India is known to be the third-largest startup country with an annual growth rising from 12% to 15%. With that being said, we can say that the startup industry is tremendously growing. People are now being enthusiastic about starting their own business and making an impact on society. The daring nature of a lot of people can be seen by a study that showed an increase in the numbers of startups from 29,000 in 2014 to 55,000 by the end of 2020.
We can say it is just the beginning, therefore; if you are planning to start your own business then you need to be technically skilled. To stay ahead in the competition of this profitable venture, you have to be updated about all the latest technologies and strategies. One of the ways is to start your mobile application to offer the products and services to your target audience.
The majority of people use mobile applications nowadays, to fulfill their requirements. However, it will be very beneficial for your startup as you will get a wider audience to target. And, what else could be better than reaching to masses through a mobile application.Talking about mobile applications, the main question that arises in the mind of startup owners is what kind of platform will be better for their business to prosper. Will it be an android platform or an iOS platform? There might be some cases where startups will go for a hybrid app to reach the audiences using both platforms.
Before we figure out which platform is better for your startup, let us know the reasons behind the importance of mobile applications for startups.
- The present business environment has changed drastically over the pandemic time. Many digital brands have owned mobile applications and are experiencing tremendous growth in their business. The reason is that people have started using mobile applications during pandemic which lead to the increase in profits and popularity of many businesses.
- Over 700 million users in India in 2021 are using mobile applications and both platforms have a good number of market shares which is expected to increase by the end f 2021.
With these reasons, you can conclude that mobile application is going to be a leading factor in the success of all the startups in 2021.Now let us talk about the main objective of the blog that which platform – android or iOS is better for the startups in 2021.
You will never go out of points when talking about which platform – android or iOS to choose for a startup or already existing business. However, you need to start working on owning an app as soon as possible and increase your return on investment. Let us look at the main factors of both platforms to help you choose the right one for your startup.
Target Audience
We cannot deny the fact that as compared to the iOS platform, Android has a wider target audience and demographic reach. This is because android devices are affordable as compared to iOS devices. You can get an android device at a cheaper price as well as at a premium price whereas, iOS devices can only be owned by rich people. This is why android owns 86% of the market share and iOS owns 14%. Thus, android is used by over 120 million users and iOS is used by around 110 million users. Therefore, when it comes to reaching the target audience, the android platform is much better than the iOS platform, the reason being the former is used by more people as compared to the latter. However, considering earning more profits, you should choose the platform depending upon your organization’s nature and the kind of audience you want to target.
Design and Development
Design is a very important part of a mobile application. User interface i.e., how the buttons and icons of the app have been designed or what kinds of visuals are used matters a lot in grabbing the user’s attention to your application. Once the user is drawn towards your app and has started using it, the next thing that matters the most is the user experience. Your startup’s success will depend upon how smooth and efficient a user found the usage of your app. The designing of an app on an android platform is super easy as there are a lot of libraries, extensions, etc. are available. All it requires is to hire good android app developers who have expertise in designing and developing skills, tools and know about the latest technology.
Monetization
The next question besides choosing the right platform is how you can earn money from a startup mobile application. Well, the main purpose behind developing an app for your startup is to make money by reaching a larger segment of the audience. Therefore, when we talk about monetizing, there are two things to look upon i.e. ad-monetization through the app and number of installs of the app. iOS is considered to be more profitable as compared to Android in terms of in-app purchases and subscriptions. However, ad-monetization is more in android as compared to iOS. Therefore, if we combine both the factors, then both android and iOS platforms provide a larger monetary advantage but on different terms.
Let’s have a look at the comparison between both platforms to make your decision process simpler.
- Revenue – Android apps will generate more revenue and profit as compared to iOS apps.
- Cost and Time – It takes more time to develop a customized android app as compared to an iOS app.
- Customization – Android platform allows easy customization as compared to the iOS platform.
- Maintenance – It takes less maintenance in android platforms, whereas, iOS demands more maintenance over time.
Therefore, it can be concluded that the android platform is better as compared to the iOS platform on many terms. So, startups should choose the Android platform over the iOS platform to reach a greater audience, increase return on investment, and eventually grow in terms of success.