Study Finds Third-Party Apps Are the Most Successful on App Store

According to an Apple-commissioned study published today by the economists at Analysis Group, third-party apps experience broad regional and global success on the App Store, demonstrating the wide range of choices available to consumers around the world.

The report analyzes apps from Apple and third-party developers across many popular app types, breaking down regional and global top performers.

“The App Store has grown substantially throughout the years, sustaining an expanding community of developers and content creators and fueling a massive and growing ecosystem,” said Analysis Group’s Juliette Caminade and Markus von Wartburg.

“This growth reflects the dynamism of the App Store, its community, and its ecosystem, which benefits developers, users, and Apple,” the economists added.

Some highlights from the report include:

• Third-party apps are the only options for consumers for entire types of apps, including social networking, dating services, travel planning, and food and drink.
• Leaders in app types often vary across countries, with many regional leaders outperforming their globally competitive counterparts.
• Third-party apps are the most popular among iPhone users in most regions for major app types, including music streaming, TV and movie streaming, reading, communication, and mapping apps.
• Across many app types, Apple’s own apps account for a relatively small share of app usage among iPhone users. This is the case even though some Apple apps are preinstalled to enable core functionality of the device.
• iPhone users often use multiple apps within a single category, especially apps for communicating, reading the news, watching videos, or navigating — underscoring how easily users can switch between apps and the breadth of opportunity for developers.

The full report can be downloaded in .pdf format at this link.