Mobile app monetization provider Fiksu has published new data comparing mobile app loyalty on both Android and iOS devices, finding user loyalty to be much higher on Android.
The company analyzed more than four billion “app actions” through its platform and applied a metric defining a loyal user based on the number of times he or she opens an app. The data shows that on average, Android users are two times more likely than iOS users to open an app ten times or more. iOS still dominates among premium brands but what this means is that there’s plenty of inventory available on the Android platform, where global traffic can cost much less than iOS traffic based on standard supply and demand principles.
On a global scale, Android traffic costs become significantly less expensive than iOS, according to Fiksu, so not only can an Android app global marketing campaign deliver more loyal users, but the acquisition cost will also be significantly lower – indicating a better investment overall. It’s also worth noting that the average cost to acquire loyal users on iOS has steadily increased in the last six months, according to the Fiksu Indexes — topping out in August at $1.54.
Loyalty in mobile users is an interesting metric to track, especially when comparing Android and iOS — which are vastly different in terms of worldwide usage and reach. Android is spread across hundreds of devices across hundreds of mobile operators around the world, while iOS only runs on two mobile main mobile devices (iPhone & iPod Touch). Of course Android is going to show higher “app loyalty” based solely on the numbers. Still, there’s some interesting insight.
Are you a mobile developer? Do you see more loyalty with Android users or iOS users?
