iOS App Store generates more than double Google Play's revenue with fewer app downloads

Analytics firm App Annie has recently published a fun little infographic called Game of Phones which pits the Android app ecosystem against Apple's. One of the key findings was that the App Store leads with a revenue share of 71% (compared to 29% for Android) even though total downloads through Google Play accounts for 35%, versus 28% for iOS. Their data also shows that both platforms have grown in revenue generation at the same rate - 14% so far this year. That means that Apple will likely be keeping its sizeable lead in profits for awhile still.

The infographic takes a look at geography too; Japan is apparently the fastest-growing market for iOS, having increased revenue by 22% so far this year, followed by Russia with 17% growth, US with 13% growth, and France 12%. Meanwhile, Android has boomed in Brazil with 88% revenue growth this year. By sheer downloads, the U.S. still claims the most app activity, claiming 28% of worldwide iOS downloads followed by China (18%) and Japan (6%).

Plenty of other research has backed up the idea that there tends to be a lot more money in the iOS app ecosystem, and some even suggests that the gap is more like 4-to-1 than 2-to-1. RIM would have devs believe that they can actually make more money writing apps for the PlayBook and BB10. It seems to me the biggest issue with maintaining profits on Android is app piracy. The device market share is there, but the open environment makes it easy for anyone with even a bit of technical savvy to get the apps they want without paying.

In any case, here's the whole infographic where you can see how Google Play and the App Store are currently squaring off. Devs, do these figures make sense for you? Are there any particularly busy international markets that you would like to get localized for after seeing this data?

Source: App Annie

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