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$127B were spent on mobile apps in 2024. Half of the earnings went to 5% of the apps. Here's their market.
IH+ Subscribers Only

Fewer users, way more money. Are you chasing the right crowd?

  • App spending hit $127B in 2024, with iOS users spending A LOT more than Android.

  • Downloads dipped 2.3%, but subscriptions and in-app purchases are driving almost half of all revenue.

  • The US dominates in cash, while Brazil is the fastest-growing market.

The app world is rolling in cash. Sarah Perez over at TechCrunch says that global spending on mobile apps hit $127B in 2024, up 15.7% from last year. For indie hackers, this trend is worth paying attention to.

The numbers from Appfigures show Apple’s App Store is leading the charge, pulling in a massive $91.6B, marking a 24% jump from 2023. Google Play didn’t have the same luck as spending there dipped 1.5% to $35.7B.

Apple pulls in 72% of all app revenue, even though only 28% of smartphone users are on iOS (those matching percentages are a fun little coincidence).

Basically, the average iOS user spends 5 times more on apps than your typical Android user. So if you’re an indie hacker chasing big spenders, iOS is probably where you want to be.

Fewer downloads

Spending might be up, but downloads took a bit of a hit — down 2.3% globally. iOS saw a tiny 1.1% drop, while Google Play fell by 2.6%, partly because Google got stricter with app reviews and slashed new releases by 60%.

This drop signals a shift in the market. Instead of chasing new users, developers are focusing on squeezing more value out of existing ones through subscriptions and in-app purchases.

Fewer winners

Only 5% of apps offered subscriptions last year, but they generated a staggering 48% of all app revenue. That’s a huge sign of where the money is moving.

Which is another trend to watch: the increasing concentration of revenue at the top. The top 10 apps now account for 13.7% of all consumer spending (up from 12.5% last year).

Globally, Instagram was the most downloaded app with 640M installs, but in the US, Temu was the top one with 48M downloads.

Performance by region

Mexico totally blew up as the hottest app market in 2024, racking up a massive 225M more downloads than last year.

When it comes to spending, the US App Store crushed it, pulling in $47.6B — that’s 37% of the $127B global pie. Apple’s chunk grew by 18.4%, hitting $34.4B, while Google Play stumbled, dropping 4.7% to $13.2B. No surprises at the top — TikTok’s still the leader, raking in $2.5B. Meanwhile, Brazil’s the fastest-growing market, with spending skyrocketing 73% year-over-year.

For indie hackers, the message is clear: build a subscription-based iOS app for the US market. That's where the money is.


Have a story, tip, or trend worth covering? Tell us at [email protected].

Photo of Michal Kankowski Michal Kankowski

Michal is a journalist for Indie Hackers. He's also the founder of Kickstart Side Hustle, a platform for startup founders and marketers with the biggest library of the most creative (often viral) marketing case studies in history, and hundreds of marketing psychology principles.

  1. 2

    Interestingly, and generally speaking, iOS apps have been making more money than Android apps since I entered mobile development back in 2008. Apparently, that hasn't changed in the last 15 years.

    1. 1

      of course , in Android you can just go to google and search for name of the app + free , not to mention ability to modify apk files , there is a moded version of Spotify

      1. 1

        I'll have to try that Google search on my own apps. However, I always thought that the difference in revenue was due to the different demographics of those two platforms.

        1. 1

          I also agree with you, for the most part ppl who buy android phone don't buy them cuz they like it , but cuz that what they can afford, if you offer them an iphone they will 100% accept

          1. 1

            You're right; that's definitely one of the reasons. iOS dominates in the U.S., while Android leads in the rest of the world. Additionally, many users prefer Android because they view it as a more open and free platform, and they expect the apps to reflect that ethos.

  2. 1

    From the tech crunch piece, top apps that people spent money on were social media apps. But I wonder if this spending amount is coming from companies that advertise on these platforms. Because if yes, then of course they are going to be the top. All companies, major and otherwise, advertise on social media.

    I am curious to see which industries/sectors B2C spending is.

    1. 1

      very interesting take, makes me think of adding a social media aspect to my side project

  3. 1

    well. it was impressive

  4. 1

    well. it was informative

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