App Store Vs. Google Play: Which Is More Popular?

By Author: Yancy Marry
Total Articles: 185

The utility of smartphones and tablets is not fully realized without running effective mobile application in them. Apple and Google have long defeated the other major frameworks in winning the crown of the best mobile providers in the world. The iOS and Android platforms respectively are two of the most used and most trusted names in the world of mobile technology. Visit to the mobile application stores of both companies and downloading software of various categories from them is a common phenomenon. Let us discuss in brief how Apple’s App Store and Google’s Google Play compete with each other in various segments:

1. Number of developers both stores attract – According to recently concluded reports, Android owns over 50 percent of the total market share of smartphones. However, the same reports reveal that software developers are not as keen to build apps for the Android platform as they are for the iOS platform. The number of iOS app developers exceeds the number of Android developers by four times. Therefore, it would not be wrong to say that the App Store attracts a larger number of mobile application developers when compared to Google Play. This trend may largely be associated with the fact that developers have been associated with the Apple ecosystem long before they were acquainted with Google’s framework.

2. Cost to become a member – Both the App Store and Google Play demand membership fees from mobile app developers. This means that software designers have to incur costs before building apps for both mobile application stores. The membership fee of Google Play is lower than that charged by the App Store.

3. Number of free mobile apps featured – Mobile apps that can be downloaded for free are very popular among all sections of users. A survey of the App Store and the Google Play Store conducted in the year 2012 reveals that more free apps are available for using on the Android OS platform than on the iOS operating system. According to the survey 311,000 out of 430,000 Android apps could be downloaded for free; this means close to 72 percent of apps at Google Play were free applications. On the other hand, only 287,000 out of 615,000 iOS apps featured at the App Store could be downloaded for free; which implies a mere 46 percent of free iOS mobile applications.

4. Quality of user interface – Though Apple’s App Store is the oldest mobile application store, the Google Play Store has undergone prominent changes in the past couple of years to become the one with the better quality UI. For instance, Google renamed its store which was earlier known as the Android Market; it also added movies, music, and books at the store in an effort to design a more attractive and functional user interface.

5. Programming language and SDK – The App Store offers Xcode for developing codes for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Also, iOS developers are restricted to use only the scripting languages of C, C++, Objective C, and JavaScript. The Google SDK on the other hand is available for free online. There is also no restriction on the programming language that Android developers can use.

The above comparative study is evidence of the fact that both the App Store and Google Play have their own share of advantages and restrictions. Based on the user’s needs and preferences, he/she chooses services of both frameworks.

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