Essential Mobile App Statistics in 2024: Trends, Growth, and User Insights

Essential Mobile App Statistics

Mobile applications are an essential aspect of our lives in this digital era. The constantly growing demand has created a void in the market, which has new business opportunities.

But, in fact, without getting more detailed information about the demand, nobody can begin creating an app. That is why we have gathered some crucial statistics on different aspects of mobile app usage and users.

This will assist a brand in comprehending the users’ behaviour and usage of apps and give an insight into the global market. With this information, they can come up with an app idea that will generate more revenue.

Time Spent on Mobile Apps

The average user of a smartphone will spend 2 hours and 54 minutes using mobile apps in 2024, which is slightly higher than in previous years.

This time spent is not just a mere statistic but the shift in the dynamics between the smartphone users and their gadgets particularly with the younger generation which spends more than four hours a month on non-gaming apps.

Most Engaging App Categories

If we look at the essence of mobile app usage, then social networking and communication apps along with mobile gaming apps come to the forefront. However, the increase in the usage of news, weather, sports, and shopping applications shows that user interest is changing, which means that there is a wider range of interesting application categories that can be developed to meet the users’ needs.

While the number of downloads of apps shows an increase, the usage rate and churn rate paint the true picture. The bitter truth is that only 5% of the users continue to use an app after a month, which proves the instability of user retention in the mobile app industry.

Most Popular Mobile App Development Approaches: Native, Cross-Platform, and Hybrid

While we discuss the app usage, we cannot forget the app development strategies as well. After all, you need to decide which approach to choose based on your target audience’s preference. This information is useful as it will assist you in determining when to seek the services of a mobile app development company.

Native App Development

Native apps imply that the apps are developed using native technologies such as Swift and Kotlin. These apps offer enhanced performance and graphics as compared to the previous versions. Therefore, if you are selecting a single segment of users, you can opt for either the top app development company in the USA.

  • Native apps can deliver performance numbers that are 10-20% better than cross-platform or hybrid apps, critical for graphics-based apps.
  • The native app development market was estimated at $133 billion in 2022, mainly due to the high-performance requirements of mobile gaming applications.
  • It is estimated that approximately 30% of mobile developers opt for native development because of its dependability and the ability to access native features of the operating system.

Cross-Platform App Development

The two main reasons for cross-platform to be popular are that it is quicker to develop and it is cheaper. It is possible to create two apps for a brand at once to reach more consumers. Those organizations that are required to advertise their products on several operating systems should consider this.

  • Currently, React Native occupies 42% of the market share of cross-platform development tools, and Flutter has 39%.
  • There will be more than 500,000 React Native apps on the Google Play Store and App Store by 2022, and it is expected to reach more than 1 million by 2023.
  • The market for cross-platform app development is expected to grow to $10 billion in the global market.
  • It is estimated that the use of this approach will reach 8 billion by 2027, which is evidence of the increasing popularity of this approach and the fact that it is cheaper. (20)

Hybrid App Development

Hybrid apps are a mix of web and native apps. They are faster and lighter than others. Ionic development is one of the most used frameworks for hybrid applications.

  • Currently, hybrid apps make up 12% of all the mobile apps, and they are built using both native and web technologies.
  • Hybrid apps are usually 30-40% cheaper than native applications because it is possible to use the same code for both platforms.
  • The hybrid app development market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17 percent in the near future. 5% from 2022 to 2027, owing to the need for shorter time to market and lower development expenses. (21)

Worldwide Total Revenue by Mobile Apps

In the end, business is all about the money and that is what business cares about most. Below are some of the current statistics on the amount of revenue that mobile application development can bring globally.

  • According to the data, the global mobile app revenue in 2023 was estimated to be around $489 billion, which has been growing year by year.
  • The total revenue that is expected to be generated from the mobile apps in both Apple App Store and Google Play Store is expected to be more than $540 billion by the end of the year 2024.
  • The global mobile app market is expected to expand further and the revenues are expected to be around $613 billion by 2025.
  • The subscription-based mobile apps remain a significant source of revenue, with $80 billion in 2023.
  • Gaming apps continue to be the most popular type of app, generating more than $150 billion in revenue in 2023 and expected to grow in the next year.
  • It is projected that mobile applications will bring more than 935 billion US dollars in 2023, which proves the high-profit potential of the application market.

Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) in Different App Categories

Like revenue from the app, ARPU has its advantages and is a different concept. It provides details on how much money users spend.

  • Social Media: ARPU in social media apps is usually between $6 and $12 per annum. This variation is mainly determined by the monetization model of the platform, for instance, through the use of advertisements and sale of products within the application.
  • Gaming: Mobile gaming apps have the highest ARPU among all the categories, which is estimated to be between $45 and $60 per year. The major source of revenue is through the sale of virtual items and paid versions of the games.
  • Streaming Services: The ARPU of streaming services, including video and music streaming applications, differs. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, the video streaming services, have an ARPU of $120-$150 per year while the music streaming services such as Spotify have an ARPU of $55-$65 per year.
  • E-commerce: ARPU of e-commerce apps varies greatly and can be as low as $50 or as high as $100 per user per year. This range depends on factors such as the purchase frequency and the average order value.
  • Health and Fitness: Mobile health and fitness applications on average have an ARPU of $30 to $50 per year. This revenue is usually obtained through subscription to paid services, customized training, and elimination of advertisements.

Conclusion

Most businesses create just one application, and they require it to go viral immediately. However, it is recommended to spend some time and study the mobile app statistics in advance to know about the future trends.

It will not only assist you in terms of design ideas, features, and functionalities but hire mobile app developers in the USA. In this blog, we have given detailed and updated information on the mobile app usage and other factors as well. These mobile app statistics can be your beacon to create a revenue-generating machine with mobile apps.