Answer · Google Play data as of Sep 29, 2026
What percentage of Google Play apps are free?
Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), 97.08% are free to download: 83.75% show no in-app purchases label, 13.32% are free with Google's "In-app purchases" label, and only 76,193 (2.92%) charge an upfront price.
In the same data, the mix shifts with size: of the 64,147 apps with 1,000,000 or more installs, 53.69% are free with in-app purchases (13.32% across all apps), and none of the 1,424 apps with 100,000,000 or more installs is paid.
By Yaro, founder of GetAppNiche · Published Sep 30, 2026 · Measured from public Google Play listings: the upfront price, the "In-app purchases" and "Contains ads" labels, the install range and the category. No estimates. How we counted
- are free to download (no upfront price)
- 97.08%
- 2,531,343 of 2,607,536 apps
- of apps with 1 million or more installs are free with in-app purchases
- 53.69%
- vs 13.32% of all apps
- of the 1,424 apps with 100 million or more installs charge upfront
- 0
- 138 of 64,147 at 1 million or more
- typical (median) upfront price of a paid app
- $1.99
- $2.99 outside Personalization
GetAppNiche, 2,607,536 Google Play apps on the US store, listings read Sep 6–29, 2026
By app size
How does the free vs paid split change as apps get bigger?
Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), small apps are the most likely to charge upfront and big apps almost never do. Paid apps are 3.84% of apps under 1,000 installs, 1.72% at 1,000–99,999, 0.77% at 100,000–999,999 and 0.22% at 1,000,000 or more (138 of 64,147 apps). Free with in-app purchases rises the other way, from 8.85% to 53.69%.
- Free (no in-app purchases label)
- Free with in-app purchases
- Paid upfront
Install counts are Google Play's public install ranges (the 'Downloads' label on the listing), lower bounds of worldwide lifetime installs. The "100,000,000 or more" row is part of the "1,000,000 or more" row. GetAppNiche, 2,607,536 Google Play apps on the US store, listings read Sep 6–29, 2026.
| Apps in | Apps | Free (no in-app purchases label) | Free with in-app purchases | Paid upfront | Paid apps | Contains ads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All apps | 2,607,536 | 83.75% | 13.32% | 2.92% | 76,193 | 31.12% |
| Under 1,000 installs | 1,589,964 | 87.31% | 8.85% | 3.84% | 61,005 | 21.30% |
| 1,000–99,999 installs | 814,836 | 82.60% | 15.68% | 1.72% | 13,989 | 41.70% |
| 100,000–999,999 installs | 138,589 | 67.16% | 32.08% | 0.77% | 1,061 | 62.19% |
| 1,000,000 or more installs | 64,147 | 46.09% | 53.69% | 0.22% | 138 | 72.88% |
| 100,000,000 or more installs | 1,424 | 32.94% | 67.06% | 0.00% | 0 | 71.84% |
| Games | 312,078 | 65.71% | 30.35% | 3.93% | 12,266 | 70.55% |
| Non-game apps | 2,231,538 | 86.34% | 10.86% | 2.80% | 62,499 | 25.61% |
| Sports (app + game label) | 63,919 | 81.44% | 16.32% | 2.23% | 1,428 | 30.93% |
Shares of the apps in each row. Games = 16 game categories; non-game apps = 31 app categories; "Sports" is one label shared by an app and a game category; 1 listing has no category and is counted only in All apps. Shares are rounded separately, so a row can add up to 99.99% or 100.01%. GetAppNiche, 2,607,536 Google Play apps on the US store, listings read Sep 6–29, 2026.
What this means for you
An upfront price is a small-app choice on Google Play. Among apps with 1,000,000 or more installs, 99.78% are free to download and 53.69% pair that with in-app purchases. That is an association, not proof that in-app purchases cause installs: bigger apps are also more likely to add them. If you want the setup most large apps use, launch free and sell inside the app.
Ads and in-app purchases
How many free Android apps show ads or sell in-app purchases?
Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), 31.90% of the 2,531,343 free-to-download apps show Google's "Contains ads" label and 13.72% show its "In-app purchases" label. Counting paid apps too, the ads label is on 31.12% of all 2,607,536 apps: 70.55% of games but 25.61% of non-game apps. GetAppNiche's data records the "In-app purchases" label only for apps without an upfront price, so the grids below count only the 2,531,343 free-to-download apps.
| In-app purchases label | No in-app purchases label | |
|---|---|---|
| Contains ads | 7.95% 201,224 apps | 23.95% 606,244 apps |
| No ads label | 5.78% 146,190 apps | 62.33% 1,577,685 apps |
| In-app purchases label | No in-app purchases label | |
|---|---|---|
| Contains ads | 45.00% 28,805 apps | 27.99% 17,917 apps |
| No ads label | 8.81% 5,638 apps | 18.20% 11,649 apps |
Share of free-to-download apps in each cell; each square's area is proportional to its share. "Contains ads" is the developer's own declaration. GetAppNiche, 2,607,536 Google Play apps on the US store, listings read Sep 6–29, 2026.
