Answer · data from 744,874 iOS apps
How many downloads is good for an app?
Lower than you think — because most apps get effectively none. Across the 744,874 iOS App Store apps we track (July 7, 2026), only 55,429 — 7.4% — show enough public signal to carry a download estimate at all. The other 92.6% register effectively zero measurable downloads. So any measurable downloads already beats more than nine apps in ten, and the median among the measurable minority is just ≈643 estimated downloads/month. "Good" is relative — this page gives you the honest ladder, then per-category medians so you benchmark against your own category, not a global myth.
Every download figure on this page is a labeled estimate generated by GetAppNiche's proprietary multi-signal model — never a measured number. Data snapshot: July 7, 2026; dataset updated daily. Check any specific app free with the app revenue checker.
The benchmark ladder
What each download level beats, across all apps
Percentiles among the measurable apps understate how well you're doing, because 92.6% of the store never makes it onto the board at all. Restated against all 744,874 apps:
| Estimated downloads/month | Share of ALL apps it beats |
|---|---|
| Any measurable downloads at all | ≈ top 7.4% of all apps |
| ≥ 643 est. downloads/mo (measurable median) | ≈ top 3.7% of all apps |
| ≥ 18,000 est. downloads/mo (measurable top 10%) | ≈ top 0.7% of all apps |
| ≥ 376,260 est. downloads/mo (measurable top 1%) | ≈ top 0.07% of all apps |
Source: GetAppNiche analysis of 744,874 iOS App Store apps, July 7, 2026 snapshot. The all-apps shares are approximations derived by scaling the measurable-app percentiles by the 7.4% detection rate (e.g. the measurable median ≈ 7.4% × ½ ≈ top 3.7%). Apps below the detection floor can still have some downloads — no velocity-based model can see them — so read each rung as "at least this good." Why so many apps are invisible to estimators is covered in how to estimate app downloads.
By category
Median and top-10% estimated downloads/month, per category
24 App Store categories, apps with a download estimate only — the measurable 7.4%. Apps below the detection floor are excluded, so every median here is a benchmark among apps that register at all. "Good for a Games app" and "good for a Developer Tools app" are different numbers.
| Category | Apps with estimate | Median est. downloads/mo | p90 est. downloads/mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Games | 6,787 | 2,143 | 66,429 |
| Weather | 622 | 1,286 | 10,929 |
| Finance | 5,728 | 857 | 12,857 |
| Shopping | 1,821 | 857 | 40,071 |
| Graphics & Design | 858 | 857 | 15,429 |
| Book | 746 | 643 | 12,857 |
| Entertainment | 2,843 | 643 | 17,571 |
| Productivity | 2,700 | 643 | 11,571 |
| Reference | 1,255 | 643 | 13,414 |
| Social Networking | 1,151 | 643 | 17,786 |
| Sports | 1,389 | 643 | 12,300 |
| Travel | 1,918 | 643 | 19,714 |
| Utilities | 4,924 | 643 | 9,429 |
| Lifestyle | 3,344 | 643 | 19,071 |
| Medical | 1,129 | 643 | 17,143 |
| Navigation | 713 | 643 | 10,286 |
| News | 828 | 643 | 10,350 |
| Photo & Video | 2,138 | 643 | 14,357 |
| Food & Drink | 2,296 | 429 | 13,607 |
| Education | 3,836 | 429 | 9,000 |
| Health & Fitness | 3,957 | 429 | 12,214 |
| Business | 2,493 | 429 | 14,229 |
| Developer Tools | 133 | 429 | 7,200 |
| Music | 1,748 | 429 | 10,350 |
Source: GetAppNiche analysis of 744,874 iOS App Store apps, July 7, 2026 snapshot (dataset updated daily). All figures are estimates modeled from public App Store signals, not measured installs — the method and its limits are documented in how to estimate app downloads.
Same 24 categories as the table above, ranked by median estimated downloads/month among the measurable 7.4% of apps in each — Games is roughly double every other category, and thirteen categories tie at ≈643. Labeled model estimates, snapshot July 7, 2026; apps without sufficient model confidence are excluded.
