All-Time Top iPhone App Sales Figures and Estimates

MacRumors · Apr 13, 2009, 05:59 AM

As part of Apple's one billion app countdown for their iTunes App Store, they have also compiled a list of the all-time top 20 apps [App Store] for both Paid and Free apps.

Perhaps most interesting is what the potential market for a very successful paid iPhone app might be. A few numbers have been released for some of the top iPhone apps that gives us an idea of the numbers involved. Here is a collection of the known sales numbers for some of the top 20 paid apps. App titles link directly to App Store.

#2. Koi Pond - The New York Times published just a few days ago reveals that Blimp Pilots' virtual pond app has been downloaded an estimated 900,000 times giving the developers about $623,000 after Apple's cut.

#3. Enigmo - Pangea's puzzle game appeared early in the App Store. Pangea's Brian Greenstone recently revealed in a YouTube video that Enigmo sold 810,000 units between July 2008 and January 2009 (likely the bulk of sales). The price of this app has bounced between $9.99 and $0.99 making it difficult to estimate earnings.

#12. Pocket God - This recent hit is another entertainment app that puts you in control of a small island of inhabitants. Bolt Creative's Dave Castelnuovo revealed in a TouchArcade forum post that their app had sold about 500,000 copies as of late March. An impressive feat since it has only been around since January, earning the developers about $350,000 so far.

#19. iShoot - An artillery game by one-man company Ethan Nicholas who is the latest rags-to-riches App Store story. Nicholas revealed to the New York Times that he had made $800,000 in five months. His app has held mostly at a $2.99 pricepoint, which estimates his total sales at over 380,000 downloads.

Article Link: All-Time Top iPhone App Sales Figures and Estimates

Shagrat · Apr 13, 2009, 06:05 AM

Will be interesting to see how this goes, if new devices come out, netbook stylee, or otherwise. More games, etc. This could be massive in the long run.

IEatApples · Apr 13, 2009, 06:21 AM

Yea, I hope (and think) that Apple understand the potential here, and put their focus on making the "gaming" experience on the iPhone/Touch as good as possible. It's clear that gaming is "huge" on these devices.

One thing I'm hoping for is a "gaming console" solution. Imagine downloading a game on your iPhone… then download the same game again for free (only pay once) on your Apple TV (the Apple TV version of the game can be in HD)… then imagine playing the game on your big flat screen TV while using your iPhone/Touch as a (wireless) controller!

bobbleheadbob · Apr 13, 2009, 06:26 AM

It seem to me that the App Store has been a huge success for both Apple and these developers.

I've bought most of these apps listed here. Not sure how I'm going to feel about the subscription based model they're going to with 3.0. I can't see myself wanting to pay more than the initial price for most of them. A dollar or two here and there really adds up.

fastbite · Apr 13, 2009, 06:30 AM

The numbers are unbelievable. I wish i could wake up one morning knowing how to create an app

-- and give it a shot.

Hattig · Apr 13, 2009, 06:38 AM

Good for those developers who have been able to pay off their mortgages, especially if they wrote the software in their spare time after work. Never underestimate the power of selling hundreds of thousands of $1 applications instead of mere thousands of $10 applications. Then again that's always been my argument for the pricing of music CDs and movie DVDs...

Bentov · Apr 13, 2009, 06:42 AM

....Starts Xcode.....see you all in a few months...

MarkMS · Apr 13, 2009, 06:46 AM

Wow! That iShoot developer made $800k!!?! Amazing. Makes me want to pick up some books on how to write programs for the iPhone/iPod Touch during my spare time. Of course, this isn't going to lure me away from medicine.

AAPLaday · Apr 13, 2009, 07:02 AM

Fantastic numbers!!!! And on the gaming side imagine an apple tv becoming like a wii with fun interactive games on it. Was just a random thought i had but it could work.

AAPLaday · Apr 13, 2009, 07:08 AM

Also these numbers show that its a great platform to develop for and that its worth spending time making your app as good as possible. I loved koi pond! It was one of the first apps i got when i had my Touch. Well that and iPint

deckwalker · Apr 13, 2009, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IEatApples

then imagine playing the game on your big flat screen TV while using your iPhone/Touch as a (wireless) controller!

I like the sound of that! That would rock. I really like the X-Plane series and would love to play them on a flat-screen using my iPhone as a remote.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobbleheadbob

Not sure how I'm going to feel about the subscription based model they're going to with 3.0.