Across all free-to-download apps, 62.33% show neither label and only 7.95% show both. Among those with 1,000,000 or more installs the picture turns around: 45.00% show both and 18.20% show neither.
| Free-to-download apps | Apps | Ads label only | In-app purchases only | Both labels | Neither label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All free-to-download apps | 2,531,343 | 23.95% | 5.78% | 7.95% | 62.33% |
| Under 1,000 installs | 1,528,959 | 18.02% | 5.26% | 3.94% | 72.78% |
| 1,000–99,999 installs | 800,847 | 32.43% | 6.08% | 9.88% | 51.61% |
| 100,000–999,999 installs | 137,528 | 38.60% | 8.33% | 24.00% | 29.07% |
| 1,000,000 or more installs | 64,009 | 27.99% | 8.81% | 45.00% | 18.20% |
| 100,000,000 or more installs | 1,424 | 13.34% | 8.57% | 58.50% | 19.59% |
Each row adds up to 100% (±0.01 from rounding). GetAppNiche, 2,607,536 Google Play apps on the US store, listings read Sep 6–29, 2026.
What this means for you
Among large free apps, showing both labels is the most common setup (45.00%), and only 18.20% show neither. If you launch free, decide on the in-app purchase and on whether to show ads before you ship, and keep Google's rule in mind: a free app can't be switched to paid later (see below).
Paid app prices
How much does a paid Android app cost?
Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), the 76,193 paid apps have a typical (median) upfront price of $1.99. A quarter cost $0.99 or less, three quarters $3.99 or less, and 9 in 10 $7.99 or less. The most common price is $0.99: 16,886 apps, 22.16% of all paid apps. We use the median rather than the mean because a few apps priced up to $1,049.99 pull the mean far above what a typical paid app charges.
29.67% of paid apps cost under $1. Prices are US$ on the US storefront. GetAppNiche, 2,607,536 Google Play apps on the US store, listings read Sep 6–29, 2026.
The numbers behind this chart
| Upfront price | Paid apps | Share of paid apps |
|---|---|---|
| under $1 | 22,604 | 29.67% |
| $1–$1.99 | 22,094 | 29.00% |
| $2–$2.99 | 8,619 | 11.31% |
| $3–$4.99 | 9,997 | 13.12% |
| $5–$9.99 | 7,817 | 10.26% |
| $10–$19.99 | 2,708 | 3.55% |
| $20–$49.99 | 1,547 | 2.03% |
| $50 or more | 807 | 1.06% |
| Price | Paid apps | Share of paid apps |
|---|---|---|
| $0.99 | 16,886 | 22.16% |
| $1.99 | 10,116 | 13.28% |
| $1.49 | 9,379 | 12.31% |
| $2.99 | 5,249 | 6.89% |
| $0.49 | 4,497 | 5.90% |
| $4.99 | 3,689 | 4.84% |
| $3.99 | 2,688 | 3.53% |
| $2.49 | 2,492 | 3.27% |
| $3.49 | 1,852 | 2.43% |
| $5.99 | 1,642 | 2.16% |
| Upfront price | All paid apps (76,193) | All except Personalization (49,657) |
|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile | $0.99 | $1.09 |
| Median | $1.99 | $2.99 |
| 75th percentile | $3.99 | $5.49 |
| 90th percentile | $7.99 | $10.49 |
Percentiles are nearest-rank, so each one is a real price point.
Why Personalization pulls the typical price down
Of the 73,030 Personalization apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), 36.34% charge upfront. That is 26,536 apps, 34.83% of all paid apps in this data. Most of them appear to be watch faces (a match on "watch" in the title or developer name, not a store field), and their median price is $1.49. Leave Personalization out and the typical paid app costs $2.99, with the middle half priced $1.09–$5.49.
What this means for you
If you charge upfront, you are pricing against a crowd at the bottom: 22.16% of paid apps are priced at $0.99. Outside Personalization, the middle half of paid apps charge $1.09–$5.49, so a price in that band looks normal to a buyer. These are US storefront prices in US$; Google converts them for other countries.
