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The average price of in-app purchases increased by 40% in the App Store and by 9% in Google Play in a year

However, it can be seen that the rise in prices for iOS (but not for Android) began long before inflation rose strongly in 2022.

The average US in-app purchase price in the iOS App Store is up 40% year-over-year. For Google Play, the growth is 9%. The inflation is 8.5% year-on-year, and Apptopia data shows that app stores are also subject to inflation.

However, it can be seen that the rise in prices for iOS (but not for Android) began long before inflation rose strongly in 2022. This may indicate that publishers are actually reacting to the increase in cost per install (eCPI) that has gone up on iOS due to Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policy . Data from mobile metering firm Adjust shows an increase in eCPI that correlates with IAP prices.

Prices have risen significantly more on the App Store than on Google Play, but one-time purchases have risen much more than monthly or yearly subscriptions. The average cost per one-time purchase for iOS for the year increased by 36% year-over-year, while the annual + monthly subscription increased by only 19%. So publishers are trying to increase the value of subscriptions and attract customers for a longer period in order to reduce acquisition costs.

If such an increase seems very high, then you just need to remember that in terms of absolute numbers, it is not so big in prices. For example, Metronome Beats: BPM Counter increased the IAP of Metronome Beats Pro from $3.99 to $4.99, a 25% increase. In another example, Pinkfong Baby Shark increased IAP for removing ads by 100%, increasing from $1.99 to $3.99.

Looking at IAP pricing over the years, the share of IAPs $100 and above has increased by 23% since 2018 on iOS and 6.3% on Google Play. All but the largest/least expensive pricing segments are growing steadily.

Compared to last year, prices in some categories increased more than others on average, with books appearing in the top five on both iOS and Google Play. In the App Store, the category with the highest growth was Navigation (88%) and the lowest was Social (-2%). On Google Play, Food & Drink was the highest (50%) and Weather was the lowest (-14%).