FunnelHound / Guides / Mobile app conversion rate
Mobile app conversion rate: iOS vs Google Play benchmarks, and why the two numbers never match
Short version: the two stores put the same label on different fractions. Apple's conversion rate is downloads ÷ unique impressions, so it reads around 4%. Google's store listing conversion rate is installers ÷ listing visitors, so it reads around 30%. Neither app is doing eight times better than the other. The comparable pair is Apple's page-view rate against Google's visitor rate, and those usually sit close.
What each store actually measures
| Store | Metric name | Numerator ÷ denominator | Typical reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| App Store | Conversion Rate | Total downloads ÷ unique device impressions | 3.5 to 4% average, 1 to 30% by category |
| App Store | no name, computed | Total downloads ÷ product page views | about 25% on the US store; over 100% possible |
| Google Play | Store listing conversion rate | Store listing acquisitions (installers) ÷ store listing visitors | roughly a quarter to a third, by Play Console peer data |
| Google Play | none | Play exposes no impression count for the listing itself | no top-of-funnel rate exists |
Two details decide everything. Apple counts an impression whenever your icon is on screen for a second, including search results the person never tapped, so impressions dwarf page views and the impression-based rate stays small. Google counts a visitor only when the listing opens, which is Apple's product page view. Apple's rate can also exceed 100% on the page-view base because search results carry a Get button and installs from there skip the page; Google's cannot, because an install from search results still counts as a listing visit. The full Apple definitions are in the App Store Connect metrics glossary.
Benchmarks per store
- App Store, impression based. Around 3.5 to 4% overall; games 3 to 5%, education about 7%, utilities and productivity 8 to 15%, music and business far higher. The category table and the peer-group percentiles are in the App Store benchmarks guide.
- App Store, page-view based. About 25% on the US store, with category spread again; public datasets put the all-category average lower, near 9%, because they include storefronts and categories where browsing is heavier.
- Google Play, visitor based. Google publishes no global average. Play Console's "Compare to peers" view shows your rate against the 25th, 50th and 75th percentile of similar apps, and for most categories the median sits somewhere between a quarter and a third of visitors. Treat that console view as the benchmark; third-party global numbers for Play are extrapolations from whoever's apps the vendor could see.
The spread by category is the same story on both stores: high-intent categories convert visitors at double the rate of browsing categories, which is why a global "mobile app conversion rate" number, quoted without a store and a definition, tells you nothing.
The one comparison that holds
- Same date range on both consoles, at least 28 days, and remember Apple's data runs two days behind while Play's runs about one.
- Apple: total downloads ÷ product page views. Google: store listing acquisitions ÷ store listing visitors.
- Split by channel. Apple's App Store Search against Play's "Google Play search"; Apple's App Referrer and Web Referrer against Play's "third-party referrals". Search converts far better than browse on both stores, so a different traffic mix masquerades as a different listing.
- Then stop comparing stores and compare each with its peers. An iOS listing at the 70th percentile of its category and an Android listing at the 30th tell you where the work is. A 24% against a 28% does not.
Why Android usually reads a little higher even on the fair comparison
- Price friction. More paid apps and higher subscription prices on iOS push some page viewers away before the Get button.
- Listing layout. Play's install button and screenshots sit together above the fold on most phones; Apple's page shows the first two screenshots and the ratings block before the description, which filters differently.
- Audience. Play's search traffic skews toward utilities and free tools in many markets, categories that convert visitors hard on any store.
- Pre-registration and auto-installs. Play counts some acquisitions that never involved a listing visit decision; Apple's pre-orders convert into downloads on release day in a lump.
None of these means an Android listing is "better". It means a three-point gap on the fair comparison is noise, and a fifteen-point gap is a listing problem on one side worth the conversion rate optimization checklist.
Tracking both without two browser tabs
Most two-platform developers end up checking one console weekly and the other never, and the neglected one is usually the one whose rate they quote. FunnelHound covers the App Store half: impressions, page views, installs and purchases from the App Store Connect API as one funnel on your iPhone, with the page-view based install rate as its own pill and your category peers drawn on the gauge. Put Play Console's listing conversion next to that pill, same dates, and the comparison is finally one line long.
Your App Store side, one glance
FunnelHound shows installs as a share of page views, benchmarked against your category, on your iPhone. The number that actually compares with Google Play, without the spreadsheet.
Get FunnelHoundData notes: Apple definitions per App Store Connect Help ("View metrics and benchmarks"); Google definitions per Play Console Help ("Store performance" and "Compare to peers"), as of 2026. App Store averages from public 2025 to 2026 benchmark reports, see the benchmarks guide for sources. Google Play ranges are what Play Console peer views typically show across common categories, not a published global average; Google does not release one. The 1,000 / 150 / 40 / 45 example is illustrative.