AppMakers USA Releases 2026 App Development Statistics Report Highlighting Retention Crisis and AI Adoption Gap

AppMakers USA, a mobile and web application development company, has published its 2026 App Development Statistics report, a free industry reference compiling more than 45 sourced data points on app development costs, build timelines, user retention, AI adoption and app-store enforcement. The report draws from primary sources including Sensor Tower, Apple, Google and Stack Overflow.

"Most of the advice about building an app online is opinion without a source attached," said Daniel Haiem, CEO of AppMakers USA. "We wanted a page where every figure has a citation."

Among the findings, consumer spending across iOS and Google Play reached $167 billion in 2025, up 10.6% year over year, while downloads climbed to roughly 150 billion, a record. That growth sits next to a retention problem most teams underestimate: Day-1 retention averages around 24%, dropping to 5-6% by day 30, meaning roughly 94% of new users churn within a month.

The report also tracks a widening gap between AI adoption and AI trust among developers. Stack Overflow's 2025 survey found 84% of developers are using or planning to use AI tools, up from 76% a year earlier, yet only about a third trust the accuracy of the output.

Apple reviewed 7.7 million App Store submissions in 2024 and rejected more than 1.9 million, while Google blocked 2.36 million policy-violating apps from Google Play that year.

AppMakers USA has shipped more than 400 apps across iOS, Android and web, including Number Hive, an education app used by more than 700,000 students, and ShiftPass, a shift marketplace live on both major app stores. The company is based in Los Angeles, with additional offices in Santa Monica, New York and San Diego. Learn more at appmakersla.com.