Google Play Store Statistics 2025: Top Trends and Patterns

The year 2025 has brought a lot of new technological innovations and trends in the digital world. Businesses in various industrial sectors across the world have embraced mobile applications and expanded their presence across a wider range of audiences by offering their products and services online. Android, one of the most popular mobile operating systems, is used by over 3 billion users, and the numbers are increasing over time. Due to a huge user base of Android, many companies are launching their mobile applications on the Google Play Store to reach global users with ease. According to a report by Business of Apps, more than 110 billion applications were downloaded from the Play Store in 2024. There are currently over 3.5 million apps available, with ChatGPT being the most downloaded application. In this blog, we will see the latest Google Play Store statistics of 2025 and uncover useful insights.               

Total Number of Apps Available on the Play Store

The Play Store is like a large library of apps where numerous applications are registered and deployed. Since its launch in 2012, millions of applications have been downloaded through it over the years. As per numerous sources, there are currently more than 3.5 million apps available on the Play Store as of 2024. 

Google Play Store Statistics by Country

According to a report by Statista, in 2025, countries such as India, the USA, and Brazil are among the top countries having the most number of app downloads globally. In terms of revenue generation, the USA, South Korea, and Japan generated the most revenue. There are 2 types of apps available: free and paid. Speaking of paid apps, the United States has the highest average price of paid mobile applications. 

Google Play Store App Download Count

Each year, the graph of the download count of apps on the Play Store increases. Speaking of 2025, more than 110 billion applications were downloaded in the first quarter of 2025, with ChatGPT being the most downloaded application with over 26 million downloads globally. When it comes to the downloads based on category, applications related to news, dating, weather, shopping, entertainment, and parenting saw the highest number of downloads. Monopoly Go, Candy Crush Saga, Pokemon Go, etc, are some of the top-grossing apps on the Play Store as per April 2025 data. 

Percentage of Paid and Free Applications 

Many mobile app developers launch their applications on a free-to-use model. As of January 2025, nearly 97% of the total apps available on the Play Store are free. While the rest of the 3% are paid ones. By launching free apps, developers earn through several monetization strategies such as in-app purchases, advertisements, subscription plans, etc. In terms of paid apps, there are some notable examples such as CyberTuner, viaCAD Pro, Final Cut Pro, etc. 

Total Apps Released Per Month

According to a Report by Statista, there were over 40,000 applications launched on the Play Store in December 2024.  This number is expected to increase in 2025 due to the increase in the number of Android users, which is fueled by the accessibility of devices and internet connectivity to a wider range of the population across the globe. 

Number of Mobile App Downloads Expected in 2026 

As per Statista, in 2026, it is estimated that the app downloads will increase from 111 billion in 2021 to 143 billion, almost an increase of 30%. In 2025, the number of app downloads is expected to be 135 billion at the end of the year. 

Google Play Store Statistics by 4-Star and Above App Ratings

Rating is very crucial in determining the app’s success and popularity. As per the reports by Priori Data and Statista, in January 2024, more than 114,000 applications on the Google Play Store had a rating of 4.5 stars or higher. Also, there were fewer than 500,000 mobile apps that are either unrated or have few reviews and ratings. Apps of popular categories such as gaming, entertainment, and productivity have the highest ratings.                

Amount of Money Spent by Users on Apps on the Play Store 

There are many applications with exciting features and in-app purchases that users cannot resist paying for to use them. According to Priori Data and Statista, users spent around $42.3 billion in 2024 on in-app purchases, paid applications, and subscription services provided by apps. The top contributors are the USA, South Korea, and Japan.  

Statistics of Price Distribution of Mobile Apps in 2025 

Paid apps contribute significantly to the Play Store. These apps include all the features of free apps, plus additional ones. As per Statista, more than 20,000 applications cost below $1, and 17,000 apps are priced between $1 and $2. While nearly 1,293 apps fall in the price range of between $9 and $10. Many applications require monthly or yearly subscription plans to use them. According to Business of Apps, the average monthly subscription price of mobile apps is $10.20, while the yearly price is around $49.60. Apps that lie in the fitness category have the highest subscription plans priced at $15 per month, followed by educational apps.         

