Are Android apps more expensive than those on the iTunes App Store? Canalys believes so, saying the top 10 or 20 android paid-for apps cost an average of $2.75 more than those on the top 10 paid-for iPhone apps.
The analyst's results come from 5 countries (UK, Germany, the US, Singapore, and India), all following a similar pattern-- the top 10 Android apps costing an average of £3.47 - $4.09 each, while the top iPhone apps cost $0.99 - $1.04 on average.
Canalys also says purchasing all top 100 paid-for Android apps in the US costs $374.37 (an average of $3.74 per app), while the top 100 paid-for iPhone apps cost $147 all together.
Interestingly top paid-for apps on Android and iOS share "little commonality in any country," with the 2 operating systems offering very different retail environments. The iTunes App Store remains the more mature and tightly controlled, while the Android Market is open yet less secure and consumer friendly. As a result, price competitiveness is more crucial for success within the App Store, where publishers regularly offer discounts.
Canalys suggests developers to offer more aggressive pricing-- more competition should encourage more first app purchases, drive greater download volumes and ultimately improve the general Android app ecosystem.
