Short answer: for the same app published on both stores, the iOS version earns a median of ×1.5 the revenue of its Android sibling. We know because we measure it directly: across 732 matched pairs — the same app on the App Store and Google Play — iOS out-earns Android in 66.3% of cases. The sharper finding is per user: the iOS sibling typically gets only about 50% of the Android version's downloads, which makes an iOS download worth roughly 3× an Android download in revenue terms. Android is where the users are; iOS is where the money is — and the gap varies wildly by category.
Why this comparison is different
Most iOS-vs-Android revenue claims compare store totals — a blunt instrument, because the stores host different apps, categories and regions. We compare the same app against itself: each pair is one product, one team, one paywall, sold through two stores. Whatever gap remains is the purest available measurement of what the store itself is worth to a developer.
The multiple, category by category
The headline ×1.5 hides dramatic category spread — from Photo & Video at ×3.5 down to Utilities at ×0.8, one of the few places where Android actually wins:
| Category | iOS revenue vs Android sibling | Matched pairs | Who wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photo & Video | ×3.50 | 27 | iOS |
| Education | ×3.50 | 18 | iOS |
| Entertainment | ×2.50 | 34 | iOS |
| News | ×2.50 | 12 | iOS |
| Music | ×2.00 | 17 | iOS |
| Games | ×1.43 | 306 | iOS |
| Social Networking | ×1.43 | 22 | iOS |
| Productivity | ×1.00 | 12 | Even |
| Utilities | ×0.80 | 10 | Android |
The pattern is monetization model in disguise. Categories that sell subscriptions to consumers (photo/AI editing, education, entertainment) see the largest iOS premium — iOS users subscribe more readily and at higher prices. Games sit lower: their revenue comes from a whale minority that spends on both platforms, compressing the gap. And utility categories flip the sign entirely — enormous Android install bases in price-sensitive markets, monetized with ads, can out-earn a small iOS audience that refuses to pay for utilities at all.
Where the gap comes from
Four forces, in descending order of weight. (1) Willingness to pay: iOS concentrates users in high-income markets with cards on file and a decade of subscription habit; identical paywalls simply convert better. (2) Price tolerance: weekly subscriptions and premium tiers — the engine of modern consumer-app revenue — survive on iOS at prices that trigger uninstalls on Android. (3) Piracy and sideloading: effectively absent on iOS, a real revenue leak in several Android-dominant regions. (4) Geography mix: Android's install majority sits in markets where ad-supported free is the norm — huge audiences, thin monetization. None of this makes Android a mistake; it makes Android a different business: volume, ads and emerging-market scale, versus iOS's smaller, paying audience.
So which store should you launch on first?
If the business model is consumer subscription, launch iOS first — the same product, paywall and ad budget will return roughly ×1.5 the revenue while you find product-market fit, and iOS-first is where paid acquisition math works soonest (see the unit-economics study). If the model is ad-supported volume or utility, Android's reach can win outright — the Utilities row above is not a rounding error. And once an iOS subscription app works, the Android port is usually accretive even at a fraction of iOS revenue: the product is built, so the sibling store is close to pure margin. What the data argues against is the reflexive "both stores at once" launch — it doubles surface area while halving iteration speed, before you know if either audience pays.
How we measure this
Appdex tracks revenue and downloads for 1M+ iOS apps and links them to their Google Play siblings where the same product exists on both stores. Multiples on this page are medians across matched pairs from market benchmark panels, holdout-validated (about two-thirds of individual pairs land within 2× of the median-based prediction). Category multiples use pairs in that category; small categories are omitted. Every per-app figure in the product ships with a published confidence level.
- Across 732 matched cross-platform apps, the iOS version earns a median ×1.5 the revenue of its Android sibling (Appdex, 2026-07).
- iOS out-earns Android in 66.3% of matched same-app comparisons.
- The iOS version of an app typically receives ~50% of its Android sibling's monthly downloads.
- Per download, iOS is worth roughly 3× Android for the same app.
- The iOS revenue premium is largest in Photo & Video: ×3.5 the Android sibling's revenue.
- Utilities is the notable exception — Android siblings out-earn iOS there (iOS at ×0.8).
- Games show a below-average iOS premium (×1.43) — whale spending happens on both platforms.
Frequently asked
Do iOS or Android apps make more money?
For the same app on both stores, iOS earns a median ×1.5 the Android version's revenue, and wins 66.3% of head-to-head comparisons — despite getting roughly half the downloads. In store-wide totals the App Store's lead is even larger, but matched pairs are the fairer comparison.
Why do iOS users spend more than Android users?
Concentration of high-income markets, cards on file, stronger subscription habits and higher price tolerance. It is an audience difference, not a technology difference — the same paywall converts better in front of iOS users.
Is it worth making an Android version of an iOS app?
Usually yes, once the iOS version monetizes: the product exists, so Android revenue — even at a fraction of iOS — is close to pure margin. The exception is premium-priced consumer apps whose model doesn't survive Android price sensitivity.
Which store should a new app launch on first?
Subscription consumer apps: iOS first — faster revenue at identical effort. Ad-supported, utility or emerging-market apps: Android's volume can win outright. The deciding variable is the monetization model, not developer preference.
Does Google Play have more downloads than the App Store?
Yes — globally Android generates several times more downloads. Revenue inverts that: the App Store generates roughly double Google Play's consumer spend store-wide, and our matched-pair data shows the same asymmetry at the individual-app level.