Huh? Subscription based model? Never heard of that rumor applied to the app store and would seriously doubt that to be true.

twoodcc · Apr 13, 2009, 07:40 AM

wow. those numbers are amazing, and are only going to get better. i need to start developing soon!

iPhoneNYC · Apr 13, 2009, 08:08 AM

The App Store is a brilliant concept. Especially in this economy you have thousands of people working for free to develop the next hit App. A modern day story of panning for gold in CA. But the fact is that NY Times articles probably propelled thousands more to develop fun new stuff.

AAPLaday · Apr 13, 2009, 08:14 AM

Its funny really, there have been symbian and windows mobile phones out there for years and there wasn't an easy centralized place to get your apps. Sure you could hunt around on the web for them but how many people bought the latest symbian phone because of the specs of the hardware and not because it ran that O/S. Nokia N series is really popular over here in the UK but i doubt a high percentage of those people use any other apps than the ones that came with the phone.

Apple has only been here a short time and they got it right with the app store from the start.

Grimwall · Apr 13, 2009, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deckwalker

Huh? Subscription based model? Never heard of that rumor applied to the app store and would seriously doubt that to be true.

What bobbleheadbob is referring to by "subscription-based model" comes from the official 3.0 firmware presentation which mentioned the model of paying an initial price for the application (mostly applies to games) and then buying extra level packs or weapons etc for a small fee as the game progresses.

I am really glad to see actual sales coming out of the Appstore, such good news can only drive competition and introduce new developers to the scene, at the benefit of us all.

Stanford University's seminars on iPhone application development is one more step to the right direction.

*LTD* · Apr 13, 2009, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AAPLaday

Its funny really, there have been symbian and windows mobile phones out there for years and there wasn't an easy centralized place to get your apps. Sure you could hunt around on the web for them but how many people bought the latest symbian phone because of the specs of the hardware and not because it ran that O/S. Nokia N series is really popular over here in the UK but i doubt a high percentage of those people use any other apps than the ones that came with the phone.

Apple has only been here a short time and they got it right with the app store from the start.

It all comes down to implementation. It's what lies between the user and the device - how they interact with it. Get that right and you're golden. Apple's done it. In fact, they've been doing it well before the iPhone.

BongoBanger · Apr 13, 2009, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AAPLaday

Its funny really, there have been symbian and windows mobile phones out there for years and there wasn't an easy centralized place to get your apps. Sure you could hunt around on the web for them but how many people bought the latest symbian phone because of the specs of the hardware and not because it ran that O/S. Nokia N series is really popular over here in the UK but i doubt a high percentage of those people use any other apps than the ones that came with the phone.

Apple has only been here a short time and they got it right with the app store from the start.

I totally agree. Nokia's approach has been short term, blinkered and greedy and I'm glad Apple gave them the kick up the pants they've needed to get Ovi on the way.

Some people will no doubt argue that Nokia had Download! and N-Gage well before the App store and technically they're right; however there is a massive chasm between the ease of use and functionality the App store brings compared to Nokia's fragmented and arbitrary distribution mechanisms.

The board of Nokia should hang their heads in shame at being sucker punched by Apple.

DipDog3 · Apr 13, 2009, 09:18 AM

Always glad to see success in the app store.

Tulse · Apr 13, 2009, 09:18 AM

Twelve of the top 20 apps cost more than $0.99. Please let this end the developer complaints about cheap pricing on the App Store.

Bonte · Apr 13, 2009, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IEatApples

One thing I'm hoping for is a "gaming console" solution. Imagine downloading a game on your iPhone… then download the same game again for free (only pay once) on your Apple TV ...

I was wondering how the DRM works with apps, can i buy 1 app and keep it on 5 computers? Can i use the app on a iPhone and several Touch's if all of them belong to one account and have network play?

IEatApples · 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bonte

I was wondering how the DRM works with apps, can i buy 1 app and keep it on 5 computers? Can i use the app on a iPhone and several Touch's if all of them belong to one account and have network play?

I'm not sure exactly how the rules are, but I'm currently using 2 accounts on my iPhone, and my brother is using the same apps on his iPod Touch… so:

(+ we are using 2 different computers as well).

