According to start-up Xyologic, free-to-play releases topped up by in-app purchases make up 40 percent of all downloads on the marketplace in the last 19 months.
Free-for-all
On a monthly level, Xyologic reports there were 99.9 million downloads of free iPhone games throughout the course of March, accounting for around 81 percent.
Xyologic's numbers even go as far as to break down the freemium releases in terms of publisher, naming Glu as current top dog with 2.48 million downloads in March.
Second was Pocket Gems with 1.55 million, ahead of TeamLava in third on 1.41 million.
The firm's report, however, does make reference to the increasing popularity of Android Market with the development community.
Across the course of March, the firm claims 28,963 new apps launched on Android Market, putting it comfortably ahead of former favourite the App Store with 18,787 new titles.
Treating them mean
Indeed, Xyologic goes on to suggest Apple will need to tread carefully when resolving its current dispute with firms operating the pay-per-install model, lest it risk pushing up until now loyal iOS developers across to Google's platform.
"It may make Apples platform possibly less attractive vis-a-vis Google Android if developers cant find a suitable alternative to offer walls," the firm says in the report.
"This is the biggest interference by Apple into the app economy in recent months. Its effects, at this point, are unclear."
All aboard Android
Xyologic's view ties in with the latest numbers posted by Distimo, which claims there are now more free apps as a whole on Android Market than on the App Store.
The firm states that Android Market now boasts 134,342 free apps to the App Store's 121,845.
[source: VentureBeat]
