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Top 20 Developer Tools SDKs Used in iOS Apps on the Apple App Store
Last update: 5 Jan 2026 CET
App Store

Top 20 Developer Tools SDKs Used in iOS Apps on the Apple App Store

We at 42matters have identified the 20 most popular Developer Tools SDKs leveraged by iOS apps available on the iOS app market.

Developer Tool SDKs help developers build sophisticated mobile apps. Technology vendors and platform providers develop these SDKs — which include programming libraries, APIs, sample code, documentation, and other tools — for third-party app developers that want to build mobile apps that leverage the features and functionalities of their technologies or platforms.

This list is based on our analysis of the millions of mobile applications – and the 2,300+ SDKs they use – that constitute the vast inventory of the Apple App Store. The accompanying data provides readers with a glimpse into the rich mobile application insights generated by the 42matters technology. This data is also available via our APIs, file dumps, Explorer, and SDK Explorer.

The intended purpose of this article is to assist app builders in their search for the perfect Developer Tools SDK to leverage in their app, as well as to give SDK developers insight into their biggest competitors and potential customers. This data collected by our technology may also serve as a useful tool for folks researching the wider mobile app market.

The 20 most widely-integrated developer tools SDKs:

1st

Apple Core Foundation

Check “Apple Core Foundation” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 99.96% have integrated Apple Core Foundation. This accounts for 100.00% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
1.78m
App Store
App Share
99.96%
App Store
Apps
1.60m
Games
185.44k
Total Downloads
523.51b
App Store
Download Share
100.00%
App Store
App Downloads
395.50b
Game Downloads
128.00b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple Core Foundation.

2nd

Apple AVFoundation

Check “Apple AVFoundation” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 76.04% have integrated Apple AVFoundation. This accounts for 94.87% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
1.36m
App Store
App Share
76.04%
App Store
Apps
1.19m
Games
167.19k
Total Downloads
496.69b
App Store
Download Share
94.87%
App Store
App Downloads
372.67b
Game Downloads
124.02b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple AVFoundation.

3rd

Apple WebKit

Check “Apple WebKit” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 70.86% have integrated Apple WebKit. This accounts for 93.83% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
1.26m
App Store
App Share
70.86%
App Store
Apps
1.14m
Games
124.93k
Total Downloads
491.23b
App Store
Download Share
93.83%
App Store
App Downloads
370.78b
Game Downloads
120.45b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple WebKit.

4th

Google Firebase

Check “Google Firebase” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 51.22% have integrated Google Firebase. This accounts for 65.32% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Firebase is Google's mobile platform SDK that helps you quickly develop high-quality apps and grow your business.

Total Apps
913.31k
App Store
App Share
51.22%
App Store
Apps
828.13k
Games
85.18k
Total Downloads
341.99b
App Store
Download Share
65.32%
App Store
App Downloads
242.62b
Game Downloads
99.36b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Google Firebase.

5th

Firebase Installations

Check “Firebase Installations” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 41.29% have integrated Firebase Installations. This accounts for 61.79% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
736.30k
App Store
App Share
41.29%
App Store
Apps
683.51k
Games
52.78k
Total Downloads
323.51b
App Store
Download Share
61.79%
App Store
App Downloads
232.13b
Game Downloads
91.38b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Firebase Installations.

6th

Apple Core Data

Check “Apple Core Data” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 31.98% have integrated Apple Core Data. This accounts for 51.80% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
570.32k
App Store
App Share
31.98%
App Store
Apps
542.25k
Games
28.06k
Total Downloads
271.19b
App Store
Download Share
51.80%
App Store
App Downloads
231.67b
Game Downloads
39.52b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple Core Data.

7th

Promises by Google

Check “Promises by Google” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 28.06% have integrated Promises by Google. This accounts for 22.54% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
500.45k
App Store
App Share
28.06%
App Store
Apps
472.75k
Games
27.70k
Total Downloads
118.02b
App Store
Download Share
22.54%
App Store
App Downloads
82.99b
Game Downloads
35.03b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Promises by Google.

