Android Vs iOS App Development – Which Platform Should You Choose For Your App?

Are you wondering which app you should develop for your Business- Android or iOS? If you are considering whether you should go with developing an Android app or should you go with developing an iOS app, then there is no winner in the end. 

It all depends on various factors such as business goals, target audience, monetization strategy, cost of development, and much more. 

In this article, we will explore the difference between Android and iOS app development, and which one is the right match for your Business. 

What are Android Apps? 

Android is a software application that can be downloaded from the play store. These are the pieces of software that work on the Android operating system. Developers can create Android apps using Java/Kotlin programming languages. 

According to Business of Apps, Android is the most popular operating system. With over 7.33 billion smartphone users, around 3.6 billion people use Android devices worldwide.  

Advantages of Android App Development-  

1. Android dominates the global market as it accounts for most smartphone users. Besides that, Android has a market share of over 85% thus, it provides a larger audience for Android app developers. 

2. Android is an open-source system allowing developers to customize the app user’s interface.  

3. Developers need not worry about creating separate Android apps for each platform, as Android apps work in one ecosystem. 

4. The cost of developing Android apps is lower than iOS app development because of the availability of development tools. 

Disadvantages of Android App Development  

1. The approval process for an Android app is easy, and the lack of stringent guidelines makes Android apps more vulnerable to security threats and malicious attacks than iOS devices. Privacy has become a significant concern in recent Android versions.   

2. Because of an increasing number of Android devices, QA specialists need to put more effort into testing Android apps.  

3. Android apps bring lower revenue for developers because Android app users tend to spend less on in-app purchases. 

What are iOS Apps? 

IOS apps refer to applications designed for Apple users, and the iOS operating system was unveiled in 2007 when the first iPhone was released. iOS apps provide more revenue for app developers because they cater to the premium segment of users. 

Reports from Sensor Tower say that the Apple app store generated $32.8 billion in revenue during 2020 from in-app purchases, subscriptions, and premium apps. 

Advantages of iOS App Development 

1. App Store gets more revenue than Play Store because iOS customers spend more money downloading apps and making in-app purchases.  

2. Apple provides a more secure environment for iOS users because of strict guidelines and has a strong reputation for the security and privacy of users.  

3. Developing iOS devices takes less effort than Android apps because there are few iOS devices.  

4. The app store has a strict review process for publishing an app so that you will find more exceptionally high-quality apps on this platform. 

Disadvantages of iOS App Development 

1. iOS apps have a smaller potential audience than Android apps because there are a smaller number of iOS devices. 

2. The review process of app stores is brutal, and sometimes it can take many days to launch the app. During the period of 2017-2019, around 33-35% of apps were rejected by Apple’s review team. All it means is that around 1.7 million apps are rejected every year.   

3. There is closed source code, so developers can’t do many customizations like Android devices.  

4. The developer account fee is more for iOS devices, as the developer has to pay $99 as a one-time registration fee. 

Free VS Paid Mobile Apps 

Free apps are considered the most popular category of mobile apps, and these apps follow the FREEMIUM app monetization model, wherein users can download the apps for free and enjoy the basic features of an app. 

But when it comes to unlocking additional features or gaining exclusive access to premium content, users must incur an additional cost.  

Most businesses prefer to follow the Freemium app monetization model because everyone loves downloading free apps. Getting huge app downloads is an important metric to evaluate the success of your app.  

On the other hand, paid mobile apps focus on getting the users to pay a good sum before downloading or app installation. Generally, iOS apps are paid because customers who have been using iOS products prefer to pay for getting quality apps.  

So, business owners should create FREEMIUM plans for iOS users to serve such customers and earn significant revenue. Here, customers can get certain Apple products for free and pay to access advanced features.  

Research studies from Statista say that 97% of apps on the Google Play Store are freely available to users, while the App Store accounts for 94% of free apps. 

Android Vs. iOS App Development: How to Choose? 

1. Target Audience  

Both iOS and Android attract different sets of users. Undoubtedly, they are known as the kings of mobile OS. Android accounts for the largest market share because most people in the world use it. 

Research studies from Statista say that Android is considered the leading mobile operating system having a market share of 70.8 percent worldwide. On the contrary, iOS accounts for around 25% of the market share.  

The above stats show that Android is way ahead of Apple in market share because Android devices are cheaper than iOS. Furthermore, the choice of the Android app comes from users of emerging markets such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America.  

But, when it comes to choosing between an Android and iOS app, you need to think about which set of users you will target.  

So, if you want to target many users, you can choose an Android app. 

Undoubtedly, iOS rules in the US as iOS users are primarily clustered in Europe, North America, and Japan. According to GS Statcounter, iOS accounts for 57.6% of the market share in the US.   

