The last few years have been very strange in the App Store, and if you've been reading the newsletter for long enough you probably know what I'm talking about.
Many apps are seeing downloads drop while revenue grows.
Are you seeing a similar trend?
Looking at individual apps isn't enough to call this a trend though, so instead, let's zoom out and take a look at the entire App Store in the US using the Mobile Market Index.
The Mobile Market Index tracks the downloads and revenue of the top 25 apps in every category and country and compares them to 1/1/2018. The result is a value that easily shows us growth over time without having to worry about very large numbers.
The Mobile Market Index is available for free to all members tracking their apps with Appfigures. You can read more about it here.
Let's start with downloads!
According to the Mobile Market Index, downloads are down across the App Store in the US.
Exactly a year ago, the Mobile Download Index stood at 91.87. That means downloads are already down vs. 2018, but not by that much. As of August 31st, the Index is at 83.59. That's 8.28 points, or 9%, lower than where it started.
Looking at the trend we see the way down wasn't smooth, though.
Downloads dropped until December, aka holiday season, brought back cheer, and new devices and downloads to the App Store. The rise was gone by April though as the Index dipped to as low as 64.50 points.
Downloads rose again into the summer, which makes sense considering this Index is for both apps and games.
Check out the Index directly if you're curious about your category.
Revenue looks veeeeeery different.
According to the Mobile Market Index, revenue is down across the App Store in the US.
A year ago, the Mobile Revenue Index stood at 363.13. That means revenue is higher, much higher, than where it was in 2018. As of August 31st, the Index is at 458.3. That's a whopping 122.17 points, or 36.4% higher than where it started.
Revenue growth has far outpaced the slowdown in downloads as more developers are focusing on monetization.
This growth was fairly consistent with a major bump in December to usher in higher revenue across the board.
Interestingly enough, the category that saw revenue grow the most over the last year is Productivity, rising 69.3%. On the games side, Board games took the crown rising 584.9%.
According to the Mobile Market Index, almost every category in the App Store saw revenue grow in the last year. Only four categories saw revenue shrink, all within games (Sports, Racing, Music, and Action).
How do your trends compare?
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