Where do you stand?
Is your upfront price high or low for Google Play?
Check your price
Type an upfront price in US$ to see how many paid Google Play apps charge less.
Among the 76,193 paid Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store, the 25th percentile price is $0.99, the median $1.99, the 75th percentile $3.99 and the 90th percentile $7.99.
GetAppNiche, 2,607,536 Google Play apps on the US store, listings read Sep 6–29, 2026. Prices are US$ on the US storefront.
By category
Which Google Play categories have the most paid apps?
Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), Personalization stands apart: 36.34% of its 73,030 apps charge upfront. Next come Adventure games (8.07%) and Educational games (7.22%); the fewest paid apps are in Shopping (0.10%). Free with in-app purchases peaks in Dating (52.34%) and Role Playing games (51.01%); "Contains ads" peaks in Simulation games (82.22%) and Racing games (81.44%).
Games lean on in-app purchases far more than other apps: of the 312,078 games GetAppNiche read on the US store, 30.35% are free with in-app purchases, against 10.86% of the 2,231,538 non-game apps. Games also show ads far more often (70.55% against 25.61%).
- Free (no in-app purchases label)
- Free with in-app purchases
- Paid upfront
GetAppNiche, 2,607,536 Google Play apps on the US store, listings read Sep 6–29, 2026.
| Education | App | 280,794 | 12.04% | 25.66% | $4.49 | 7,971 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tools | App | 218,313 | 14.56% | 36.47% | $2.49 | 6,431 | |
| Business | App | 212,521 | 3.76% | 5.75% | $4.99 | 850 | |
| Productivity | App | 149,220 | 14.83% | 20.36% | $2.59 | 3,098 | |
| Health & Fitness | App | 147,434 | 14.61% | 11.74% | $2.99 | 1,712 | |
| Lifestyle | App | 147,301 | 12.31% | 22.06% | $1.49 | 2,459 | |
| Food & Drink | App | 133,255 | 3.01% | 5.91% | $2.99 | 324 | |
| Finance | App | 107,948 | 9.03% | 18.78% | $2.49 | 885 | |
| Entertainment | App | 102,525 | 15.47% | 51.17% | $2.49 | 1,711 | |
| Shopping | App | 94,949 | 1.60% | 11.74% | $1.99 | 97 | |
| Music & Audio | App | 91,405 | 8.77% | 63.05% | $3.49 | 1,570 | |
| Books & Reference | App | 74,857 | 14.55% | 56.81% | $3.99 | 2,066 | |
| Travel & Local | App | 74,692 | 8.59% | 15.44% | $2.99 | 1,341 | |
| Personalization | App | 73,030 | 7.39% | 51.27% | $1.49 | 26,536 | |
| Puzzle | Game | 69,997 | 30.60% | 77.01% | $1.99 | 1,801 | |
| Sports | App + game | 63,919 | 16.32% | 30.93% | $3.49 | 1,428 | |
| Casual | Game | 60,446 | 21.05% | 72.30% | $1.49 | 1,333 | |
| Communication | App | 50,775 | 7.23% | 16.59% | $2.99 | 470 | |
| Social | App | 35,021 | 20.76% | 23.48% | $1.99 | 106 | |
| Medical | App | 31,888 | 7.18% | 10.30% | $4.49 | 920 | |
| Arcade | Game | 30,501 | 20.41% | 59.84% | $1.99 | 1,124 | |
| Maps & Navigation | App | 30,011 | 9.96% | 19.41% | $3.99 | 946 | |
| Auto & Vehicles | App | 28,681 | 7.07% | 13.02% | $4.99 | 498 | |
| News & Magazines | App | 23,299 | 16.69% | 58.29% | $2.49 | 40 | |
| Simulation | Game | 22,154 | 42.40% | 82.22% | $2.99 | 922 | |
| Photography | App | 21,079 | 27.18% | 64.77% | $2.99 | 643 | |
| House & Home | App | 20,247 | 8.23% | 14.31% | $2.99 | 148 | |
| Events | App | 19,599 | 3.19% | 11.43% | $1.99 | 47 | |
| Action | Game | 17,932 | 32.40% | 73.63% | $2.29 | 887 | |
| Educational | Game | 17,864 | 28.95% | 50.49% | $2.99 | 1,290 | |
| Beauty | App | 15,356 | 6.56% | 13.07% | $2.99 | 47 | |
| Adventure | Game | 14,218 | 29.94% | 67.46% | $3.49 | 1,147 | |
| Art & Design | App | 13,548 | 25.71% | 55.58% | $1.49 | 649 | |
| Role Playing | Game | 12,292 | 51.01% | 65.25% | $3.99 | 842 | |
| Board | Game | 12,272 | 29.96% | 65.60% | $2.99 | 642 | |
| Strategy | Game | 12,214 | 39.53% | 62.52% | $2.99 | 728 | |
| Video Players & Editors | App | 10,563 | 26.98% | 59.28% | $3.49 | 332 | |
| Card | Game | 9,528 | 39.33% | 69.94% | $1.99 | 462 | |
| Word | Game | 9,266 | 41.74% | 76.52% | $1.99 | 312 | |
