App Store vs Google Play for indie developers
October 1, 2026 · 6 min read
The same idea can be a different business in each store. For a small team the question is rarely “which store is better” but “which store is better for this niche”, and the stores themselves hold most of the answer.
In short
- The same niche can be crowded in one store and open in the other.
- Google Play shows install bands; the App Store shows only ratings.
- Subscriptions and paid unlocks have historically been easier on iOS; Android reaches more people in many markets.
- Launch first where people already pay and the leaders are weakest.
On this page4 sections
01What each store tells you
Google Play prints an install band on every listing — 10,000+, 1,000,000+ — which is the closest public figure to market size. It also prints the in-app purchase price range.
The App Store shows neither directly. There, rating counts are the best trace of how many people installed, and in-app purchase prices are listed on each app's page. Both are enough to compare niches, as long as you compare like with like: installs with installs, ratings with ratings.
| App Store | Google Play | |
|---|---|---|
| Installs shown | No | Install band: 10,000+, 1M+ |
| In-app purchase prices | Listed on the app's page | Price range on the listing |
| App name | 30 characters | 30 characters |
| Second line | Subtitle, 30 characters | Short description, 80 characters |
| Keyword field | 100 characters, hidden | None |
| Description read by search | No | Yes, up to 4,000 characters |
| Developer fee | $99 a year | $25 once |
| Commission | 15% in the Small Business Program, otherwise 30% | 15% on the first $1M a year, then 30% |
| Subscriptions | 15% after a subscriber's first year | 15% from the start |
| Before the first release | App review | New personal accounts: a closed test with 12 testers for 14 days |
02How people pay
Industry reports have long shown App Store users spending more on apps than Google Play users, even where Android has far more users. In practice that means subscriptions and paid unlocks are usually easier on iOS, while Android can reach more people in markets where Android dominates.
Check your niche rather than the average: if the leaders on Google Play sell yearly subscriptions and keep good ratings, the average does not apply to you.
03Competition is not the same
A niche can be crowded in one store and neglected in the other. It is common to find a category where the App Store leaders are polished and recent while the Google Play leaders have not been updated in a year — or the reverse. That gap is often the whole opportunity.
04A simple way to decide
- 1
Measure the niche in both stores
In the countries you care about, against each store's own leaders.
- 2
Launch where people pay and the leaders are weakest
Paid leaders that are neglected or poorly rated are the best opening.
- 3
If both look alike, build where you are fastest
The speed of your second version matters more than the choice of the first.
- 4
Treat the second store as its own launch
Its own rivals, keywords and screenshots — not a port.
SideRadar measures every niche separately in the App Store and Google Play, against each store's own rivals and in many countries, so the same job can be compared side by side before you choose where to start. How we score