App stores are crucial for smartphones. Such marketplaces offer a wide collection of apps and games that can be downloaded on the mobile device; from food ordering applications to flight booking and simple ones such as a calculator or reminder, these stores are packed with everything a smartphone user would ever need.
So, when talking about apps stores, there are two whose name instantly strikes, the Google Play Store, and the Apple App Store. Both these platforms store about 90 percent of the total available apps on the market today. However, besides these two, there are other emerging places like this, such as the Amazon App Store.
Still, when compared to the Google Play Store, Amazon’s platform has a long way to go. The Play Store features about 3.8 million apps, while Apple’s market place for iPhones and iPads has about 2 million apps that are available at the moment. Then, there is the Amazon App Store that offers less than half a million applications.
However, the platform is a great experience, so we decided to compare it properly with the Google Play Store. Here is everything you need to know about these two platforms.
Google Play Store
This store doesn’t really need any introduction. It caters to all the Android OS, enabling users to download all the apps available on it. The Play Store also provides music, magazines, books, movies, TV programs, games, and so on.
The apps are either free or paid, and can be downloaded straight from the store.
With all the popularity surrounding Google Play Store, privacy is still a top concern for Android users. On numerous occasions, malicious apps were spotted by security researchers – these apps threaten to breach user privacy with different degrees of severity.
Pros
- Simple and easy app publication
- Highest users
- Tops in revenue among all the marketplaces
- Maximum downloads
Cons
- Intricate ASO (App Store Optimization)
- Fierce competition
- Device (and OS) fragmentation
- Google can modify apps as they wish
- Tons of malicious apps at all times and privacy concerns
Amazon App Store
Amazon is not only into e-commerce and cloud computing but has lately stretched its arms in the Android market as well. The company launched the app store in early 2011 and has made the content available in almost every country. What is worth mentioning is the fact that the Amazon App Store is focused more towards tablets and functions on the Android operating system.
Amazon’s first Kindle tablet was released later in 2011 and solely depended on Amazon App Store for the apps, as it comes pre-installed on the device. Moreover, it allows HTML5 apps besides the regular ones, with most of them being created to better integrate with the tablet’s UI.
The platform is not limited to tablets, but it also covers all other devices. The one thing Amazon App Store has and Google‘s store doesn’t is the guidelines to publish an app. The store strictly blocks offensive content such as gambling, pornography, and meets country-specific restrictions. This provides more sales for the store.
The other major difference is the way the app content is shown. Every app in the Amazon App Store has more keywords, videos, and screenshots of it. These things are included to be more appealing, but it makes the platform more interesting. In addition, the app store offers amazing discount sales like 25 percent off Amazon Web Services, 30 percent cashback for download, and 500 thousand free ad impressions in the Ad Network.
Pros
- Better discount campaigns
- Allows HTML5 apps
- Simple ASO
- More chances of monetization
- Filtered content, more secured
Cons
- Inflexible policies
- Minimal users
- Tablet-specific
- Fewer downloads
- Restricted outreach
Closing Thoughts
Amazon App Store and the Google Play Store offer similar services and work for the same operating system. That doesn’t ruin the fact that Google Play Store has remarkable amounts in terms of app availability and downloads, while Amazon’s platform provides users with impressive deals and has useful app features.
Both stores offer ample opportunities to attract more users, but the thing that remains the same for both platforms is the ASO practice, which has to be perfect. In the end, it depends on the user as they have to consider the device they operate and what features they expect.
What is your take?
