Report: Google outpaces Apple in overall developer share for third year running

Google Play is distributing apps from nearly 400,000 different developers, outpacing the size of Apple's developer community for the third year in a row, according to AppFigures. The company's most recent report offered a broad look at trends in the major app stores. 

  • All three app stores grew by at least 50 percent, with Google Play doubling the number of apps it is distributing.
  • More than 128,000 new business apps were released on iOS last year. This was the fastest-growing category, followed by "food and drink," which grew by nearly 190 percent.
  • While growth in Android mobile games grew by more than 250 percent, it was followed closely by photography-related apps.
  • Google Play, the store, has reached a new milestone: 388k developers--more developers than Apple (with 282k developers) and Amazon (with 48k developers).
  • Games are the No. 1 category for Android apps based on number of developers, growing by more than 225 percent in 2014.


Source: AppFigures

"With the most apps and largest developer community, Google Play is starting the new year with a kick," the report says. "Market fragmentation and varying device capabilities don't seem to detract developers from making Android apps. But, with the upcoming Apple Watch, Swift, and a larger screen, Apple is giving developers a lot to be excited about."

When you factor in Amazon, Android has made considerable strides in terms of the number of developers as well as by the sheer number of apps and mobile games being created. As many developers and even consumers have discovered, however, an app store with too much in it can be more of a hindrance than a blessing. Also, the number of iOS business apps may be an indication that Apple's future lies more in the enterprise than anyone would have guessed 10 years ago. Still, any notion that we've hit "peak app" will get a reality check from these stats.

For more:
- get the report here

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