57 Mobile App Statistics for 2023 (Usage, Downloads, Revenue and More)

If you've launched a mobile app, planning to launch an app, or just have an interest in the mobile app market, this article is for you.
We're going to share a curated list of the most insightful, interesting, up-to-date mobile app statistics. These statistics give you everything you need to know about how we use our mobile phones - and in particular, mobile apps - in 2023. You'll see how massive the mobile app market is, how much money is flowing around, and how mobile apps have become an indispensable part of life as we know it.
There's a wealth of data coming up. First, here’s a snapshot of the most fascinating app statistics we found:
- The number of apps available for download worldwide has increased by 82% since 2016.
- The average American checks their phone 262 times per day.
- People spent 3.8 trillion hours on mobile apps in 2022.
- 2.6% of people will still be using an Android app 30 days after they download it. For iPhone apps, it’s 4.3%.
- Mobile apps are on track to generate $932 billion in revenue in 2023.
- 2 million new apps were launched in 2021 alone.
- In 2021, $320,000 was spent every minute in the app stores.
Now let’s get into the most interesting and worthwhile app statistics on the following topics:
App developers, app users, app enthusiasts, and anyone simply curious about the world around you, keep reading for more.
We can start by looking at how mobile devices dominate our lives today.
The key takeaway from this data is that modern consumers are mobile-first.
Mobile holds around 60% market share today. We're glued to our mobile devices. We spend nearly 20% of the time we're awake on our phone, and check our phone hundreds of times a day. And smartphone usage is only going up.
Smart businesses meet their customers where they are. Today, that's on mobile.
The number of app downloads per year is staggering. Whether it's from the Google Play Store, the Apple App Store, smaller app stores or direct downloads, it seems we can never have enough apps installed on our phones.
If you want to launch an app, but are concerned that the market is too saturated, the number of app downloads today shows that there is still more than enough demand for new players.
There's a lot we can take away from these mobile app usage statistics.
The first is simple - we use mobile apps a lot. And younger generations use apps even more, indicating that total mobile app usage will only grow with time.
The retention rate for apps is certainly worth paying attention to for app developers. On average, less than 5% of app downloads will still be using the app 30 days later. If you can't deliver the experience that mobile users expect, they're going to forget your app, fast.
Social media apps, communication apps, and mobile gaming apps are the most popular app categories. But that's not to say there's no room for other types of app.
As 73% of millennials shop on mobile 4x per week, shopping apps have immense potential. As for other app types - entertainment apps, business apps, productivity apps, etc - with more than half of millennials having three screens of downloaded apps, there is more than enough space in the market for different kinds of app.
The Google Play Store and Apple App Store are the key players in the market, with by far the highest number of app listings and app downloads.
Though there are more apps available on the Apple App Store, the majority of app downloads come from Google Play, which comes from the fact that there are more Android users than iPhone users around the world.
Aside from Apple/Google Play, there are a few smaller players out there, such as Amazon and Microsoft, trying to carve their own piece of the market. But the two big players are still likely to remain the same.
We know the market for apps is huge, and this data shows how huge it is.
The gaming app market is particularly massive. It generates hundreds of billions in revenue each year, with billions of users around the world.
This market is dominated by non-US users, though, with the largest concentration in Asia, Europe and Latin America.
Other interesting takeaways include how many apps are launched each year - over a million, despite the number of apps already available on the Google Play/Apple App Store.
Finally, take note of how many apps are free, versus paid. 94% of apps on the Apple App Store, and 97% on the Google Play Store, are free apps. We'll spend money in apps, but not on apps.
Even though the majority of apps are free apps, there is a staggering amount of money flying around in the app market.
Global app revenue is in the hundreds of billions, and will soon reach a trillion. Most apps make money through in-app ads, in-app purchases and/or subscriptions, with just a fraction being paid downloads.
That being said, many follow a "freemium" model, which are technically free to download, but users need to pay to get anything meaningful out of the app, or to use it past a free trial period.
These monetization models are still enough to generate a huge amount of cash - over 300,000 per minute in 2021.
There you have it - all you need to know about the state of mobile apps in 2023.
Mobile apps are a billion-dollar industry. And since mobile usage and app usage continues to rise every year, so will the value of the mobile app industry.
If you're running a business, the massive mobile app market should be ignored. Your customers almost certainly spend a large amount of their time on mobile device, using apps. It will soon be non-negotiable to meet them where they are, and offer your own mobile app.
Though custom native apps are expensive, the true cost and effort required to build a mobile app for your business is lower than you think. MobiLoud lets you do this by converting your existing website or web app into an app, for a low upfront cost, in less than a month.
MobiLoud is a tech-enabled service that lets you offer a mobile app experience without sacrificing flexibility or breaking the bank.
Just schedule a call with us to talk to a project manager and see how easy the process is. For a minimum of time and expense, you'll have your business in the app stores in no time.
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