Apple's App Store Still Number One in Revenue Despite Google Play Growth

According to a new report from App Store analytics firm Distimo, Apple's App Store revenue still tops Google Play revenue despite the latter’s increase in growth over the past six months.

While Apple's App Store revenue increased 15% over the course of the last six months, Google Play revenue increased 67%. In July alone, Google Play saw 11% growth, compared to the App Store's 3%.

revenue
A similar report from App Annie two weeks ago confirmed that App Store revenue remains 2.3 higher than Google Play revenue even though Google Play downloads eclipsed App Store downloads during the second quarter of 2013.

The majority of the App Store's revenue comes from the United States, followed by Japan and the United Kingdom. Though some countries like Russia spent more on iPad apps than iPhone apps, iPhone apps remain the biggest earners. While South Korea was also a top app spender, it was a majority contributor to Google Play revenue.

revenuepercountry
Distimo also looked at the top earning apps for July, finding that Candy Crush Saga continues to generate the most revenue in both the App Store and Google Play. In April, the company behind Candy Crush announced that it had earned more than $195 million in revenue, and it is estimated that the app earns approximately $800k per day.

While freemium-based Candy Crush Saga earned the highest amount of revenue overall, WhatsApp Messenger and Minecraft - Pocket Edition were the highest earning paid apps. Despicable Me: Minion Rush, another free app, saw the highest number of overall downloads, followed by Google Maps.

Distimo's app data comes from its app store analytics tool AppIQ, which tracks more than three billion downloads per quarter for developers worldwide.

Popular Stories

2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump. ...
Liquid Glass General Feature

Apple Shares Liquid Glass Design Gallery

Thursday November 6, 2025 2:45 pm PST by
Apple is promoting the new Liquid Glass design in iOS 26, showing off the ways that third-party developers are embracing the aesthetic in their apps. On its developer website, Apple is featuring a visual gallery that demonstrates how "teams of all sizes" are creating Liquid Glass experiences. The gallery features examples of Liquid Glass in apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Apple...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday November 3, 2025 5:54 am PST by
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 26.1 on Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more. Below, we outline iOS 26.1's key new features. Liquid Glass Toggle iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass. In the Settings app, under Display...
airtag purple

Apple's Website Lists AirTag 4-Pack at Shockingly Low Price [Updated]

Friday November 7, 2025 6:40 am PST by
Apple's online store in the U.S. is suddenly offering a pack of four AirTags for just $29, which is the same price as a single AirTag. This is likely a pricing error, and it is unclear if orders will be fulfilled. Apple has not discounted the AirTag four-pack in any other countries that we checked. Delivery estimates are already pushing into late November to early December, suggesting...
Finder Siri Feature

Apple's New Siri Will Be Powered By Google Gemini

Wednesday November 5, 2025 11:57 am PST by
The smarter, more capable version of Siri that Apple is developing will be powered by Google Gemini, reports Bloomberg. Apple will pay Google approximately $1 billion per year for a 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence model that was developed by Google. For context, parameters are a measure of how a model understands and responds to queries. More parameters generally means more...
apple watch se 3 always on

Apple to Remove iPhone-Apple Watch Wi-Fi Sync in EU With iOS 26.2

Thursday November 6, 2025 4:37 am PST by
Apple in iOS 26.2 will disable automatic Wi-Fi network syncing between iPhone and Apple Watch in the European Union to comply with the bloc's regulations, suggests a new report. Normally, when an iPhone connects to a new Wi-Fi network, it automatically shares the network credentials with the paired Apple Watch. This allows the watch to connect to the same network independently – for...
ikea smart home devices

IKEA Debuts 21 HomeKit-Compatible Smart Bulbs, Sensors, and Controls

Thursday November 6, 2025 4:08 pm PST by
IKEA today announced the upcoming launch of 21 new Matter-compatible smart home products that will be able to interface with HomeKit and the Apple Home app. There are sensors, lights, and control options, all of which will be reasonably priced. Some of the products are new, while some are updates to existing lines that IKEA previously offered. There are a series of new smart bulbs that are...
Early Black Friday Deals 1

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals on MacBook, Apple Watch, iPad, and More

Saturday November 8, 2025 6:16 am PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple's 2026 Smart Home Revamp: All the Rumors

Wednesday November 5, 2025 3:54 pm PST by
It's been over a decade since Apple's HomeKit smart home platform launched, and it is overdue for an update. HomeKit and the Home app can no longer keep up with AI-powered solutions from other companies like Google and Amazon, but that's set to change with a smart home revamp that Apple has planned for 2026. Home Hub Apple is working on a home hub or "command center" that will serve as a...

Top Rated Comments

bbeagle Avatar
160 months ago
Wow skip over the fact google has seen HUGE growth !!!

If I open up my own App store, I'll see bigger growth than google. (Starting from 0). Would you fawn over my app store?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Unggoy Murderer Avatar
160 months ago
Well of course! Most of the Apps on Google Play are garbage. iOS is where the quality Apps are, and that's why people part with money for them.

Android's ahead in terms of quantity, but it's the quality that really matters. And that's why Apple will ALWAYS win. :apple:
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Born Again Avatar
160 months ago
Wow skip over the fact google has seen HUGE growth !!!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbeagle Avatar
160 months ago
I think the issue is that one by one, Google is passing Apple's landmark accomplishments...
1.) iOS used to outnumber Android in daily sales worldwide
2.) iPhone used to always be the #1 phone sold each quarter
3.) iOS used to be the #1 Tablet OS
4.) AppStore used to have more apps
5.) AppStore used to have more downloads/day
6.) It's only a matter of time before Google Play surpasses AppStore revenue (At This Rate)
It's a given that Google will pass all those. It's NOT a story that matters.

Apple is the underdog - they have a smaller market share, because they choose to operate their business that way. It's very near impossible for ONE company to out-produce, out-ship and out-innovate dozens of other companies.

That Apple did the near improbable for so many years is a testament to Apple.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BurchBoy Avatar
160 months ago
If I open up my own App store, I'll see bigger growth than google. (Starting from 0). Would you fawn over my app store?

I think the issue is that one by one, Google is passing Apple's landmark accomplishments...
1.) iOS used to outnumber Android in daily sales worldwide
2.) iPhone used to always be the #1 phone sold each quarter
3.) iOS used to be the #1 Tablet OS
4.) AppStore used to have more apps
5.) AppStore used to have more downloads/day
6.) It's only a matter of time before Google Play surpasses AppStore revenue (At This Rate)

I'm a fan of Apple's past. Let's hope together for the future.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Konrad9 Avatar
160 months ago
It's not hard to grow exponentially when you are starting at the bottom (relative to a huge Apple head-start). Nothing stunning or surprising about these statistics.

Get your head out of the sand.

While holding at the top is impressive and good for business, it would be naive to ignore the market that is gaining on the leader. Especially when that gaining market has a monumental advantage in the number of devices being sold.

The attitude you display is probably the same as the attitude that Microsoft and Blackberry used to have about Apple.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)