Google Play vs the Apple App Store: App Stats and Trends
The history of innovation is a history of great rivalries – Coke versus Pepsi, Ford versus General Motors, the Beatles versus the Stones, and, in the world of mobile apps and games, Android versus iOS.
Indeed, the rivalry between Google Play and the iOS App Store has generated countless opportunities for mobile technologists. It has led to the creation of new technologies and business models; more accessible gaming and digital entertainment; and more affordable consumer goods and services.
For this article, we used our unique arsenal of machine learning algorithms to conduct a side by side comparison of and the to analyze the state of the rivalry.
- How many apps are currently available in each app store
- The distribution of gaming versus non-gaming apps
- The distribution of free apps versus paid apps
- Number of categories in each store and distribution of apps
- How many new apps are released per day, per week, and per month
- The distribution of apps by rating
- The distribution of apps by price
If you’re interested in learning more about the global app market, as well as the rich app store data that we at 42matters can provide, be sure to check out our full Google Play and iOS App Store analyses. For more information about our data contact our team. Or, try the 42matters Explorer for free!
How many apps are currently available?
Google Play Apps
2,584,618
iOS App Store Apps
2,674,396
As of 27 Sep 2026, there are 2,584,618 apps on Google Play and 2,674,396 apps on the Apple App Store.
Apps vs Gaming Apps
Google Play vs iOS App Store
- Apps available on Google Play: 2,584,618
- Apps2,275,17488.03%
- Games309,44411.97%
- Apps available on the App Store: 2,674,396
- Apps2,418,24490.42%
- Games256,1529.58%
Broadly speaking, mobile apps fall into two primary categories: apps and games. Google Play currently offers 2,275,174 mobile apps and 309,444 mobile games. The App Store, meanwhile, offers 2,418,244 apps and 256,152 games.Free vs Paid
Google Play vs iOS App Store
- Apps available on Google Play: 2,584,618
- Free2,508,44597.09%
- Paid75,3102.91%
- Apps available on the App Store: 2,674,396
- Free2,538,13494.95%
- Paid134,8815.05%
While the vast majority of iOS and Android apps are free to download, some need to be purchased. There are 2,508,445 free apps on Google Play, compared with 75,310 paid apps. Meanwhile, on the App Store, there are 2,538,134 free apps and 134,881 paid apps.
What is the distribution of Android and iOS apps by category?
Top 7 Categories by Number of Apps
Total Categories: See All 49 Categories
The chart above ranks the top categories on Google Play based on the number of apps that compose them. Blue represents free apps, while teal represents apps that need to be purchased. Currently, 'Education' is the top Android category, with 277,875 free apps and 7,735 paid apps. Hover over the chart to learn more!Top 7 Categories by Number of Apps
Total Categories: See All 26 Categories
Along the same lines, this chart ranks the top iOS genres according to the number of apps that comprise them. Once again, blue represents free apps and teal represents paid apps. Currently, 'Utilities' is the top iOS Genre. It's made up of 258,166 free apps and 20,164 paid apps. Hover over the chart to learn more!
How many new apps are released per day, per week, and per month?
The charts above track the number of apps released on Google Play and the Apple App Store over the past day, week, and month. 1,998 Android apps and 4,303 iOS apps were published to the app stores in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, 8,947 Android apps and 27,183 iOS apps were published in the last week. Finally, 93,473 Android apps and 117,997 iOS apps were published in the last month.
The Distribution of Apps by Rating
- 1,192,03446.12%
Apps available on Google Play:2,584,618
- 1,002,06437.47%
Apps available on the App Store:2,674,396
- 1,392,58453.88%
Apps available on Google Play:2,584,618
- 1,672,33262.53%
Apps available on the App Store:2,674,396
Next up, app ratings. Currently, our data indicates that 1,192,034 Android apps and 1,002,064 iOS apps have been rated by at least one user, while 1,392,584 Android apps and 1,672,332 iOS apps have not received a single rating.
We also collected the ratings for all 2,194,098 apps available on Google Play (green) and the Apple App Store (blue) and plotted them in the chart above. The y-axis represents number of apps, while the x-axis represents star rating
How much do Android apps cost versus iOS apps?
Finally, we plotted all 2,730,270 iOS and Android apps available on Google Play (green) and the Apple App Store (blue) by price. The y-axis in the chart above represents number of apps, while the x-axis represents app price.
More App Store Statistics from 42matters!
Google Play and the iOS App Store are two of the most popular digital marketplaces on the planet. But to acquire a truly comprehensive understanding of the mobile app and game economy, you’ll need to look beyond these two app stores.
Check out our full Google Play and iOS App Store reviews, as well as our analyses of other popular mobile and connected TV (CTV) app stores:
Click on an app store to learn more about it!
- Apple iOS App Store
Apple TV App Store
Amazon Store
Amazon Fire TV- Google Play
Roku Channel Store
Tencent Appstore
If you have any questions about our data, feel free to contact our team. In the meantime, try the 42matters Explorer for free!
