You are ready to build an App, so which platform should you build on first? The short answer is both. However, most organizations and startups don’t have the resources to build on both platforms simultaneously, so here are some reasons why you should build an iOS App first.
Higher ROI
While Android has a larger market share, iOS users (on average) have a higher income and spend more on Apps; therefore, iOS Apps generate more revenue.
Lower Development Cost
Most Apple users are running on the latest version of iOS; hence you are developing for and testing with fewer devices. Android, on the other hand, is a lot more fragmented and requires more development and testing to make sure the user experience is consistent for most users.
Requires fewer resources to maintain and support
As we mentioned above, because most Android users are not running the latest version of Android, more devices and versions need to be supported. For example, you will have more user reported issues because you couldn’t test with every single Android device and version. iOS Apps support requires fewer resources – people, time, and money.
Customer Loyalty
iOS users are more loyal, and far less likely to switch from Apple to another brand. Don’t underestimate this factor, especially if your monetization strategy is membership based.
Higher Standard of Apps
Your iOS App is less likely to compete against free low-quality apps because Apple’s approval system will typically filter most of them out. For example, if you browse through Productivity Apps in the App Store (Apple) you will see fewer, but higher quality Apps. While Android does not have such a stringent approval process in place.
In summary, most of the time our recommendation is to build an iOS App first because most of our clients are in North American and Europe. However, if you are focusing on South America, Asia or Africa, our recommendation may be swayed toward Android. ‘Why you should build an Android App first’ post is coming soon!
