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Netflix earned $790M from iOS alone in 2018 as subscription apps dominate year-end ‘top grossing’ chart

Subscription apps have become incredibly common on iOS over the last several years. As 2018 comes to a close, app analytics firm Sensor Tower has compiled a list of the highest grossing applications for iPhone and iPad worldwide this year. As you’d expect, subscription applications dominate the list.

The top 10 list was compiled by Sensor Tower for Business Insider. The list breaks down the top 10 highest grossing apps for iPhone and iPad worldwide, and details how much revenue each app brought in.

Subscription applications dominate the list, as seemingly all of the top 10 grossing apps offer some sort of subscription functionality. Tinder, for instance, offers its Tinder Plus and Tinder Gold tiers, which undoubtedly helped it secure its spot on the top grossing list this year.

Coming in at the top of the list is Netflix, which brought in a whopping $790.2 million in revenue from iOS subscriptions alone. This makes it the far and away leader, followed by Tencent Video at $490.2 million and Tinder at 462.2 million.

In addition to underscoring the importance and popularity of subscriptions on iOS, this list also shows how big the Chinese market has become to the App Store. Five of the top 10 grossing apps are based in China, and two of them (Tencent Video and Kwai) are powered at least in part by Tencent.

Here’s the full list:

  1. Netflix – $790.2 million
  2. Tencent Video – $490.0 million
  3. Tinder – $462.2 million
  4. iQiyi – $420.5 million
  5. Kwai (Kuaishou) – $264.5 million
  6. YouTube – $244.2 million
  7. Pandora – $225.7 million
  8. Youku – $192.9 million
  9. QQ – $159.7 million
  10. Hulu – $132.6 million

What do you think of this list and the rising popularity of the subscription model on iOS? Let us know down in the comments.


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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is the editor-in-chief of 9to5Mac, overseeing the entire site’s operations. He also hosts the 9to5Mac Daily and 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcasts.

You can send tips, questions, and typos to chance@9to5mac.com.

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