Developers earned whopping $ 320 b since App Store launch in 2008

Although Google Play Store has always made up the bulk of total app downloads, App Store remained stronger in terms of revenue, bringing impressive earnings to iOS developers.

According to data presented by SafeBettingSites.com, App Store developers earned a whopping $ 320 billion since the App Store launch in 2008.

After years of impressive growth, the global app market saw a downturn in 2022, with the combined number of downloads in Google Play and App Store, the world’s two largest distribution channels for mobile apps, falling by a massive two billion year-over-year. Still, that hasn’t stopped iOS developers from earning more money than ever from launching their apps on App Store.

Statista and Apple data show that in 2015, the tech giant paid roughly $ 14 billion to iOS developers. Two years later, this figure jumped to $ 26.5 billion and continued rising. By the end of 2019, the annual earnings of iOS developers jumped to $ 38.7 billion, showing a massive 170% growth in just four years. Statistics show the following years brought just as impressive growth, with Apple paying out $ 60 billion in both 2021 and 2022, the highest annual figures in the App Store`s history. The App Store Small Business Program, launched in January 2021, had a massive role in that increase, reducing Apple’s commission for developers making less than $ 1 million a year from 30% to 15%.

The impressive 2021 and 2022 figures have helped cumulative iOS developers’ earnings to hit a jaw-dropping $ 320 billion at the beginning of 2023, showing almost a fourfold increase in five years. Nearly 40% of that value, or $ 120 billion, was made in the past two years.

As the world`s highest-grossing distribution channel for mobile apps, App Store continues bringing huge opportunities for developers. Last year, consumers worldwide spent roughly $ 210 billion on mobile apps, including paid apps and in-app purchases. App Store generated half of that value, or around $ 105 billion.

In comparison, 27% of the global app spending was generated on apps hosted and distributed in the Google Play Store, while third-party Android app stores in China had a 23% share in the market. With billions of people spending more on mobile apps than ever, it is most likely iOS developers will see their earnings increase in the following years.

Statista expects global app spending to increase by a further 12% and hit $ 236.8 billion this year. By 2027, this figure is projected to touch almost $ 305 billion.