent of iOS apps are developed by third parties. This fosters a growing and competitive market that contributes to a dynamic user experience. Both Apple and the third-party developers benefit from this.It is possible that Apple lists these numbers to undermine monopoly discussions about the App Store. After all, it is currently often about external payment methods and sideloading.

App leaders in different categories are not from Apple

The study by the Analysis Group mentioned in the introduction not only examined apps from different categories in terms of their download numbers, but also in terms of their active user base. In doing so, e.g. For example, in terms of music streaming, Spotify is 1,6 times larger than Apple Music in the US, the same as in France. In South Korea, the Melon app is ahead and is 6 times larger than Apple Music. When it comes to map and navigation apps, Google Maps is ahead in the USA (1,5x), France (1,9x) and Japan (4,7x). In South Korea, NAVER Map is 7,7 times larger than Apple Maps. When it comes to TV streaming, Apple can't compete against Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu.

Key statements and highlights of the study

In the press release from Apple linked above you will find a lot more data, statements and quotes from the study participants from the Analysis Group. Furthermore, a list of "highlights of the study" is shown, which I do not want to withhold from you:

• Third-party apps are users' only option for many app categories, including social media, dating apps, travel planning, and food and drink.
• The app category leaders often differ from country to country, with many regional leaders performing better than their global counterparts.
• In most regions, third-party apps are most popular with iPhone users in the main app categories such as music streaming, TV and movie streaming, reading, communication and maps apps.
• Across many app categories, the share of Apple's own apps in app usage by iPhone users is relatively small. That's the case, although some apps are preinstalled by Apple to enable the device's core functionality.
• iPhone users often use multiple apps within a category, especially apps for communication, reading news, watching videos or navigating. This underlines how easily users can switch between apps and how great the possibilities are for developers.

Johannes Domke

After graduating from high school, Johannes completed an apprenticeship as a business assistant specializing in foreign languages. But then he decided to research and write, which resulted in his independence. For several years he has been working for Sir Apfelot, among others. His articles include product introductions, news, manuals, video games, consoles, and more. He follows Apple keynotes live via stream.