8th

Apple Swift Framework

Check “Apple Swift Framework” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 25.89% have integrated Apple Swift Framework. This accounts for 13.83% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Apple Swift Framework is a powerful and intuitive programming language for macOS, iOS, watchOS, tvOS and beyond.

Total Apps
461.70k
App Store
App Share
25.89%
App Store
Apps
411.82k
Games
49.88k
Total Downloads
72.40b
App Store
Download Share
13.83%
App Store
App Downloads
46.45b
Game Downloads
25.95b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple Swift Framework.

9th

Firebase Remote Config

Check “Firebase Remote Config” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 13.63% have integrated Firebase Remote Config. This accounts for 38.51% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
242.99k
App Store
App Share
13.63%
App Store
Apps
216.72k
Games
26.27k
Total Downloads
201.63b
App Store
Download Share
38.51%
App Store
App Downloads
151.71b
Game Downloads
49.92b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Firebase Remote Config.

10th

Firebase App Check

Check “Firebase App Check” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 11.25% have integrated Firebase App Check. This accounts for 11.91% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
200.57k
App Store
App Share
11.25%
App Store
Apps
189.44k
Games
11.13k
Total Downloads
62.34b
App Store
Download Share
11.91%
App Store
App Downloads
48.93b
Game Downloads
13.42b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Firebase App Check.

11th

Apple Core Bluetooth

Check “Apple Core Bluetooth” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 9.25% have integrated Apple Core Bluetooth. This accounts for 16.65% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
165.04k
App Store
App Share
9.25%
App Store
Apps
157.32k
Games
7.72k
Total Downloads
87.18b
App Store
Download Share
16.65%
App Store
App Downloads
82.47b
Game Downloads
4.71b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple Core Bluetooth.

12th

Expo

Check “Expo” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 7.90% have integrated Expo. This accounts for 1.30% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
140.94k
App Store
App Share
7.90%
App Store
Apps
138.39k
Games
2.55k
Total Downloads
6.82b
App Store
Download Share
1.30%
App Store
App Downloads
6.69b
Game Downloads
126.19m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Expo.

13th

react-native-device-info

Check “react-native-device-info” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 7.58% have integrated react-native-device-info. This accounts for 3.46% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

The react-native-device-info SDK offers device information for React Native for iOS and Android.

Total Apps
135.15k
App Store
App Share
7.58%
App Store
Apps
134.42k
Games
732
Total Downloads
18.11b
App Store
Download Share
3.46%
App Store
App Downloads
17.90b
Game Downloads
209.62m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use react-native-device-info.

14th

Protobuf

Check “Protobuf” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 7.51% have integrated Protobuf. This accounts for 17.37% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Protocol Buffers (a.k.a., protobuf) are Google's language-neutral, platform-neutral, extensible mechanism for serializing structured data.

Total Apps
133.97k
App Store
App Share
7.51%
App Store
Apps
127.13k
Games
6.84k
Total Downloads
90.92b
App Store
Download Share
17.37%
App Store
App Downloads
83.29b
Game Downloads
7.63b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Protobuf.

16th

Apple Core ML

Check “Apple Core ML” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 2.72% have integrated Apple Core ML. This accounts for 33.04% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
48.47k
App Store
App Share
2.72%
App Store
Apps
28.46k
Games
20.00k
Total Downloads
173.00b
App Store
Download Share
33.04%
App Store
App Downloads
109.11b
Game Downloads
63.89b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple Core ML.

17th

Mantle

Check “Mantle” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 2.60% have integrated Mantle. This accounts for 3.54% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Mantle is a Software Development Kit (SDK) that makes it easy to write simple model layers for your Cocoa or Cocoa Touch mobile applications or games.

Total Apps
46.40k
App Store
App Share
2.60%
App Store
Apps
45.74k
Games
660
Total Downloads
18.54b
App Store
Download Share
3.54%
App Store
App Downloads
17.29b
Game Downloads
1.25b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Mantle.

18th

RxSwift

Check “RxSwift” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 2.29% have integrated RxSwift. This accounts for 5.29% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

The RxSwift SDK offers a framework for interacting with the Swift programming language.