When there are updates for an app on my brothers account, I'm simply asked to enter his password

(but it doesn't always work on my iPhone, not sure why, but then I simply go to iTunes & log in with his account, download the update, and then I simply sync the iPhone with iTunes!)

yalag · Apr 13, 2009, 11:00 AM

YAY we can expect more crap apps along the way each time the media gloss over the few millionares from app store

johnqh · Apr 13, 2009, 11:01 AM

Those numbers are actually below my expectations.

Did you notice that no individual developers have produced more than one hit? iPhone is a very difficult platform to create a business with consistent income.

Don't forget there are 30,000 apps right now on App Store, you have 0.1% chance to get above 300,000 downloads, and probably 1% chance to get above 100,000 downloads.

Don't laugh at Windows Mobile. There are companies specialized in WM apps for years. Although they didn't have thousands of downloads per day, they sold for much higher price (normally $15, comparing to 99 cents for iPhone). For business, consistent result is much better than unpredictable hits.

Also, even at 500,000 sales, that number is not impressive at all in the gaming industry. 500,000 sales is a mediocre hit for Wii, DS, or PSP, and those games sell for much higher price.

RogueWarrior65 · Apr 13, 2009, 11:10 AM

So the lesson here is to totally change one's strategy for coming up with new product ideas from "something really useful" to "something totally pointless." Want to know why we haven't sent astronauts to Mars? It's because people keep spending money on stupid stuff. Pity we can divert that brainpower to bigger problems.

bghoward · Apr 13, 2009, 11:19 AM

I'm surprised at everyones optimistic attitude about the app store after seeing these numbers. It is shocking and discouraging.

I have heard the analogy of the California gold rush used to describe the app store and I can tell you that these numbers confirm to me that the app store is an unsustainable bubble that will either have to burst or will completely dry up in the long run.

Just to give you some background on myself, I quit my job 8 months ago and started an iPhone app company. Since then we have released about 7 apps on iTunes. Including our latest app which has an investment, well lets say most people could have easily paid off their mortgage with what we spent (and this is only with 3 employees total).

Think about it, these are the 20 MOST DOWNLOADED APPS. These are the best of the best, most of which came out day 1. With 30,000 apps on the iTunes store what are your chances as a developer making into the top 100 list, much less the 20 most sold apps?

The MOST you can hope for in your wildest dreams for a paid app is 1,000,000 downloads? And if your app is not on the top 20 of all time list, you have sold somewhere south of 380,000 copies. With these numbers I would be shocked if games like iDracula even made 50k after expenses.

To put things in perspective, the average app sells about 15 copies a day at an average price of $1.64.

The price to investment is completely out of whack on the app store. Here is another thing to think about. I estimate that you can buy every app on iTunes for about $75,000. Do you really believe that entire value of investment dollars on the app store is only 75k? Our last game cost a lot more than 75k to develop... and we haven't even made the top 100 list yet. On the other hand how much would it cost to buy every song on iTunes? Every Movie?

It cannot be sustained in the long run, just something to think about before jumping on the bandwagon.

Apr 13, 2009, 06:26 AM	#4
bobbleheadbob macrumors 6502a Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Massachusetts	It seem to me that the App Store has been a huge success for both Apple and these developers. I've bought most of these apps listed here. Not sure how I'm going to feel about the subscription based model they're going to with 3.0. I can't see myself wanting to pay more than the initial price for most of them. A dollar or two here and there really adds up. __________________ It's a dog's life!

Apr 13, 2009, 06:30 AM	#5
fastbite macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: London	The numbers are unbelievable. I wish i could wake up one morning knowing how to create an app -- and give it a shot. __________________ If the movie is a turkey, stuff it! http://www.turkeyornot.com/

Apr 13, 2009, 06:38 AM	#6
Hattig macrumors 65816 Join Date: Jan 2003	Good for those developers who have been able to pay off their mortgages, especially if they wrote the software in their spare time after work. Never underestimate the power of selling hundreds of thousands of $1 applications instead of mere thousands of $10 applications. Then again that's always been my argument for the pricing of music CDs and movie DVDs... __________________ iBook — 12" 1.33GHz, 1.5GB RAM, 40GB, Combodrive, 200GB Firewire Hard Drive :: iPod — 8GB Black G3 iPod nano

