Apple App Store and Google Play are essential parts of any smartphone since they are the safest and fastest way to access any mobile app or game. However, both stores have various key differences that are crucial for any customer or developer.
In this article, we will review some of the key differences between both stores, their history and which is the most popular right now, so if you’re looking to publish a new app, keep scrolling down.
A Brief History Of Mobile Store Apps
The first app store was launched by Apple in 2008 as part of the launch of the iPhone 3G. At first, you could only buy and download apps for the iPhone, but with time, the store expanded and started offering apps for iPads, AppleTV and Apple Watch devices.
Google would not fall behind though, some months after the launch of the App Store, Google would launch Android Market during the same year. A store for Android users where you could buy games or apps for any Android device, this app would be merged with Google Music some years later and become what we know today as Google Play.
Which Is The Most Successful Store?
According to Statista, in 2022, the Apple App Store registered a 21.2 billion USD revenue, winning against the 10.4 billion USD revenue of Google Play. However, Google Play also registered a total of 27.5 billion apps downloaded, while the App Store only got 8.1 billion downloads.
These numbers show that the Apple App Store is the most economically successful, but Google Play is far more popular and used since it’s less restrictive.
Games, Casinos and Other Apps
When it comes to content, the key difference between both stores is the exclusive apps that belong to Google and Apple, respectively.
Since the Apple Store is dedicated to different Apple devices, you will find many exclusive apps like Freeform and Shazam. You can also find a Texas Hold’em app, but we suggest trying the best casino apps for iPhone first, as these have more variety in casino games.
Regarding Google Play, the store offers all the basic smartphone apps like email, calculator, and contacts, all courtesy of Google. You can also buy different ebooks directly from the store, unlike Apple, which uses a specialized app for books.
Now, if we speak about games, things are balanced between both stores. Most of the big mobile titles like Genshin Impact or Among Us are available in both apps, so you don’t have to worry about missing any titles.
With that being said, the Apple Store does offer an exclusive game service called Apple Arcade, that lets you play hundreds of arcade games for a monthly fee. Google Play doesn’t have any similar service at the moment, so is a victory for the Apple Store in that regard.
How Different Are The Stores For Developers?
Apple and Google follow similar guidelines when it comes to developers. However, they both have different advantages and disadvantages.
Apple Store
If you want to publish an app in the Apple App Store, you need to pay an annual fee of 99 USD and then submit it to the “Apple Store Connect” app. Your app will be checked by the App Review Board, which will decide if the app fits the rules and criteria of the Apple Store.
Please note that this process can take several days and the Review Board won’t be forgiving if you break any of the rules. Be sure to modify your application as much as you need before submitting it.
Apple promotes different apps constantly by using the Today and Discover Tabs. In these sections, users can read articles about any app or game, which can be very useful if they want visibility.
Google Play
Now, if you want to publish your app through Google Play, you will have to pay one single fee of 25 USD and send it to the review board. However, unlike Apple, the review process in Google is mostly automatized, so you should get an answer in less than 24 hours.
Google gives a major focus to its search engine when it comes to promoting apps, so learning App Engine Optimization and external promotions will be crucial if you want visibility.
Both Google and Apple offer a standard 30% revenue split to their developers. This rate can change depending on the size, popularity and revenue of the publisher and app.
Payment Methods in Each Store App
Surprisingly enough, the payment methods for Apple Store and Google Play are a bit different from each other. These are payment options available for the UK in both stores:
Apple App Store
- PayPal
- Credit Card or Debit Card
- Apple Account balance
- Apple Gift Cards
- Apple Pay
Google Play
- Credit or debit cards
- Mobile phone billing
- PayPal
- My Paysafecard
- Google Play balance
- Google Play gift cards
