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

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Johny Srouji

Apple's Chipmaking Chief Johny Srouji Responds to Report About Him Potentially Leaving

Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future. "I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
google pixel 10

Switching Between iPhone and Android Will Get Easier With New Apple and Google Collaboration

Monday December 8, 2025 11:10 am PST by
Apple and Google are teaming up to make it easier for users to switch between iPhone and Android smartphones, according to 9to5Google. There is a new Android Canary build available today that simplifies data transfer between two smartphones, and Apple is going to implement the functionality in an upcoming iOS 26 beta. Apple already has a Move to iOS app for transferring data from an Android...
Apple Fitness Plus expansion hero

Apple Fitness+ Coming to 28 New Regions With Digital Voice Dubbing

Monday December 8, 2025 6:19 am PST by
Apple today announced that Fitness+ is expanding to 28 new markets on December 15 in the service's largest international rollout since launch, accompanied by new language dubbing and a K-Pop music genre. Apple Fitness+ will become available in Chile, Hong Kong, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, and additional regions on December 15, with Japan scheduled to follow early next year....
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...

Top Rated Comments

bbeagle Avatar
161 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
161 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
161 months ago
Wow skip over the fact google has seen HUGE growth !!!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbeagle Avatar
161 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
161 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
161 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)