Android vs. iOS: Which is Better for Mobile App Development?

There is a never-ending debate on Android vs. iOS, which one is better, or even on which platform one should launch their first app. Though having an online presence on both platforms is equally important because most users are on these platforms. However, choosing the right platform is very important and one must give a good thought before planning anything.

Today, in this article we are going to talk about both of these platforms, iOS and Android, and will help you identify your need so that you can smoothly proceed with the app development process and find the best mobile app development company to help you in the same.

But before we begin, let us see some statistics and understand the market share of mobile apps.

Importance of Mobile Apps

The scope of mobile apps cannot be ignored, especially after this pandemic, where everything went online. The demand for apps like video calling, grocery delivery, food delivery, medicine delivery, etc., has surged in recent times. According to the article published by Grandviewresearch.com, the global market for mobile apps was estimated at $154.05 billion in the year 2019 and is now anticipated to rise at a CAGR of 11.5% from the year 2020 to 2027. Also, apps like gaming, health and fitness, and various on-demand apps like Zomato, Zoom, etc. have a major share in this.

Out of this, the Android market share is comparatively more than that of iOS apps. Talking about the numbers, there are over 1.85 million apps available on the Apple App store, for users to download. Google Play Store, on the contrary, has over 2.56 million apps available, which is quite high as compared to the iOS apps.

Now that you know how important mobile apps are, let us move to our main point of discussion Android vs. iOS.

Android vs. iOS: Which one to go for

Choosing the right type of platform depends on multiple factors like business goals, your target users, budget, and a lot more. So, if you are also confused about which platform to go for, we have compared both of these platforms on multiple factors. So, without any further ado, let’s begin knowing them.

Android vs. iOS: Market Capture

As discussed earlier, the market capture of Android phones is more than that of iPhones. And hence if you are planning to target a global audience or an Asian audience, going for the Android app is a better option. However, if your target audience is mostly from North America, iOS is a better option as most people use iPhones there.

According to Statista, Android phones accommodate almost 87% market share and this is surely anticipated to grow over the approaching years. iPhones on the contrary holds around 13% of the global market share. And talking just in the US, Apple phones continue to rule capturing the largest market share, which is approximately more than half of the total market. As per the data recorded in January 2021, Android smartphones accounted for nearly 43.5 % and iOS phones accounted for approx. 56.22% of the total American smartphone market.

And hence, we recommend going for Android app development, if targeting the global app market and opt for iOS app development, if willing to target just US customers.

Mobile App Development Cost

Mobile app development cost is another crucial factor to determine which app you must go for. Since both, Android and iOS apps are designed and developed differently, the cost to develop them is also different. And for businesses looking to expand their ways via mobile app, considering not only the development cost but also the overall app management cost, is very important.

Now before we tell you the cost of developing apps for each platform, you must first understand what factors affect the mobile app development cost. Not every app costs the same. There are a lot of factors that work together and determine the overall mobile app development cost like:

• App complexity
• Features of an app
• The time required to design an app
• The time required to develop an app
• App development company
• App development team size
• Location of app development
• Mobile app development tools required
• Hourly rate of a developer

All these factors together determine the cost of developing a mobile app. Apart from these factors both, Google Play Store and Apple App Store, have their publishing costs, which vary largely. For example, to publish an app on the Google Play Store, one has to pay a one-time registration fee of $25, whereas to publish an app on the Apple App Store, you need to pay an annual fee of $99. for Android apps, you need to pay a one-time registration fee of $25, and for the Apple app store, you need to pay $99 per year.

Talking about the comparison between both, the Android app development cost and iOS app development cost, the cost to develop an iOS app is comparatively more. This is because the App Sore chares are high and also the hourly rate of an iOS developer is also high as iOS app development involves a lot of complexity and offers high security.

App Testing and Maintenance Cost

Another factor to consider apart from the app development cost, the cost to test and maintain an app. It is very crucial to test your app before launch to avoid any bugs and errors. If your app is not tested before the launch there are high chances that it may crash or even if it does not and users encounter some issues with it, they might not want to use it again. And hence, one must consider the cost of testing a mobile app also while making this decision.

Apart from testing cost, the app maintenance cost is also an important factor. You must always set aside some budget for regular updates and maintenance. If not, after some time you will surely have too many issues and your app will soon become outdated.

Talking about the cost, both of these platforms have a different set of the testing environment and have their own emulators. However, in some cases, iOS emulators work faster than Android ones. But here we cannot clearly define the winner as app testing entirely depends on the features and type of your app.  Most companies offering Android and iOS app development services also provide app testing, update, and maintenance services.

App Revenue

The only purpose of launching an app is to make money out of it, and if your app is unable to do so, there is no point in investing so much money and time in getting such a solution developed. And hence, before deciding the platform, one must consider this factor too.

Comparing the apps on both the platform, iOS apps tend to make higher revenue than that of Android apps. This is because Android apps work mostly on advertisements while iOS mobile apps majorly work on purchases.

According to the survey done by a leading portal, when the top 100 apps were taken into account from both Apple and Google Play Store, iOS apps made more revenue as compared to the other. iOS apps made nearly $84 million in the first quarter of 2019, while Android apps made only $51 million. This difference is even more when gaming apps were taken into consideration and iOS gaming apps outperformed Android gaming apps by nearly 232%. Here is a chart depicting the same:

Hence, if you are looking for a revenue-making app, you must hire iOS developers and get your iOS app developed.

App Customization

With the change in trend and time, you need to change your app too. Sometimes it is for a business purpose, when you plan to integrate more services or products, sometimes it is for the taste and preference of your users, you need to customize your app. However, making changes in your app also requires equal time and effort as required while creating it. Also, with new versions rolling out every year, you need to keep up with everything.

When it comes to app customizations, Android apps are much easier than iOS apps to customize. The android platform allows developers to leverage the full benefits of third-party launchers to completely change the look and feel of your app. However, to do so, you must hire Android app developer who has both experience and knowledge about your app.

Mobile App Publishing Time

This is a known fact that Android apps take lesser time to get published on the Google Play store as compared to the iOS apps. It takes nearly 24 hours to get your Android app published on the Play store but for iOS apps, it may take you 2 to 3 weeks to get your app published on the Apple App Store. This is because Apple has strict security and guideline checks. It will check your app for every potential issue and error and only the apps that have cleared everything will get published. It is a time-taking process. Also, the cost is higher on the Apple App store in comparison to Play Store.

Hence, based on what you want for your app, or how much time you are willing to spend to get it published, you can either opt for iOS or Android app development services.

To sum everything up, here is a quick comparison of both the platforms:

Wrapping Up

These were a few factors, which will help you in deciding your requirements and will help you in making the right decision whether you want to go with the Android app development or you want to opt for iOS app development. Having an app on both the platform is good but based on your requirements, you can choose which one to go first.

Also, if you want you can opt for cross-platform app development, not only it will reduce your overall app development time but is much cost-effective than native app development.