| Trivia | Game | 9,187 | 31.93% | 72.58% | $1.99 | 194 | |
| Parenting | App | 6,873 | 35.52% | 28.66% | $2.99 | 180 | |
| Racing | Game | 6,563 | 32.13% | 81.44% | $2.49 | 252 | |
| Weather | App | 6,161 | 20.55% | 46.44% | $1.99 | 290 | |
| Dating | App | 5,902 | 52.34% | 39.77% | — | 19 | |
| Casino | Game | 5,436 | 29.07% | 59.86% | $2.99 | 192 | |
| Libraries & Demo | App | 2,841 | 12.95% | 30.31% | $4.49 | 33 | |
| Music | Game | 2,208 | 32.56% | 70.83% | $2.99 | 138 | |
| Comics | App | 1,450 | 23.72% | 55.24% | $2.99 | 80 |
Shares are of all apps in the category. Median paid price is shown for categories with 30 or more paid apps (Dating has 19). "Sports" is one label shared by an app and a game category. GetAppNiche, 2,607,536 Google Play apps on the US store, listings read Sep 6–29, 2026.
What this means for you
Before you choose a price model, find your category's row. Where almost no apps are paid, such as Shopping (0.10%), News & Magazines (0.17%) and Food & Drink (0.24%), an upfront price puts you in a small minority; where paid apps are common, such as Personalization (36.34%), Adventure games (8.07%) and Educational games (7.22%), it is a normal choice. Among categories with 100 or more paid apps, the highest typical prices are in Business ($4.99), Auto & Vehicles ($4.99), Education ($4.49) and Medical ($4.49).
Google Play vs App Store
Are Android apps cheaper than iPhone apps?
A little, mostly because of one category. Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), 2.92% charge upfront, against 6.4% of the 744,874 iOS apps in GetAppNiche's July 7, 2026 snapshot. The typical paid Google Play app costs $1.99, against $2.99 on iOS in that snapshot. Outside Personalization, the Google Play median is $2.99, the same as the iOS median across all categories.
| Measure | Google Play, Sep 29, 2026 | App Store, Jul 7, 2026 | App Store, Jul 16, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apps in the snapshot | 2,607,536 | 744,874 | 1,037,841 |
| Paid upfront (share of apps) | 2.92% | 6.4% | 5.37% |
| Paid apps | 76,193 | 47,815 | 55,702 |
| Median paid price | $1.99 | $2.99 | $2.99 |
| Median paid price outside Personalization | $2.99 | n/a | n/a |
| 25th / 75th percentile price | $0.99 / $3.99 | n/a | $0.99 / $4.99 |
| 90th percentile price | $7.99 | $12.99 | n/a |
| Most common paid price | $0.99 (16,886 apps) | n/a | $0.99 (15,303 apps) |
Same rule on both stores: paid means an upfront price above $0 on the US storefront, in US$. The App Store columns are copied from two earlier GetAppNiche pages, free vs paid vs subscription apps (July 7, 2026) and the iOS app pricing study (July 16, 2026). They are two different iOS snapshots, about 2.5 to 3 months older than the Google Play data, so compare direction, not decimals. n/a = not published on that page. Shares of free and freemium apps are left out on purpose: on iOS we classified in-app purchases ourselves, while on Google Play they come from Google's "In-app purchases" label.
Free Excel file
Get every category in Excel
The category table above and 5 more tables in one spreadsheet you can sort and filter: check your own category, compare it with its neighbours and keep the numbers next to your plan.
| Category | Type | Apps | Free (no in-app purchases label) | Free with in-app purchases |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education | App | 280,794 | 85.12% | 12.04% |
| Tools | App | 218,313 | 82.50% | 14.56% |
| Business | App | 212,521 | 95.84% | 3.76% |
| Productivity | App | 149,220 | 83.10% | 14.83% |
Free Excel file with 6 sheets: all 48 Google Play category labels × 13 columns (pay model, "Contains ads", the in-app purchases share of free apps, paid price percentiles), plus the split by install range and app type, ads × in-app purchases, paid price percentiles, price ranges and all 571 upfront price points with the share priced at or below each. Measured listing fields only, US store, Sep 29, 2026.