So, if you want to develop an app for US users, then choosing iOS is your viable option. 

2. Monetization Strategy 

Choosing the best app between Android and IOS platforms depends on your monetization strategy. If your goal is to monetize your app in the future, you should know that Android users are less likely to spend on applications and are looking for free alternatives. 

Undoubtedly, iOS app users tend to spend more as compared to Android users, and that’s the reason app stores bring in more revenue. So, if you want to focus on premium customers, choosing iOS would be your go-to option. 

Research studies suggest that the gross revenue in the google play store accounts for USD 12.1 billion.  

On the other hand, revenue generated from the app store was USD 21.2 billion. The reason behind the increase in app revenue was increased consumer spending on in-app purchases, premium apps, and subscriptions. 

If you aim to monetize the app by implementing in-app purchases or subscriptions, then iOS perfectly matches your app development needs. But Android is a better choice if you want to monetize your app through in-app ads. 

3. Development Cost 

When choosing which app (Android vs iOS) suits you? Then, the cost of development of an app remains a big concern for startups or entrepreneurs. 

Generally, building an iOS app is more expensive than an Android app because the development setup and app store accounts are expensive. On the other hand, creating an Android app costs less bucks because of the availability of cheaper development tools. 

Furthermore, when it comes to publishing an app-on-app store or play store – developers need to pay a one-time registration fee, which costs $25 to publish the app on the play store. On the other hand, to get an iOS app published on the app store, you need to pay $99 as a one-time registration fee. 

In addition, developers use MAC to build iOS apps, leading to an extra burden. 

In a nutshell, the more complex an application is, the higher the app development cost will be. So, choose the one that aligns with your target customers. 

4. Programming Language 

Each operating system uses different programming languages to build an Android or iOS app.  

Regarding developing an Android app, Kotlin is the most frequently used language for creating Android apps. Earlier, Java was considered the official language for app development. 

But developing an iOS app requires the developers to know Swift programming language. Most developers think developing an iOS app takes less time than getting around Java/Kotlin. 

So, choose Android and iOS apps depending on whether you have a development team in place or not. 

5. Desired Features 

You need to look at desired features in an app when choosing between Android and iOS apps.   

As you know, Android is an open-source framework, so it allows developers with more granular customization capabilities and provides more complex layouts. 

At the same time, iOS apps are more about minimal design and simplicity. Moreover, it has no room for customization because of limited development tools and restricted app store guidelines. 

Besides that, Android provides an array of features.  

For Instance – Android apps offer multiple payment methods, while iOS apps are confined to apple pay. 

Android vs. iOS App Development: Which Should you Choose for Your Business? 

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to developing Android and iOS apps because it all depends on various factors you must consider when choosing. 

Think about all these factors before developing a next-generation android or iOS app for your Business-  

1. Identify your target audience first. So, if you want to cater to a wider audience and get more exposure, choosing an Android app is a viable option.  

As you know, 80% of the Android market is dominated by Android. While if you want to target premium users so prefer to develop iOS apps and get help from iOS app developers. 

2. Ask yourself what development budget you have. If you are a fully funded startup, you can continue developing iOS apps because these apps are usually expensive. After all, the development set is costly.  

3. Think about the desired features you need in an app, as Android is open source, allowing developers more flexibility and customization options. Additionally, if you want to develop an app requiring access to hardware capabilities, go with Android app development. 

4. Decide your revenue goal. If you have an app monetization goal, choose iOS app development because iOS users spend more money than Android app users resulting in bigger revenue for the app store. 

Wrapping Up 

We know how difficult it becomes to choose when it comes to choosing from Android vs. iOS app development. But there is no straight YES or NO answer to this. But don’t worry. We are here to solve this puzzle for you. We can help you choose between Android or iOS for your startup. 

When should you choose Android app development?  

1. When you want to reach a wider audience and enjoy catering to a vast market  

2. You want to do numerous customizations and tweak the app as per your project requirements or, 

3. You want to release the app quickly 

When to choose iOS app development?  

1. Your target customers are premium users in wealthier regions such as North America, Australia, and Northern Europe 

2. You want to earn higher revenue from in-app purchases within a short span  

3. When you have an adequate development budget 

But if you still need clarification as to which is a perfect match for your Business. We got you. At BigOhTech, we are here to help you develop Android and iOS apps by turning your ideas into live apps. 

With 10+ years of experience in developing Android and iOS apps, our dedicated Android and iOS app developers will guide you throughout the app development process and help you create next-generation apps that will double your ROI. 

Need help in choosing Android vs. IOS app development?  

Connect with our app development experts now, and we will help you get sorted.