Apr 13, 2009, 06:42 AM	#7
Bentov macrumors member Join Date: Jul 2007	....Starts Xcode.....see you all in a few months... __________________ MAC PRO 2.66Quad/8GB/2.5TB/ATI 4870;iPhone 3GS 32 GB/1st Gen 8GB;iPod Nano 8GB 4th Gen;MSI Wind OSX 10.5.4

Apr 13, 2009, 07:02 AM	#9
AAPLaday Contributor Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Manchester, United Kingdom	Fantastic numbers!!!! And on the gaming side imagine an apple tv becoming like a wii with fun interactive games on it. Was just a random thought i had but it could work. __________________ Waiting patiently for updated MacBook Air/Pro

Apr 13, 2009, 05:59 AM	#1
MacRumors macrumors bot Join Date: Apr 2001	All-Time Top iPhone App Sales Figures and Estimates As part of Apple's one billion app countdown for their iTunes App Store, they have also compiled a list of the all-time top 20 apps [App Store] for both Paid and Free apps. Perhaps most interesting is what the potential market for a very successful paid iPhone app might be. A few numbers have been released for some of the top iPhone apps that gives us an idea of the numbers involved. Here is a collection of the known sales numbers for some of the top 20 paid apps. App titles link directly to App Store. #2. Koi Pond - The New York Times published just a few days ago reveals that Blimp Pilots' virtual pond app has been downloaded an estimated 900,000 times giving the developers about $623,000 after Apple's cut. #3. Enigmo - Pangea's puzzle game appeared early in the App Store. Pangea's Brian Greenstone recently revealed in a YouTube video that Enigmo sold 810,000 units between July 2008 and January 2009 (likely the bulk of sales). The price of this app has bounced between $9.99 and $0.99 making it difficult to estimate earnings. #12. Pocket God - This recent hit is another entertainment app that puts you in control of a small island of inhabitants. Bolt Creative's Dave Castelnuovo revealed in a TouchArcade forum post that their app had sold about 500,000 copies as of late March. An impressive feat since it has only been around since January, earning the developers about $350,000 so far. #19. iShoot - An artillery game by one-man company Ethan Nicholas who is the latest rags-to-riches App Store story. Nicholas revealed to the New York Times that he had made $800,000 in five months. His app has held mostly at a $2.99 pricepoint, which estimates his total sales at over 380,000 downloads. Article Link: All-Time Top iPhone App Sales Figures and Estimates

Apr 13, 2009, 06:05 AM	#2
Shagrat macrumors 6502 Join Date: Mar 2004	Will be interesting to see how this goes, if new devices come out, netbook stylee, or otherwise. More games, etc. This could be massive in the long run. __________________ Proud to be a FireWhiner!

Apr 13, 2009, 06:21 AM	#3
IEatApples macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Northern Hemisphere (Hamar, Norway)	Yea, I hope (and think) that Apple understand the potential here, and put their focus on making the "gaming" experience on the iPhone/Touch as good as possible. It's clear that gaming is "huge" on these devices. One thing I'm hoping for is a "gaming console" solution. Imagine downloading a game on your iPhone… then download the same game again for free (only pay once) on your Apple TV (the Apple TV version of the game can be in HD)… then imagine playing the game on your big flat screen TV while using your iPhone/Touch as a (wireless) controller! __________________ You think that's air you're breathing now? It's Mac OS Mac Pro 2,8GHz Quad, GTX 285, 6GB RAM, 2,25 TB HDD, Dell 2408WFP MySpace

Apr 13, 2009, 06:46 AM	#8
MarkMS macrumors 6502a Join Date: Aug 2006	Wow! That iShoot developer made $800k!!?! Amazing. Makes me want to pick up some books on how to write programs for the iPhone/iPod Touch during my spare time. Of course, this isn't going to lure me away from medicine.

Apr 13, 2009, 07:08 AM	#10
AAPLaday Contributor Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Manchester, United Kingdom	Also these numbers show that its a great platform to develop for and that its worth spending time making your app as good as possible. I loved koi pond! It was one of the first apps i got when i had my Touch. Well that and iPint __________________ Waiting patiently for updated MacBook Air/Pro

Apr 13, 2009, 07:40 AM	#12
twoodcc macrumors 603 Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Right side of wrong	wow. those numbers are amazing, and are only going to get better. i need to start developing soon! __________________ tville pump Smarter than the average bear

Apr 13, 2009, 08:08 AM	#13
iPhoneNYC macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Nov 2007	The App Store is a brilliant concept. Especially in this economy you have thousands of people working for free to develop the next hit App. A modern day story of panning for gold in CA. But the fact is that NY Times articles probably propelled thousands more to develop fun new stuff.

