20 Mind-Blowing App Marketing Statistics You Can’t Afford to Ignore
1. Mobile Ad Spend Has Blown Past $400 Billion
According to Statista (2024a), global mobile ad spend hit over $400 billion in 2024.
That’s up 11% from last year.
And the U.S.? Alone responsible for $156 billion.
If you think app marketing budgets are slowing down, think again. Apps are the economy now.
2. 257 Billion Downloads in 2023
That’s 257 billion app downloads worldwide. In a single year. (Statista, 2024b)
The number barely moved from 2022, growth has slowed.
But make no mistake: a quarter-trillion installs a year is still massive.
This is a mature market. Not a saturated one.
3. Users Spend Over 5 Hours a Day in Apps
Yep. Five. Hours. Every. Day.
That’s the average across the top 10 global markets in 2023. (Sensor Tower, 2024a)
“The mobile screen is the new television,” said one analyst. They weren’t wrong.
4. Consumer Spend Bounced Back in 2023
After a dip in 2022, app spend rebounded by 4% globally. (Sensor Tower, 2024b)
Q2 2024 alone saw a record-breaking $36.2 billion spent in apps. Up almost 12% YoY.
People are opening their wallets again, good news if you monetize.
5. Non-Game Apps Are Catching Up on Revenue
Here’s a shift worth noting:
46% of consumer app spending now comes from non-gaming apps. (Data.ai, 2024)
That’s up from 42% just a year ago.
Entertainment, fintech, productivity? These categories are closing in on games fast.
6. Every Major App Category Is Growing
Across the board, top app categories saw double-digit revenue growth in 2024. (Sensor Tower, 2024b)
Productivity, entertainment, photo/video apps? Some grew over 35%.
If you think only gaming makes money in mobile… think bigger.
7. Games Spent $29 Billion on User Acquisition
$29 billion. Just on UA. In one year. (AppsFlyer, 2024a)
Puzzle games alone? $8 billion+ in ad spend. That’s more than entire industries in some regions.
Gaming remains the most aggressive UA battlefield.
8. Average CPI Is $2.24 Globally (But It Depends Where You Are)
North America still leads with CPIs around $2.50–$5.00. (Business of Apps, 2024a)
Latin America? More like $1.60.
Geo matters more than ever when planning your UA budget.
9. Finance Apps Cost the Most to Acquire Users
Finance apps command the highest CPIs – about $4.35 on iOS. (Business of Apps, 2024a)
Meanwhile, hyper-casual games are around $1.00 per install.
Why? Lifetime value. Finance apps can earn far more per user over time. Marketers will pay up.
10. UA Costs Are Up 60% Since ATT
User acquisition is way more expensive post-privacy.
Thanks, Apple. And soon, thanks to Google too.
Costs are up 60% since 2020. (Appetiser, 2025)
Precision targeting is harder. Creative marketing? Not optional anymore.
11. 95% of Users Are Gone by Day 30
Retention is brutal.
On average, only 5% of new users stick around past 30 days. (Business of Apps, 2024b)
If you’re not focusing on retention, onboarding, and engagement?
You’re just lighting UA money on fire.
12. iOS Users Retain Better Than Android (For Now)
iOS retention is climbing.
Android retention? Dropped 16% last year. (AppsFlyer, 2024b)
Marketers shifting more budgets back to iOS isn’t random. The data backs it up.
13. Retention Differs Wildly by Country
Japan? 5.8% of users stay active after 30 days.
China? Only 1.2%. (Business of Apps, 2024b)
Culture. Economy. Market maturity. It all shapes user habits. One-size-fits-all strategies won’t cut it.
14. Retention Varies Big by Industry Too
Finance apps? 11.6% retention at 30 days. (Business of Apps, 2024b)
Marketplace shopping? 8.7%.
Gaming? A measly 2.3%.
Vertical benchmarks matter. Don’t measure yourself against the wrong apps.
15. Hybrid Monetization Is Winning in Games
Ad-funded or IAP? Why not both.
Hybrid models boosted hyper-casual revenue by 39%. (AppsFlyer, 2024a)
Mid-core titles up 16%.
