AppsFlyer: Mobile market trends in 2024
Non-gaming apps are performing much better than their gaming counterparts.
The report was prepared using data from over 35,000 apps. The total number of analyzed installations is 140 billion; and re-marketing conversions - 53 billion.
UA spending
Overall UA spending in 2024 increased by 5% to $65 billion. The market is recovering after a 6% decline in 2023.
However, there’s no good news for games. Spend on non-gaming apps increased by 8% while spend on gaming apps fell by 7%.
In the volume of gaming spending, the share of casual projects increased from 61% to 64%. The volume of UA on mid-core games (-21% YoY, share in total spend fell to 18%) and social casinos (-12% YoY, share in total spending fell to 8%) significantly decreased.
The number of attracted paid users increased in sports and racing projects (by 18% YoY), casual games (+14% YoY), mid-core projects (+6% YoY).
❗️AppsFlyer notes that due to the decrease in CPI, the mid-core genre, for example, managed to attract more users while spending less money.
Looking at the regional breakdown, a decline is observed worldwide. This has affected developed countries the most.
AppsFlyer reports that the UA by non-gaming apps in “gaming” ad networks (such as Unity Ads) increased by 38% in 2024, while investments from gaming companies in these networks fell by 19%. Games still dominate in terms of purchase volume, but the trend is interesting.
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Revenue
Non-gaming apps grew by almost 20% in IAP revenue in 2024. Among gaming apps, social casinos showed growth (+4% YoY), while mid-core projects fell by 2% YoY, and casual apps’ revenue fell even more (-5% YoY).
❗️The report doesn’t mention whether web shops were taken into account.
Advertising revenue is growing in both non-gaming (+26% YoY) and gaming (+7% YoY) segments. Advertising revenue grew the most in mid-core projects, by 21% compared to the previous year.
Downloads
The number of installs increased by 5% in mid-core genres, by 4% in casual, and by 1% in sports and racing projects. The number of users decreased by 5% in social casinos and by 10% in hypercasual projects. All compared to 2023.
The picture differs on Android and iOS. On Android, mid-core projects grew in downloads (+9% YoY), casual games (+6% YoY), and the hypercasual segment (+2% YoY). On iOS, only social casinos have a positive balance (growth of 22% compared to the previous year).
Creative Production
In 2024, the number of creatives produced increased by 40%. Among the largest apps (with revenue over $1 million per month), the number of monthly creatives nearly doubled.
❗️This includes all versions of creatives, including those where only the icon color is changed.