Several bloggers in this thread have reiterated how iPhone users pay for their apps while many Android users grab their apps for free, leading many to conclude that Apple is expensive. To test this, we compared the pricing of a number of apps and services across App Store and Google Play. But it enabled us to have an insight whether iPhone users are really spending more of their money than Android users.
iPhone vs. Android: The Subscription Price Debate
When it comes to streaming services such as Spotify, Netflix or Apple Music it is observed that prices are reasonably uniform with small differences. Products of such apps usually comprise similar prices regardless of the device or the operating system. But, believe it or not, this is not the case with Google’s own subscriptions.
Google One and YouTube Premium which are two of Google’s most popular services cost way more on iPhones. The cause for this lies in the platform revenues which Google has to deduct as prices of the iOS App Store. Therefore it is found that iPhone users are paying up to 20% more than that of Android users for these services.
At the same time, if Apple is comparing its native subscriptions like iCloud and Apple Music the prices are the same. This is a direct consequences of Apple’s policy of setting high barriers for the application and subscription prices, thus making their services cost the same on both iPhone and Android.
Therefore, although some streaming services are slightly cheaper on iOS than on Android, or, conversely, offer both versions at an identical price, some, especially from Google, are more costly on iPhones. This is our major finding that this difference is largely attributed to the fact that Apple charges additional platform fees that make the costs incurred by users on iOS higher.
Why App Subscriptions Cost More on iPhones Than Android
This is a misconception that critics and users have developed on the basis of the platform fees that both Google and Apple are charging for the subscription to the apps. Such fees influence the strategies that companies employ for their subscription, hence making services relatively expensive within iOS. For instance, while YouTube Premium costs $12 per month subscription fee on Android, it is $14.31 on iPhones, the price difference.
There is this pricing disparity because if the subscriptions are made through the App Store, Apple then pockets up to 30% commission. Likewise, Android users need not pay the additional fee when they directly subscribe to Google services or any third-party tool to subscribe, hence making subscriptions cheaper to users.
Meta Verified on both platforms costs $7.57 monthly subscription fee while Android users get a slightly better deal with a 6.86 dollar discount on the first month subscription fee. This discount is significant in the sense that the IAP eliminates other expenses incurred in iOS subscriptions, which makes Android users start with a discount.
Partially, this is due to the difference in the price policy of separate services: for example, getting the Premium+ subscription for X, which was previously Twitter. On iPhones, the subscription costs 2,299 rupees per month, while on Android, it’s 2,150 rupees, thanks to additional fees iOS users pay when subscribing directly through the App Store.
But not all services exhibit this level of fluctuation of prices. Some do not differentiate the prices based on the platform and device; for example, Truecaller sells its subscriptions at 99 rupees monthly and 899 rupees annually. Similarly, the company’s own digital services, for instance, Apple Music, Apple TV+ also have the same prices for the iOS as well as Android ecosystem.
LinkedIn Premium and the Cost Difference Between iPhone and Android
However, LinkedIn is an exception to most services that have a clear distinction of prices between an iPhone and Android version for the application. The subscription on iPhone, however, is slightly cheaper at 919 rupees, while the same is offered at 925 rupees on Android. This is the exact opposite of what we saw regarding Google services where Android is usually the cheaper offering.
In fact, the price differences between the platforms mainly due to the difference in policies of the services. Pricing of services themselves, in general, are usually cheaper on Android when talking of Google services, but LinkedIn might have a different policy as for subscription plans. This goes to show that subscription costs often have little to do with the operating system at their core.
For people who heavily use Google services this means that Android is much less expensive of an offer. Subscriptions such as YouTube Premium, Google One and others are slightly cheaper on Android since the provider does not have to pay any platform commission. That being said, it is significantly more complex for the rest of the apps where each service has its rationalized prices under its contract with Apple, as well as Google.
Surprisingly, if you decide to subscribe to these apps through a desktop or web, the prices drop even lower. In most instances, this results in massive savings since many services provide ways that enable customers avoid such additional charges which else mobile app stores would take. Such has led to the desktop subscriptions to become more and more an alternative that can be relied upon for users seeking ways to cut down their expenses.
All in all, the pricing strategy of Google related services shows that the Android users pay less for the services yet the pricing of application subscriptions differs from one service to the other. The best way to get the subscription is to avoid being tied down by mobile subscription where one has to pay some subscription fees, instead one can subscribe through web browsers based applications or through a desktop application.
