Question

I’m new to app programming. I know the basics but now I want to focus on one market. Which one is usually more profitable?

Answer 1

This is a very difficult question to answer. I’ll try and give it go – I run mobile dev for a large app company that builds for some big third parties worldwide, so these stats come from apps with downloads in the millions (ie, they’re pretty accurate).

In terms of raw downloads iOS will nearly always win, even on free apps. Some big name free apps we produce have download ratios of up to 7:1 iOS to Android. This may seem a bit odd at first – after all, Android devices probably outnumber iOS devices by now (depending on who you ask). However, you also have to remember a good proportion of Android users may not even know they’re on Android. They may have no interest in apps, and just want a phone to make phone calls on (perhaps they got their device free with their contract). iPhone users tend to be generally more driven towards apps, and more willing to explore (the fact the iOS App Store is currently quite well structured in comparison with the Android Marketplace helps as well).

What does that mean for you? If you charge an upfront fee for your app and nothing else you will probably make more money on iOS.

That doesn’t mean Android is less profitable. You simply need to change the business model. Look at Angry Birds: free on Android and ad-supported, but paid on iOS (without ads). Rovio make a lot of money from the Android version – I don’t know the stats, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Android version made as much if not more than the iOS one.

And then there’s the future to consider – which platform will offer more growth in the future? This is going to be very important if you’re starting out, because you want your platform to still be popular when you release your first app. This is a little more difficult to predict, and will also be effected by your device family choice (eg, just writing apps for tablets? iPad, no question. Writing apps for phone? A more difficult one…)

I’ll be honest: ignore marketshare arguments on Android vs iOS. It is completely irrelevant in terms of which platform makes more money. And it probably doesn’t matter whether you go with Android or iPhone. They are both solid platforms that are going nowhere soon. You will make money regardless: it’s simply about adjusting your application’s business model to suit the platform.