iOS or Android – Which one makes more money?

iOS has grown as the most popular platform for mobile app development besides android. Organizations often face the dilemma of deciding which platform to use for app development. Both the platforms have tons of features, options, elements, and a lot to dive your head into. If you look from a financial viewpoint, the iOS platform steadily earns more revenue. But certainly, there’s more to the story. Let’s dig deeper to understand the significance of each platform.

Demographics talk a lot about the users of respective platforms. Presently, Android holds the largest share on the global platform with the highest prominence in the developing countries and lower-income regions. Contrary to this, the iOS users are mostly younger, with greater engagement, higher levels of education, and make more money. This is why they can spend more per app.

Revenue Generation

One of the most important factors that companies consider while taking the final call on employing a platform is ROI. That is, which platform would make more money? Google Android holds a greater proportion of ad-supported apps. On the other hand, Apple iOS apps are essentially reliant on purchases. iOS models earn more revenue in spite of making you pay for the apps. With 70% more revenue generated in 2015 by iOS as compared to Android, iOS users are considered more valuable for the business.

Fast Development and Release

You have to consider the time in which you can get your app to the global market. The faster it can be developed, the faster it can be released. From an adoption standpoint, iOS apps can be built much faster as Android is an open-source platform. As a result, it gets locked down by OEMs and carriers. Presently the percentage of people still using the iOS version 8 is much more than the fraction of Android users using Lollipop. This suggests that on iOS, employing new versions of OS will have a comparatively broader reach. This allows developers to get approvals faster, reduce testing and development cycles, and release updates faster.

App Costs

Companies will stress this parameter with great importance. A business will always look for the option which is cost-effective. The longer it takes to build an app, the higher is its cost. Due to the longer development cycles of Android apps, they cost more than iOS apps. From a cost perspective, iOS apps cost less and generate more revenue.

Hence, in general, it is advisable for a business to start with an iOS platform considering the cost and speed involved in its development. It is in fact, possible to get a dozen approvals for an iOS app by the time an Android app just launches. Later you can move over to android with more resources and for higher growth.