AppMakers USA, a mobile and web application development company, has released its 2026 App Development Statistics report, compiling more than 45 sourced data points on app development costs, build timelines, user retention, AI adoption, and app-store enforcement. The report draws from primary sources including Sensor Tower, Apple, Google, and Stack Overflow.
“Most of the advice about building an app online is opinion without a source attached,” said Daniel Haiem, CEO of AppMakers USA. “We wanted a page where every figure has a citation.”
Among the findings, consumer spending across iOS and Google Play reached $167 billion in 2025, up 10.6% year over year, while downloads climbed to roughly 150 billion, a record. That growth sits next to a retention problem most teams underestimate: Day-1 retention averages around 24%, dropping to 5-6% by day 30, meaning roughly 94% of new users churn within a month.
The report also tracks a widening gap between AI adoption and AI trust among developers. Stack Overflow’s 2025 survey found 84% of developers are using or planning to use AI tools, up from 76% a year earlier, yet only about a third trust the accuracy of the output.
Apple reviewed 7.7 million App Store submissions in 2024 and rejected more than 1.9 million, while Google blocked 2.36 million policy-violating apps from Google Play that year.
AppMakers USA has shipped more than 400 apps across iOS, Android, and web, including Number Hive, an education app used by more than 700,000 students, and ShiftPass, a shift marketplace live on both major app stores. The company is based in Los Angeles, with additional offices in Santa Monica, New York, and San Diego, and offers mobile app development, custom software development, AI integration, and app rescue services.
For business leaders, the report underscores the critical need to focus on user retention strategies early in development, given that 94% of new users churn within a month. The AI trust gap also suggests that while AI tools are widely adopted, developers remain cautious about relying on them without verification. Additionally, the high rejection rates by Apple and Google highlight the importance of compliance with app store guidelines to avoid wasted development costs.
The full report is available at appmakersla.com.
