iOS App Development Statistics

The iOS ecosystem from Apple is continuing to grow at a rapid pace in 2025. There are now over 1.8 billion active Apple devices with 28 million registered developers around the globe. 

iOS has emerged as one of the most commercially viable ecosystems from a mobile app development standpoint. 

Android has a little less than 70% global mobile OS market share while Apple’s App Store generates about double the revenue of the Google Play app store – $43.7 billion vs $21.3 billion in the first half of 2022.

Revenue leadership is not just a function of download numbers but also relates to the purchasing power and retention habits of users. 

That is not to say developers who target iOS will simply have a large revenue from upper funnel metrics like users and downloads, they will often get a larger lifetime value per user, greater monetization options for on app subscription, in-app purchases and control over the platform to ensure a quality product.

iOS 18, which was released in September 2024, is one of the key reasons for the momentum of iOS in 2025. As of June 2025 it has reached 88.39% adoption on all active Apple mobile devices. By comparison, the adoption of iOS 17 dropped from over 87% in August 2024 to 5.46% in mid-2025. 

This rapid change demonstrates both the ease at which Apple rolls out updates and the trust Apple has achieved from its users, while it increases pressure on developers to stay up to date with SDKs and system requirements. As of April 24, 2025, Apple requires all new App Store submissions to use Xcode 16 and the iOS 18 SDK. 

To understand better how developers are adjusting to the changing landscape, we surveyed 404 iOS developers using Rentamac.io in June 2025.

The developers were from all types such as individual indie developers, student learners, agency teams, and enterprise engineers. All respondents use RentAMac’s cloud-based macOS rental platform to build, test, and ship apps without the need to own the physical Apple hardware.

In this article, we share the survey results along with broader market data to paint a complete picture of iOS app development as we see it in 2025.

We’ll look at tooling trends, monetization models, platform fragmentation and developer sentiment to understand what’s working, what’s changing, and how Rentamac is empowering developers to remain competitive and adapt in a rapidly shifting landscape.

Developer Overview: Who’s Building iOS Apps in 2025?

In 2025, the breadth of the iOS developer community is broader than ever before.

It ranges from independent creators making niche tools, to large agency teams with an enterprise portfolio. While there are many types of developers in this ecosystem, it’s important to understand who is building apps in this space.

Rentamac issued a proprietary survey of 404 iOS developers available between June 14-25, 2025, and we learned that there is quite a mix of developers and purposes, with flexible, cloud-based macOS access soaring in significance!

Developer Segmentation by Type

(Source: RentAMac iOS Developer Survey, June 2025)

• 42% – Solo indie developers: This segment included part-time developers, bootstrapped founders, and hobbyists. Many manage their applications entire life cycle from design to development to publishing and marketing.
• 23% – Agency teams: These developers build iOS applications for multiple clients. Many rely on Rentamac to scale their testing environment across several projects without having to invest into a large fleet of physical Macs.
• 18% – Enterprise developers: This segment works inside of companies and also uses Rentamac to build applications in a compliant manner, submit to the App Store in a secure way, and coordinate remote teams.
• 17% – Students & hobbyists: We also have a good number of users that are either early-in-career developers or learner-developers. Rentamac is an honest way for them to be able to learning Swift and Xcode without purchase new hardware.

It is interesting to observe that the majority (59%) of respondents are either solo or student developers, indicating just how necessary low-friction access to macOS development environments has become for skill acquisition and early-stage ideation and experimentation.

Developer Goals: Learning, Launching, or Delivering

Survey responses indicated that developers’ goals with Rentamac can vary quite a bit depending on their role:

• Independent developers are most concerned about launching their own products,
• Agencies care about multi-device testing and client delivery,
• Enterprises care about security, build compliance, and collaboration,
• Students/hobbyists are primarily in the learning phase.

This segmentation helps explain the usage on Rentamac – everything from CI/CD pipelines to throwaway SwiftUI projects can be concurrently happened on Rentamac platform.

