App Annie 2014 Index: Google Play saw 60% more downloads than iOS App Store, but App Store generated about 70% more in revenue
Eric Johnson / Re/code :
Context & Ripple Effects
App Annie's 2014 Index is the baseline for a series the firm would keep publishing: it already showed Google Play leading the iOS App Store in downloads by a wide margin while Apple led decisively in money. The follow-on coverage confirms the pattern held and widened — Q1 2015 revenue gap of about 70% attributed partly to China, and an even larger 80% iOS revenue premium by Q3 2015.
The reason the report matters is the asymmetry itself: Benedict Evans' mid-2015 analysis found Play downloads at roughly 2x iOS while Android users spent half as much per user, up from a quarter a year earlier — meaning the volume-versus-monetization divide was real but narrowing from the bottom.
First-order effects
- Developers and publishers reading the Index get a clear allocation signal: iOS remains the monetization-first platform despite Play's larger download base, so launch order and paid-acquisition budgets tilt toward Apple.
- Apple gains a durable talking point against the 'Android is bigger' narrative — its smaller installed base still out-earns Google's store by roughly 70%.
Second-order effects
- Publishers serving both platforms formalize split strategies: freemium-heavy, ad-supported models on Play where spending lags, and purchase-driven models on iOS where billings concentrate — reinforcing the China-led revenue strength noted in App Annie's mid-2015 data (iOS's 70% revenue lead on strength in China).
- Google's response is to close the per-user spend gap rather than chase raw installs; Evans' finding that Android spending rose from a quarter to half of iOS suggests Play's monetization catch-up was already underway, keeping alive his suggestion Play revenues could eventually overtake.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, app economics bifurcate structurally: Android becomes the reach-and-volume channel driven by emerging-market downloads (the dynamic App Annie later quantified as Play's 20% YoY download growth), while iOS consolidates as the high-value transaction layer — shaping which business models are viable on each store.
- Persistent revenue concentration on one storefront strengthens the case that app-store commission structures deserve regulatory scrutiny, feeding the longer debate over platform take rates.
The trend: App Annie's index series charts mobile's defining split — Google Play widening its download lead year after year while Apple's revenue premium persists and grows — a gap driven by geography that narrows only slowly on the spending side.