Android Market Hits 400K Apps

The Android Market now has more than 400,000 applications from nearly 100,000 developers.  According to an independent study, the majority of these apps are free.  The Android Market crossed the benchmark over New Year’s Weekend.  In addition, a few months ago it had topped the 300,000 benchmark according to Distimo, a metrics firm specializing in mobile application stores.

Distimo’s app count includes only active applications and does not include apps that have been removed by malware or copyright infringement.  While the Android Market has been booming, Distimo’s reports suggest that the Apple App store has been rising at a much slower rate.  However, Apple did reach the 400,000 mark in 37 months while it took Android almost 39 months to reach the same benchmark.

Nearly two thirds of the apps in the Android Market place are free.  The amount of free apps is rapidly increased.  Currently, 68% of the Android Market contains free apps.  However, in April only 60% of the apps were free.  This rise in free apps might be a result of in app purchases as a driver for free apps.

Although, the Android Market is growing quicker than its iOS counterpart, Apple iOS still manages to make more money for its developers.  The iPhone apps brought in nearly four times more money compared to Android apps.  However, that may soon change with the rise of Android.