Total Apps
40.78k
App Store
App Share
2.29%
App Store
Apps
40.49k
Games
293
Total Downloads
27.68b
App Store
Download Share
5.29%
App Store
App Downloads
27.42b
Game Downloads
259.97m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use RxSwift.

19th

ML Kit by Google

Check “ML Kit by Google” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 2.14% have integrated ML Kit by Google. This accounts for 2.21% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
38.11k
App Store
App Share
2.14%
App Store
Apps
37.96k
Games
153
Total Downloads
11.55b
App Store
Download Share
2.21%
App Store
App Downloads
11.54b
Game Downloads
10.92m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use ML Kit by Google.

20th

CocoaLumberjack

Check “CocoaLumberjack” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 1.79% have integrated CocoaLumberjack. This accounts for 4.60% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

CocoaLumberjack is a fast and simple, yet powerful and flexible, logging framework SDK for Mac and iOS.

Total Apps
31.86k
App Store
App Share
1.79%
App Store
Apps
31.52k
Games
345
Total Downloads
24.11b
App Store
Download Share
4.60%
App Store
App Downloads
22.70b
Game Downloads
1.41b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use CocoaLumberjack.

Browse iOS and Android SDKs With the SDK Explorer

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  • SDK IntelligenceSDK Intelligence

    See how many apps integrate specific SDKs, how many times these SDKs have been downloaded, developer details, similar SDKs, and more.

  • New Installations and Removals HistoryNew Installations and Removals History

    Analyze installation and removal trends for SDKs. Discover which apps have removed or integrated specific SDKs in a given timeframe.

  • Market Share per Google Play and Apple App Store CategoryMarket Share per Google Play and Apple App Store Category

    See which app categories or genres are most likely to use specific SDKs. Detect SDK market share per category.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How does 42matters collect this data?'

We’ve developed a number of machine learning algorithms that scan millions of mobile and connected TV (CTV) applications on a regular basis. In addition, we collect ground truth app performance intelligence and use this data to build statistical models that estimate the performance of apps for which we do not have ground truth data.

What SDK data does 42matters collect?'

We track over 2,300 of the most popular SDKs integrated in iOS and Android apps. We collect a variety of SDK insights (title, platform, ID, category, and developer website); performance metrics (the number of apps that have installed each SDK, installation and removal trends, and app downloads); market share statistics (including market share per app category); and more!

How can I access 42matters’ SDK data?'

The most direct way is to use our SDK Explorer, which is a visual, web-based research platform that enables you to peruse all 2,300+ SDKs that we track. It’s great for market research, lead generation, competitor analysis, etc. However, more technically-inclined folks might prefer our APIs and File Dumps, which enable you to query info for specific apps or SDKs. You can also use our other research platform (the Explorer) to view integrated SDKs by app.

Can I use 42matters’ solutions to generate app publisher leads?'

Absolutely! We actually wrote about this on our blog. We focused on ad network SDKs, but the examples are applicable to most SDK types. To summarize, you can use the Explorer’s advanced filtering capabilities to home in on best-fit app publishers, leverage the SDK Explorer to see which apps use your competitors’ SDKs, and use our APIs and file dumps to build custom lead generation processes.

What data does 42matters provide on mobile apps?'

A ton! We track 17+ million apps across Google Play, the Apple App Store, Amazon Appstore, Tencent Appstore, and Huawei AppGallery. Our solutions provide access to app details (developer insights, metadata, ASO keywords, contact information, etc.); performance metrics (downloads, MAUs, ratings, reviews, top chart rankings, etc.); technical insights (integrated SDKs, permissions, required capabilities, etc.); content details (categories, genres, IAB categories, content ratings, etc.); compliance information (app-ads.txt, privacy policies, store status, etc.) and much, much more!

Can I use 42matters’ solutions to find SDKs for my app?'

Definitely. The SDK Explorer enables you to sort SDKs by category, identify similar SDKs, analyze SDK reliability, and more. In addition, you can use the Explorer to monitor your competitors, including which SDKs they add and remove, their current tech stacks, and SDK changelogs. This means you use our solutions not only to find the right SDK for a particular purpose, but also which SDKs you might need to keep up with your rivals.