Global App Revenue Reached $34 Billion in the First Half of 2018: Up 28% Year-Over-Year

Global mobile application revenue experienced significant growth during the first half of 2018, reaching a combined $34.4 billion across the Apple App Store and Google Play. This figure represents a 27.8 percent increase compared to the $26.9 billion generated during the same period in 2017. The analysis, based on Sensor Tower Store Intelligence data, highlights a persistent disparity in monetization between the two platforms, with Apple’s App Store generating $22.6 billion—approximately 1.9 times the revenue of Google Play—despite having significantly fewer total downloads.

The mobile gaming sector remains the primary driver of this ecosystem, accounting for $26.6 billion, or roughly 78 percent of total global app spending. While mobile game revenue grew by 19.1 percent year-over-year, total worldwide app installs reached 51 billion, an 11.3 percent increase from the previous year. Google Play continues to dominate in terms of volume, recording 36 billion first-time installs compared to 15 billion on the App Store, a trend largely attributed to the higher adoption rates of Android devices in developing markets.

Key performers during this period included Netflix, Tinder, and Tencent Video as the top-grossing non-game applications. In the gaming category, Honor of Kings, Monster Strike, and Fate/Grand Order led global revenue, while PUBG Mobile, Helix Jump, and Subway Surfers emerged as the most downloaded titles. These findings exclude revenue from local taxes, in-app advertising, and mobile commerce transactions, focusing strictly on consumer spending within the app stores.