Mixing ads with purchases isn’t just viable – it’s outperforming single-revenue strategies.
16. Paid UA Still Drives Most Revenue in Games
For casual and hyper-casual games, 73% of revenue comes from paid UA users. (AppsFlyer, 2024b)
Even mid-core games see about 50/50 split between organic and paid.
If you’re scaling games, UA is still the kingmaker.
17. ATT Opt-In Rates Are Rising (Surprisingly)
ATT didn’t kill mobile marketing.
Now, 50% of users opt-in to tracking globally. (AppsFlyer, 2024b)
Some markets even higher.
Transparency works. Users aren’t as anti-ad as we feared.
18. iOS Ad Spend Is Rebounding Fast
iOS ad spend grew +28% YoY. (AppsFlyer, 2024b)
Non-organic installs? +51%.
Marketers have figured out SKAdNetwork. iOS isn’t dead for UA. It’s profitable again.
19. Subscription Apps Now Dominate Revenue
96% of app store spend now comes from subscriptions. (Business of Apps, 2024c)
$45.6 billion in 2023 alone.
If you’re not exploring subscriptions, you’re probably leaving money on the table.
20. Android’s Privacy Sandbox Will Reshape UA (Again)
Google is rolling out Privacy Sandbox in 2025. (Statista, 2024c)
That means no more GAID tracking. No more granular targeting like before.
If ATT was the first punch, this is the follow-up. Prepare now, not later.
What Does All This Mean for You?
If there’s a single theme here, it’s this:
The app marketing landscape is evolving fast, but the fundamentals haven’t changed.
Get users. Keep them. Monetize well. Repeat.
Privacy changes will keep reshaping how we acquire users. Costs will keep rising. Retention will keep being hard.
But the opportunity? Still massive.
$400 billion ad budgets don’t lie.
The brands and developers who win in 2025 will be those who adapt faster, think more creatively, and respect what the data is screaming:
- Invest smarter in UA.
- Focus more on retention.
- Diversify monetization.
- Play the long game.
Want to discuss how these trends impact your app marketing? Or how to adapt without wasting your budget? Just ask.
These aren’t just numbers. They’re your competitive advantage, if you know how to use them.
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If you're looking to turn these insights into real growth, Strataigize Marketing is here to help. Based in Vancouver and proudly serving clients across Canada, the USA, and Australia, we specialize in helping mobile apps succeed globally.
Our team is passionate about performance marketing, user acquisition, retention strategies, and app store optimization that drives real results, not vanity metrics.
From fintech to gaming, ecommerce to health, we understand what it takes to win in today’s mobile landscape.
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References
AppsFlyer. (2024, April). State of App Marketing 2024. https://www.appsflyer.com/resources/reports/state-of-app-marketing/
AppsFlyer. (2024, August). Mobile Gaming Apps & UA Trends Report 2024. https://www.appsflyer.com/resources/reports/mobile-gaming-trends/
Appetiser. (2025). User Acquisition Costs in a Privacy-First World. Business of Apps. https://www.businessofapps.com
Business of Apps. (2024). Mobile App Retention Benchmarks 2024. https://www.businessofapps.com/data/app-retention/
Data.ai. (2024). State of Mobile 2024. https://www.data.ai/en/go/state-of-mobile-2024/
Sensor Tower. (2024). Q2 2024 Mobile Market Highlights. https://sensortower.com/blog/q2-2024-app-market-insights
Sensor Tower. (2024). Mobile Usage Trends Report 2024. https://sensortower.com/blog/mobile-usage-trends-2024
Statista. (2024). Number of Mobile App Downloads Worldwide from 2016 to 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/271644/worldwide-free-and-paid-mobile-app-store-downloads/
Statista. (2024). Consumer Spending on Mobile Apps Worldwide. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1183430/mobile-app-consumer-spend-worldwide/
Statista. (2024). Mobile Advertising Spending Worldwide 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/303682/mobile-advertising-spending-worldwide/
Statista. (2023). Mobile App Retention Benchmarks by Region and Industry. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1240870/mobile-app-retention-rates-by-industry/