A recent study found that most free iPhone apps are rarely used after the first day they’re downloaded. According to analytics company Pinch Media, which analyzed over 30 million downloads from Apple’s App Store, only 20 percent of users go back for more the following day.
When it comes to paid apps, only 30 percent of iPhone users actually use it the day after it was purchased and only 5 percent of them are actively using it in the next 20 days.
Using the apps at the same day or the following day (or even the following months) after they’re downloaded, it’s just the matter of habit, I think. Not a big deal. How do you think?
[via CNET]
I think with free apps we are more likely to try them out with the intent to use them again someday in the future. Apps that we pay money for usually come with a specific purpose in mine. For example, if I see a game that looks interesting, and it is free, I may give it a try. If I use it the next day or not does not seem like it is a big deal to me.
Interested in hearing what others think…
I agree, free apps are apps that I would try if my friend told me about it.
Sometimes, our tastes don’t always match so I end up trying the application and then deleting it straight after.
I have a differing mentality with paid apps however, because you are paying for the application.
You wouldn’t want to buy a dinner and take one bite and throw it out, why do that with applications?
I’ll take that one step farther: I frequently download an App, run it once, hate it, and delete it immediately. Amuse me once, shame on me. No you. Amuse me twice…wait a minute…I miss feeling superior to the president.
I think it’s pretty interesting how people don’t value a free app as much as a paid app. Have they done any studies on app downloads that are once free then become paid, or vice versa. Some A/B testing on very similar apps?
I don’t understand this, as there are plenty of free apps that a lot of quality work have gone into. Maybe this is because most of the free apps are kinda crappy?
Oh, and if I were to have a one night stand, it’d be http://www.pureiporn.com. That one’s free too, but I think it has much more value as a fling companion. ;)