Global App Revenue: Q3 2018

Global consumer spending on mobile applications reached $18.2 billion in the third quarter of 2018, representing a 22.7 percent increase compared to the same period in 2017. This growth was driven by both the Apple App Store and Google Play, though Apple maintained a significant monetization advantage. The App Store generated $12 billion in revenue, accounting for approximately 66 percent of the global total and outperforming Google Play by 94 percent, the widest margin observed since 2014. Google Play revenue reached $6.2 billion, excluding data from China.

Total global app downloads rose 10.9 percent year-over-year to 27.1 billion. Google Play led in volume with 19.5 billion installs, a 14.3 percent increase attributed to the adoption of affordable Android devices in developing markets. Conversely, iOS saw 7.6 billion installs, reflecting a more modest 3.1 percent growth. Mobile gaming remained the primary revenue driver, contributing $13.8 billion—or 76 percent—of total global app spending. While gaming revenue grew across both platforms, Google Play experienced a higher growth rate of 18.4 percent compared to the App Store’s 12.8 percent.

The analysis, based on proprietary Store Intelligence data, highlights that non-game revenue was dominated by subscription-based services like Netflix, Tinder, and Tencent Video. In the gaming sector, titles from Asian publishers, such as Honor of Kings, continued to lead in revenue, while hyper-casual games dominated download charts. These figures exclude local taxes, in-app advertising, and mobile commerce transactions, providing a focused view of direct consumer spending within the mobile application ecosystem.