Report shows the size of the App Store in Brazil

A new study by Silvia Fagá de Almeida, teacher at Fundação Getulio Vargas, details the size of the App Store in Brazil and its economic impact. The research found that the ecosystem of App Store in the country generated R$63,8 billion in revenue and sales for developers in 2024, boosting thriving businesses and highlighting the growth and global reach of local app creators. See the highlights.

Most profitable categories on the App Store

The value of R$63,8 billion is divided into three main categories: R$50,22 billion (79%) corresponded to physical products and services, R$ 7,46 billion (12%) came from revenue generated by advertising and applications, and R$ 6,1 billion (10%) totaled the sales of digital goods and services. An important highlight is that, for more than 90% of this total amount, the developers did not pay any commission to Apple .

The Brazilian developer community has demonstrated remarkable success using the App Store for local and international expansion. In 2024, apps from Brazilian developers were downloaded more than 570 million times by users around the world. Reflecting this global expansion, more than half (53%) of Brazilian developers' earnings in App Store in 2024 came from users outside Brazil.

Growth in the domestic market has also accelerated, with developer revenues in the Brazilian App Store growing nearly fivefold since 2019. Across all markets, total revenue for Brazilian developers grew 32% between 2019 and 2024. Success isn't limited to large studios, as total revenues for small developers in the App Store increased 55% between 2021 and 2024.

The Brazilian market is highly engaged with the ecosystem; in 2024, App Store Brazil's website received an average of 25,5 million visitors per week, and iOS users in the country downloaded nearly 1,5 billion apps.

In Brazil, developers are leveraging the App Store to turn their passions into thriving businesses and create incredible apps that users love. Their work empowers people around the world to be more creative, have fun, increase productivity, and much more. We can't wait to see what they create next.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple.

How does Apple charge developers?

Regarding monetization, the company's commission policy Apple is applied consistently. The standard commission rate is 30% on paid app sales and on in-app purchases of digital goods and services. However, most Brazilian developers who pay commission qualify for a reduced rate of 15%.

The conditions for this reduced rate include the App Store Small Business Program, for developers with earnings of up to US$1 million in the previous year; 78% of Brazilian developers who paid commission in 2024 benefited from this rate. Subscriptions also have the rate reduced to 15% after the first year.

It is crucial to note that the Apple does not charge commission on the sale of physical products and services, revenue from in-app advertising, or digital goods purchased outside the app and consumed within it. To publish apps, there is a flat fee of $99. Apple Developer Program.

Apple Developer Academy in Brazil

In addition to commercial support, Apple invests in training talent through Apple Developer Academy in Brazil. The program, which has existed in the country for 12 years, is run in partnership with 10 major Brazilian universities. Of the 18 active academies worldwide, 10 are located in Brazil. They are:

• Facens University Center in Sorocaba–SP;
• Eldorado Research Institute in Campinas–SP;
• Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Ceará (IFCE) in Fortaleza–CE;
• Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUC-PR) in Curitiba–PR;
• Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) in Rio de Janeiro–RJ;
• Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS) in Porto Alegre–RS;
• Senai of Amazonas in Manaus–AM;
• Catholic University of Brasilia (UCB) in Brasília–DF;
• Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) in Recife–PE;
• Mackenzie Presbiterian University in São Paulo–SP.

Since its inception, the program has trained 5.000 students, with a curriculum that covers programming, artificial intelligence, design, and marketing. The results are impressive: alumni have already launched 1.650 apps. App Store and founded more than 100 startups. Kobe Apps, for example, was founded by former participants of the Porto Alegre academy.

The pedagogical approach of Apple Developer Academy is centered on the Challenge Based Learning methodology, in which students are immersed in a collaborative environment to solve real-world problems.

The program's success is evident in the projects developed by its students, which go far beyond the overall numbers. Notable apps created by former participants include super pads, a DJ app that has already surpassed 120 million downloads and whose team includes 11 other academy graduates.

The pressure to open app stores

A Apple maintained its policy of not allowing the installation of applications from external sources (sideloading) as a security advantage. The company does not allow sideloading in Brazil, justifying the measure as a way to protect users against fraud, malware, and privacy violations.

However, it is worth remembering that those who live in one of the 27 countries of the European Union (EU) can do the process. This was a measure implemented by Apple to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a new European regulation. Starting with iOS 17.4, users in the EU can download apps from alternative marketplaces, not just the official App Store.

The report points out that 98% of mobile malware targets operating systems other than iOS. The company also highlights two cases that reinforce the danger of installing apps outside of the iOS operating system. App Store: the case of the Web Detetive spyware, distributed via sideloading from its website, and a malicious application that imitated Itaú bank, downloaded from a fake application store.

The security of App Store is based on a rigorous verification process known as App Review, in which the Apple analyzes every app and update before releasing them for download.

To protect users, the Apple invests in security, having blocked R$167 million in potentially fraudulent transactions in Brazil in 2024. In the same period, the company prevented the use of almost 200 stolen credit cards and removed more than 5 million reviews suspected of fraud.

The goal of this process is to ensure that all apps meet high privacy, security, and content standards, protecting users from fraud and cybercriminals. To be approved, apps must follow strict App Review Guidelines, which aim to eliminate user privacy risks and ensure content quality. As a result, downloads made on App Store are malware-free, making it a safe and reliable environment for users to discover and download apps.

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With some info: Apple Newsroom