Android apps more than twice as expensive as iOS

Popular apps on the Android Market average a cost more than 2.5 times those of their counterparts on the iOS App Store, say researchers.

Analyst firm Canalys' App Integrator study found that the top 100 paid applications on the Android service carry an average cost of $3.74, compared to an average cost of just $1.47 for the most popular paid iOS apps.

Analysts believe that the higher cost of Android applications is due, in part, to a smaller audience on the Android market. With fewer choices in software and users to target, analysts see Android developers commanding a higher price for downloads.

"Developers and publishers need to balance the iOS volume opportunity with a potentially greater value per download opportunity on Android, where more apps command higher price points," said Canalys mobile analyst, Rachel Lashford.

"Selling more apps at higher prices is the Holy Grail for developers, but achieving big volumes of paid apps on Android is no small challenge."

Analysts also noted that the Android and iOS markets varied in their audience and scope of applications. Top apps on the iOS store were more likely to be games, while Android apps tended to be geared more towards business than consumer users.

In total, analysts found that just 15 applications appeared amongst the top 100 for both platforms in the US.

While both marketplaces have enjoyed success, each serving more than 10 billion downloads, the App Store and Android Market have encountered their respective challenges.

Apple has been criticised for its tight management of the App Store, while Google has had to deal with a number of malware outbreaks on the Android Market.