App Publishing Activity: Developer Perspectives

When asked how many iOS apps they have launched in the last 12 months:

• 29% had launched 1-2 apps 
• 22% had launched 3-5 apps
• 8% had launched 5 or more apps
• 41% had not yet launched an app

This last statistic is particularly interesting. Despite being active developers, 41% of respondents have yet to launch an app. This indicates an emerging and relatively substantial population of early stage app developers – many of whom are either learning the tools, building an MVP, or perhaps still just figuring things out with their first product.

Tooling Trends in iOS Development

One major differentiator of iOS development in 2025 is the modern, modular, and cloud-capable tooling stack developers are using today to develop, test, and ship apps. Whether it’s a personal project or an enterprise scale CI/CD pipeline, iOS developers are mixing and matching native Apple tooling with third-party tooling and infrastructure to enhance workflows and improve app quality.

The Rentamac survey from June 2025 asked developers questions about the tooling they are using on a day-to-day basis. Below are some key observations and emerging trends influencing iOS development workflows today.

IDEs and Code Editors

It is no surprise that Xcode continues to dominate this space; 95% of RentAMac developers claim Xcode is their primary IDE. Given that Apple requires Xcode as the IDE to build, test, and submit apps to the App Store, and as Xcode 16 is required for all new submissions, it is invaluable for any serious iOS work. 

Nevertheless, developers are increasingly using additional tools to supplement their use of Xcode:

• 38% use Visual Studio Code, often in combination with server-side Swift (e.g., Vapor) or crossing over into cross-platform tools like React Native or Flutter.
• 12% reported using JetBrains AppCode, a power-user professional-level IDE alternative to Xcode, which has more advanced refactoring tools.
• 9% use lightweight editors like Vim or SublimeText, typically just for simple scripting and more niche utilities. 

Xcode is a non-negotiable if you are serious about iOS development, but developers are increasingly using VSCode and additional editors to create modular, polyglot workflows – especially when developing across platforms or full-stack.

CI/CD Tools & Trends

Pipelines for continuous integration and deployment are ubiquitous now – even among smaller teams. According to our survey data:

• 72% of developers are using CI/CD in some fashion
• Of those: 41% are using Xcode Cloud, Apple’s native CI service
• 31% are using GitHub Actions, a favorite for flexibility and GitHub-integrated workflows
• 13% are using GitLab CI, and 9% are using Bitrise, a CI service that focuses on mobile

While plenty of developers are using CI/CD tools, some developers still reported friction with CI/CD for a variety of reasons, including:

• Code signing and management of provisioning profiles
• The complexity of CI/CD pipeline for multi-target or multiplatform apps
• The costs of cloud build services at scale

Testing Environments: Simulators vs Real Devices

How do developers test their iOS applications? The overwhelmingly common choice is a hybrid approach: 

• 69% test on simulators and real devices
• 22% test using simulators only (typically students or indies with no hardware access)
• 9% test using real devices only, usually performance-heavy applications like games or video editors.

Simulators are very useful as they use quick and easy but real devices are important when it comes to things like animations, bluetooth and battery profiling.

A lot of Rentamac customers use our cloud Macs and rent their own iPhones – no hardware lock-in, and you have 100% flexibility!

SwiftUI vs UIKit: The UI Framework Switch

SwiftUI is showing some real traction, but UIKit is still here to stay:

• 57% are using SwiftUI (of which): 
• 35% are using only SwiftUI 
• 22% are using SwiftUI with UIKit 
• 43% are still using UIKit alone – typically for legacy code or unique APIs

External reporting puts SwiftUI adoption at about 65% in total. Tools and frameworks like SwiftData (2024) forward is making the shift faster.

Git & Dependency Managers

Modern iOS teams depend on Git and package managers regularly.