Google Play Store Statistics of Users of Play Store Applications 

The Play Store continues to set new records each passing year. Due to a large database of millions of applications, it has generated a considerable amount of revenue. The revenue in 2024 was $55.5 billion and is expected to reach between $60 billion and $65 billion in 2025, which comes from in-app purchases and advertisements.    

Leading Android Apps On the Play Store 

The Play Store is the home of millions of applications, but only a few of them make it to the all-time high charts. In March 2025, ChatGPT topped the charts with over 46 million downloads in that month, making it the fastest-growing app in recent times. Meanwhile, Instagram is the dominant player with more than 3.8 billion overall downloads on the Play Store.    

Comparison Between Google Play Store and Apple App Store 

[1] Platform 

• Play Store: The Play Store is available on Android devices such as smartphones, tablets, TVs, and wearables.
• App Store: Apple App Store is available on iOS devices such as iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac devices with Catalyst.    

[2] Number of Apps Available 

• Play Store: It has over 3.5 million apps as of 2024.
• App Store: It possesses more than 1.8 million applications as of 2024.

[3] App Publishing Fees 

• Play Store: It is $25 one time only.
• App Store: The fees are comparatively high compared to the Play Store, with an annual fee of $99 to join the Apple Developer Program.

[4] App Approval Time

• Play Store: The approval time of applications is from a few hours to several weeks.
• App Store: The process is manual and takes several days to weeks. 

[5] Revenue Commission

• Play Store: The commission is based on the team size. 15% for small teams with a revenue of less than $1M and 30% for large development teams.
• App Store: The commission model of the App Store is the same as the Play Store. 

[6] User Base

• Play Store: It has a larger and wider user base, stronger in Asia, South America, and Africa. 
• App Store: It has a comparatively smaller but wealthier user base, especially in North America, Europe, and East Asia. 

[7] Security Measures

• Play Store: It offers Play Protect, but has had more malware incidents in the past. 
• App Store: App Store has more privacy and better security audits than the Play Store. 

[8] App Monetization Options 

• Play Store: Android apps offer various monetization options such as paid apps, in-app purchases, advertisements, sponsorships, etc. 
• App Store: iOS apps also offer similar types of monetization options as Android apps. 

[9] Ease of Publishing

• Play Store: The process of publishing on the Play Store is simple, fast, and straightforward. 
• App Store: As compared to the Play Store, the process of publishing is much stricter due to strict design, functionality, and privacy policies. 

[10] Application Updates

• Play Store: Developers can roll out app updates immediately after submission to the store.
• App Store: In the App Store, the updates go through a quick review, which could take several hours or days.         

[11] Global Market Share

• Play Store: Google Play Store dominates the global market with over ~70%+ % market share.  
• App Store: It has a smaller market share between 25% to 30% but is more profitable. 

[12] Search Optimization and Discovery

• Play Store: Apps published on this platform require an optimized app title, keywords, and description.
• App Store: Apps on the App Store require strong editorial curation and features of apps to aid discovery.

[13] Refund Policy

• Play Store: Refunds are usually done within 48 hours, and it varies from country to country.
• App Store: Refunds are rare, and when they happen, they are usually handled by customer support. 

[14] Flexibility for Developers

• Play Store: Developers are free to customize their apps as they want to.
• App Store: Developers of iOS apps need to follow strict guidelines of Apple’s UI/UX standards, and hence they have limited flexibility to customize the app. 

[15] Payment Options      

• Play Store: It supports PayPal, debit/credit cards, carrier billing, and other regional payment methods. 
• App Store: App Store primarily supports Apple Pay and debit/credit cards. 

[16] App Size and Restrictions 

• Play Store: Native APK of size up to 150MB supported. Expandable with APK extensions.     
• App Store: The app size supported by the App Store is up to 4 GB. 

[17] App Quality Control 

• Play Store: Apps can be of variable quality, and the open environment of the Play Store allows experimental apps to be published. 
• App Store: Due to the guidelines of publishing only high-quality applications, quality control is strict. 