How to read this table
Four things the category spread reveals
- Games play a different sport. The median measurable game registers an estimated 2,143 downloads/month — 3–5× every other category — and its p90 of 66,429/month dwarfs the entire table. A "good" download count for a game would be a spectacular one almost anywhere else.
- Weather is the quiet #2. A tiny category (622 measurable apps) with a median of ≈1,286 estimated downloads/month — double the store-wide 643. Few apps, but the ones that register tend to register solidly.
- Shopping is winner-take-most. Its median is a modest 857, but its p90 is 40,071 estimated downloads/month — the second-fattest tail after Games. The typical measurable shopping app is small; the winners are enormous.
- Category choice moves the ceiling more than the floor. Thirteen categories share the same ≈643 median, yet their p90s range from ≈9,429 (Utilities) to ≈19,714 (Travel). Picking a category mostly changes what "winning" looks like, not what "typical" looks like.
The catch
Downloads are not revenue
A "good" download count is reach, not income. Most installs are free, and whether they turn into money depends on the monetization model — a freemium app converting 1–3% of installs can be out-earned by a smaller app with better conversion or higher prices. Downloads and revenue also apply different filters: 7.4% of apps show measurable downloads, but only about 3.2% clear an estimated $1,000/month in revenue. If the question behind your question is "will this app make money?", the odds ladder is in how many apps actually make money — and you can check any specific app's estimated downloads and revenue free with the app revenue checker.
FAQ
Good download numbers — quick answers
How many downloads is good for an app?
"Good" is relative, because most apps get effectively none. Across 744,874 iOS apps we analyzed (July 7, 2026), only 7.4% show enough public signal to carry a download estimate at all — so ANY measurable downloads already puts an app roughly in the top 7% of the store. From there the ladder runs: ≈643 estimated downloads/month is the median of the measurable minority (≈ top 3.7% of all apps), ≈18,000/month is the measurable top 10% (≈ top 0.7% of all apps), and ≈376,260/month is the measurable top 1% (≈ top 0.07%). All figures are estimates from public signals, and the honest benchmark is your category's median, not a global number.
How many downloads does the average app get?
Effectively zero. Of the 744,874 iOS App Store apps in our July 7, 2026 snapshot, 92.6% register no measurable downloads — they generate too little public signal for any velocity-based estimator to model. Among the 55,429 apps (7.4%) that do carry an estimate, the median is roughly 643 estimated downloads/month. So the honest answer has two halves: the average app gets approximately nothing, and even the median measurable app gets only a few hundred estimated installs a month.
How many downloads do the top apps get?
Among the 55,429 iOS apps with a download estimate in our July 7, 2026 snapshot, the top 10% clear roughly 18,000 estimated downloads/month and the top 1% clear roughly 376,260/month. Category matters enormously at the top: the 90th percentile for Games is about 66,429 estimated downloads/month — more than triple almost every other category — while Developer Tools' p90 is around 7,200/month. These are labeled proprietary-model estimates, not measured installs.
Is 1,000 downloads a month good?
Yes — honestly, it is. In our July 7, 2026 snapshot of 744,874 iOS apps, only 7.4% show any measurable downloads at all, and the median among those is roughly 643 estimated downloads/month. An app at 1,000/month is above that median, which places it very roughly in the top ~3% of the entire store. Context still matters: 1,000/month is above the median in most categories but well below the median for Games (≈2,143) — benchmark against your own category, and treat every figure as an estimate.
Do more downloads mean more revenue?
No — the correlation is real but loose. Most downloads are free installs, and revenue depends on the monetization model: a freemium app converting 1–3% of installs to paying users can be out-earned by a smaller app with better conversion or higher prices. In our dataset only about 3.2% of 744,874 iOS apps clear an estimated $1,000/month in revenue — a stricter filter than downloads alone. Downloads measure reach; revenue measures a business. The odds side of that question is covered separately in our analysis of how many apps make money.