Image by: RICK WILKING / REUTERSApplications in Google’s Android market are too expensive compared to those on rival Apple’s app store according to the results of an App Interrogator Survey released by Canalys on February 23.
According to the results of the survey, the top 100 paid applications in the US Android Market would cost a total of $374.37 to purchase, or an average of $3.74 each; in comparison the top 100 apps in Apple’s US app store would cost $147, an average of $1.47 per app.
The survey alleges that when narrowed down to include only the top ten apps in the Android market and Apple app store – those in the Android market still come out more expensive at an average of $3.47 per app compared to just $0.99 in Apple’s app store.
According to the survey, similar price disparities were also found when the control country was changed.
Rachel Lashford, Canalys managing director, Mobile and APAC stated that, while it could be seen as a positive for developers.
She said developers could charge more for their apps on Android and still be popular, higher prices could dissuade some users from making purchases claiming “more aggressive price competition around Android apps would [..] encourage consumers to make [..] app purchases, […] and ultimately be good for the vibrancy of the app ecosystem.”
According to a January report by Nielsen, Android devices account for around 46.3% of the smart phone market in the US while Apple’s iOS accounts for around 30%.