Apr 13, 2009, 08:14 AM	#14
AAPLaday Contributor Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Manchester, United Kingdom	Its funny really, there have been symbian and windows mobile phones out there for years and there wasn't an easy centralized place to get your apps. Sure you could hunt around on the web for them but how many people bought the latest symbian phone because of the specs of the hardware and not because it ran that O/S. Nokia N series is really popular over here in the UK but i doubt a high percentage of those people use any other apps than the ones that came with the phone. Apple has only been here a short time and they got it right with the app store from the start. __________________ Waiting patiently for updated MacBook Air/Pro

Apr 13, 2009, 09:18 AM	#18
DipDog3 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Sep 2002	Always glad to see success in the app store. __________________ Interactive iPhone 3GS - Try out the new iPhone 3GS before you buy. New: View the Top Grossing Apps by Category @ App Store Icons

Apr 13, 2009, 09:18 AM	#19
Tulse macrumors regular Join Date: Nov 2003	Twelve of the top 20 apps cost more than $0.99. Please let this end the developer complaints about cheap pricing on the App Store.

Apr 13, 2009, 11:00 AM	#22
yalag macrumors 6502 Join Date: Nov 2007	YAY we can expect more crap apps along the way each time the media gloss over the few millionares from app store

Apr 13, 2009, 11:01 AM	#23
johnqh macrumors regular Join Date: Mar 2008	Those numbers are actually below my expectations. Did you notice that no individual developers have produced more than one hit? iPhone is a very difficult platform to create a business with consistent income. Don't forget there are 30,000 apps right now on App Store, you have 0.1% chance to get above 300,000 downloads, and probably 1% chance to get above 100,000 downloads. Don't laugh at Windows Mobile. There are companies specialized in WM apps for years. Although they didn't have thousands of downloads per day, they sold for much higher price (normally $15, comparing to 99 cents for iPhone). For business, consistent result is much better than unpredictable hits. Also, even at 500,000 sales, that number is not impressive at all in the gaming industry. 500,000 sales is a mediocre hit for Wii, DS, or PSP, and those games sell for much higher price.

Apr 13, 2009, 11:10 AM	#24
RogueWarrior65 macrumors member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Redondo Beach, CA	*bangs head on desk* So the lesson here is to totally change one's strategy for coming up with new product ideas from "something really useful" to "something totally pointless." Want to know why we haven't sent astronauts to Mars? It's because people keep spending money on stupid stuff. Pity we can divert that brainpower to bigger problems.

Apr 13, 2009, 11:19 AM	#25
bghoward macrumors newbie Join Date: Apr 2009	I'm surprised at everyones optimistic attitude about the app store after seeing these numbers. It is shocking and discouraging. I have heard the analogy of the California gold rush used to describe the app store and I can tell you that these numbers confirm to me that the app store is an unsustainable bubble that will either have to burst or will completely dry up in the long run. Just to give you some background on myself, I quit my job 8 months ago and started an iPhone app company. Since then we have released about 7 apps on iTunes. Including our latest app which has an investment, well lets say most people could have easily paid off their mortgage with what we spent (and this is only with 3 employees total). Think about it, these are the 20 MOST DOWNLOADED APPS. These are the best of the best, most of which came out day 1. With 30,000 apps on the iTunes store what are your chances as a developer making into the top 100 list, much less the 20 most sold apps? The MOST you can hope for in your wildest dreams for a paid app is 1,000,000 downloads? And if your app is not on the top 20 of all time list, you have sold somewhere south of 380,000 copies. With these numbers I would be shocked if games like iDracula even made 50k after expenses. To put things in perspective, the average app sells about 15 copies a day at an average price of $1.64. The price to investment is completely out of whack on the app store. Here is another thing to think about. I estimate that you can buy every app on iTunes for about $75,000. Do you really believe that entire value of investment dollars on the app store is only 75k? Our last game cost a lot more than 75k to develop... and we haven't even made the top 100 list yet. On the other hand how much would it cost to buy every song on iTunes? Every Movie? It cannot be sustained in the long run, just something to think about before jumping on the bandwagon.

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