Statistics show we are already living in a mobile-first era. There is a multitude of different app categories out there, including dating, games, productivity, project management apps, lifestyle apps, and many more. Different categories often use a different mix of strategies and monetization models.
Mobile Gaming
Mobile gaming has become an enormous industry, where developers of successful gaming apps generate millions of dollars in revenue. Most of the growing apps are gaming apps, with a few exceptions including Tinder, for dating, and Bigo Live, which is a social live-streaming app. Statistics anticipate the app trends for 2020 to remain the same.
Almost 25% of all available mobile applications in Apple’s App Store are games, making it the largest category. Trailing close behind is the Education category, which is the third-highest ranking.
The total number of mobile games downloaded is currently at 38.3 billion. On Google Play, 98% of all applications are available for free. More than 79% of developers prefer the in-app ad and in-app purchase revenue model. According to revenue app stats, Candy Crush generated nearly $1.2 billion in 2020 while the App Store made $7.7 billion in mobile gaming. Fortnite mobile had a huge success alone in 2018, with $455 million gross revenue.
Coinbase was the app that brought in the most revenue in April of 2021, making a total of $61 million. Following was gaming app Garena Free Fire - World Series with approximately $38.6 million, then PUBG Mobile - Karakin with $37.76 million. When it comes to the highest-grossing gaming apps in the first quarter of 2021, Honour of Kings was in the lead, followed by PUBG Mobile, then Uma Musume Pretty Derby.
Despite the fact that gaming apps are the most common type of app created and on top of the revenue list, only 65% of users say they have games on their mobile devices. In terms of market reach, the preceding app categories are communication and social, productivity and task management tools, as well as shopping and travel. This data proves the supply of mobile game apps is not exactly in line with consumer demand.
Entertainment & Social Networking
Entertainment and social networking are the following categories. The most downloaded non-game publishers in the first month of 2021 were Google LLC (127 million), BabyBus (57 million), and Microsoft Corporation (44 million).
In the same period, mobile gaming app publishers with higher revenue worldwide were Supercell, King, and Bandai Namco. Each publisher has accumulated over $40 million in revenue.
Netflix fell to second place last year. Another app that lost its place in the year’s ranking is HBO Now, which enjoyed a high spot on the list in 2018 thanks to “Game of Thrones.” After bringing in $400 billion in the first half of 2019, Netflix decided to remove the subscription option through app stores. Companies including Netflix, Epic, and Spotify decided to discontinue their subscription services from both Google and Apple. Still, there are many more streaming services fighting become number one.
When it comes to non-game apps revenue, TikTok wins the race. User spending for TikTok was $128 million in January of 2021, which was three times the income during the same month in 2020. Piccoma places second, with $96 million. In 2020, users turned to in-app purchases for learning, entertainment, and communication. The increase in demand led to a collective revenue of $111 billion.
The App Bros
Developing mobile-first software has become crucial to a business’s success, and statistics about continuously growing app revenue easily prove this fact.
The App Bros has worked on several different app categories, including productivity, food and drink, and education. With a skilled team of developers, The App Bros can help you turn any iOS or Android dream into a reality.