Free · sent straight to your inbox.
Free vs paid Google Play apps, in Excel
Free — in your inbox in a minute.
- All 48 categories × 13 columns, plus 5 more sheets, as an Excel file
- Plus the Android Trend Report every Monday — the Android apps and games gaining Google Play ratings fastest among the apps we track
Opens in Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers.
Check your inbox — your Excel file is on the way.
While it lands: this table is one cut of the data. In Pro you see estimated revenue and downloads for 2.5M+ Google Play apps and filter them yourself — by category, rating and 7-day ratings growth.
Full access database — get Pro →FAQ
Free vs paid Android apps: quick answers
What percentage of apps on Google Play are free?
Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), 97.08% are free to download: 83.75% show no in-app purchases label and 13.32% are free with Google's "In-app purchases" label. The other 76,193 apps (2.92%) charge an upfront price. Among the 64,147 apps with 1,000,000 or more installs, 99.78% are free to download.
How many paid apps are on Google Play?
Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), 76,193 charge an upfront price (2.92%). 26,536 of them (34.83%) are in the Personalization category; outside it, 1.96% of apps are paid. Paid apps are most common among small apps (3.84% of apps under 1,000 installs) and rare among large ones: 138 of the 64,147 apps with 1,000,000 or more installs, and none of the 1,424 with 100,000,000 or more.
What is the average price of a paid Android app?
Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), the 76,193 paid apps have a typical (median) upfront price of $1.99. A quarter cost $0.99 or less and 9 in 10 cost $7.99 or less; the most common price is $0.99 (16,886 apps). Outside Personalization, where most paid apps appear to be watch faces, the median is $2.99. We report the median rather than the mean because a few apps priced up to $1,049.99 pull the mean far above what a typical paid app charges.
What percentage of Android apps have ads?
Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), 31.12% (811,418) show Google's "Contains ads" label, which developers declare themselves. That is 70.55% of games, 25.61% of non-game apps and 72.88% of apps with 1,000,000 or more installs. By pay model, the label is on 27.76% of free apps without the in-app purchases label, 57.92% of free apps with it and 5.18% of paid apps; across all 2,531,343 free-to-download apps it is 31.90%.
How many Google Play apps offer in-app purchases?
Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), 347,414 (13.32%) are free to download with Google's "In-app purchases" label: 13.72% of the 2,531,343 free-to-download apps. GetAppNiche's data does not record the in-app purchases label for paid apps, so there is no share that includes them. The label is far more common on big apps: 53.81% of free-to-download apps with 1,000,000 or more installs carry it.
Can a free Android app be changed to paid later?
No. Google Play Console Help states: "Once your app has been offered for free, the app can't be changed to paid." The reverse is allowed: a paid app can be made free. If you may want to charge later, plan to do it with in-app purchases rather than an upfront price. Among the 64,147 apps with 1,000,000 or more installs that GetAppNiche read on the US store, 53.69% are free with in-app purchases.
Are Android apps cheaper than iPhone apps?
A little, mostly because of one category. Of the 2,607,536 Google Play apps GetAppNiche read on the US store (Sep 6–29, 2026), paid apps have a median upfront price of $1.99; in GetAppNiche's July 7, 2026 snapshot of 744,874 iOS apps, the paid median was $2.99. Outside Personalization, the Google Play median is $2.99, the same as the iOS median across all categories. Paid apps are also rarer on Google Play: 2.92% of apps, against 6.4% of iOS apps on July 7, 2026. Both use the same rule: paid means an upfront price above $0 on the US storefront.
Keep reading
More Google Play data
- Top-grossing Android apps Google Play's own US top-grossing chart, read daily: the top 20 apps and games and every category's #1
- Google Play categories Apps per category, install ranges and how crowded each category is
- How many downloads an Android app gets Google Play install ranges, from the typical app to the top 1%
- What is a good Google Play rating Rating benchmarks by category, with a check for your own score
- How many apps are on Google Play The listings we read, games vs apps, developers and install ranges
- New Google Play apps per day Still-listed releases by month and category, and how many break out
- Google Play ASO guide Google's rules for titles and listings, and what top Android apps actually do
- Trending Android apps this week The Android apps and games gaining Google Play ratings fastest, every Monday
The same question for the App Store: free vs paid vs subscription apps and the iOS app pricing study.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by Google. Google Play and Android are trademarks of Google LLC.