[18] Subscription Management 

• Play Store: It manages the subscription with more flexibility for the users. 
• App Store: Apple has a centralized ecosystem, and subscription management is done using Apple ID. 

[19] Gaming Support

• Play Store: It offers integrations with Google Play Games, enabling in-game achievements and cloud save features. 
• App Store: Apple Store offers Apple Game Center for leaderboards, multiplayer, achievements, etc. 

[20] Localization and Global Reach 

• Play Store: Google Play Store has a much wider range of users across the globe and is widely available with strong localization in emerging markets. 
• App Store: Stronger presence in developing economies with good localization. 

Emerging Google Play Store Trends of 2025 

[1] AI-Generated Review Summaries 

Every day, thousands of reviews are generated for the apps, and it becomes difficult to read long reviews. With AI, the  Play Store now allows users to read a concise and accurate summary of common praises and complaints. The AI analyzes and intelligently highlights repetitive issues related to performance or any bug. This also helps the developers to easily look over the issues affecting the app and improve the overall user experience. IT also enables the developers to prioritize the app’s updates strategically. Over time, AI continues to improve and provide more personalized summaries to users.    

[2] New Health Metrics for Apps 

There was a time when only reviews, downloads, and ratings were considered the major indicators of an app’s success. But in 2025, there are many crucial metrics on which Google Play assesses the app, such as performance health metrics, tracking stability, crashes, battery efficiency, user retention rates, etc. Mobile applications that consume a lot of battery or have frequent crashes have lower visibility, and developers need to fix and optimize them for better ranking on the platform. This ensures users get the best quality app, regardless of the ranking, without technical issues.   

[3] Integration of YouTube for App Promotion 

YouTube is the most popular video-streaming platform in the world. By integrating Google Play with YouTube, developers can showcase their app’s trailers, walkthroughs, and tutorials directly within the application’s page. This allows users to get a quick preview before downloading the application, improving conversions and overall engagement. 

[4] Better App Quality Standards

In 2025, the competition is fierce among developers in developing the best quality app possible. The Play Store has raised its quality standards and discards unstable and low-quality applications from it. This act motivates the app developers to invest time and resources in building highly responsive UI/UX, seamless updates, and optimized battery consumption. Prioritizing optimization improves user retention and helps to maintain high visibility of the app in the recommendations. 

[5] Subscription-Based Monetization 

Subscription-based services are one of the most widely used monetization models that app developers incorporate to generate revenue from the application. Many apps use this technique to provide premium features, exclusive content, or ad-free experiences. Google is continuously upgrading its subscription management tools, which makes plan renewals, cancellations, and upgrades seamless for users. This trend enables stronger revenue generation streams and better user loyalty. 

[6] AI-Powered App Discovery 

Artificial Intelligence is widely used in the Play Store in its recommendations engine to provide the best search results for the user’s query. It used machine learning algorithms to properly analyze user preferences, behaviors, and past installs and refine app suggestions dynamically. Users can now receive personalized recommendations customized to their browsing habits.    

How to Select a Mobile App Development Company in 2025?

Selecting the right mobile app development company is crucial to make an app that aligns with the latest and emerging trends of the Google Play Store and to develop an app that satisfies users’ goals and objectives. Before selecting the right firm, it is crucial to consider a few important factors. The company should have extensive experience in developing and deploying complex projects. It should have a dedicated team of experienced mobile app developers who use the latest tech stack and tools for developing the app. The team should be able to incorporate robust security features and deliver the app in the given time frame only. The company should keep the client at the center of focus and prioritize open communication with them. Next Olive is one of the leading mobile app development firms that boasts over 13 years of experience in developing state-of-the-art applications and delivering to over 20 different countries, such as the USA, UK, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Israel, etc. Contact Next Olive for a premium experience and reliable digital solutions. 

Conclusion 

In this blog, we will get to know about the various Google Play Store statistics of 2025. From the number of downloads to the top-grossing app of 2025, we saw how different factors influence the trends over time. Google Play is incorporating emerging trends such as AI and ML to offer personalized user experiences by recommending apps based on user activity and preferences, and removing unstable or low-quality applications from the platform.