Version control platforms:

• 98% use Git
• GitHub: 73%
• GitLab: 14%
• Bitbucket: 6%
• Other/self-hosted: 7%

Package managers:

• Swift Package Manager (SPM): 68%
• CocoaPods: 47%
• Carthage: 12%

SPM is the new base standard – while CocoaPods does still have a foothold, especially in older projects.

Key Challenges for iOS Developers in 2025

App Store Rejections Are Still a Major Pain Point

From our survey, 38% of iOS developers had at least one App Store rejection over the past year. The most common reasons were Guideline 2.1 (App Completeness) and in-app purchase non-compliance – often a subtle twist on Apple’s ever-changing policies. Developers were also frustrated by receiving different instructions from different reviewers, and surprises at the last minute after long build cycles.

Note: Even well crafted apps will still get rejected. Many teams have created a separate layer of QA after App Store compliance.

Hardware Access Limits Progress

33% of developers experienced problems due to old or unavailable macOS hardware. This issue is worse since Apple’s update on April 24, 2025 that states all new submissions must use Xcode 16 with the iOS 18 SDK. Upgrading hardware for independent teams or students in order to stay compliant is a serious cost.

How Rentamac helps – Cloud Macs give access to compliant build environments for developers instantly and without upfront costs.

Testing is Spread Out Across Devices and OSes

Even if iOS 18 possesses over 88% of market share, developers still have to test:

• Older iPhones and iPads
• iPadOS-specific layouts
• visionOS (Apple Vision Pro)
• WatchOS companions

This spread puts the burden on small teams. Supporting multiple device dimensions, interaction types and SDKs are usually resource-heavy undertakings.

While larger companies can test anywhere – indie developers have to build smarter infrastructure to keep pace.

SwiftUI is Still Growing

While SwiftUI’s adoption is increasing, many developers are still having pain points. Bugs typically manifest in much older iOS versions; some core APIs are still not ahead of UIKit in stability or feature depth, and developers reported that SwiftUI’s third-party component ecosystem is not yet a mature nor robust.

SwiftUI allows teams to move at speed – teams that build complex UIs are still frequently involved with UIKit, at least in some capacity.

CI/CD Pipelines are Still a Friction Point

72% of developers use some form of CI/CD tool – more than many realize and appreciate – yet a good number of developers say they still struggle to set-up properly and complain about:

• Code signing and provisioning
• Environment variables or certificates that are lost, corrupted or never worked to begin with,
• Inconsistent pipeline behavior across machines.

Some respondents shared they avoid CI altogether because “it breaks more that it helps.” This is where preconfigured CI-ready Macs (like Rentamac cases) can greatly reduce set-up time and prevent errors.

Evolving Platforms and Future Directions

The Apple experience and ecosystem move fast, and developers are cautiously making moves in that direction. Although iOS is still central, with visionOS, watchOS, and Mac Catalyst, the definition of “mobile” development is evolving in 2025. Our survey identifies which platforms developers are thinking about, but have not yet translated their curiosity into code.

visionOS and Apple Vision Pro: A Slow Start with Strong Interest

Apple’s Vision Pro headset and the visionOS platform undoubtedly ushered in new potential in spatial computing. However, early on the adoption is still nascent:

• 20% of developers say they have either built a prototype or are actively testing on visionOS
• 33% said they are interested, but waiting for wider adoption and better APIs
• 47% said they did not plan to build for Vision Pro, citing cost of hardware, and no clear ROI

visionOS is not yet widespread, but has captured interest. Rentamac users are capitalizing on cloud Macs in these early days to prepare test builds on visionOS without needing to invest in expensive Vision Pro hardware.

watchOS and Mac Catalyst: Niche But Useful

Some platform extensions are shaping up to be more useful than others.

• 41% of developers have created Apple Watch apps – be it as fitness companions or notification centres
• 24% of developers have used Mac Catalyst to port their iPad apps to macOS, generally to fulfill a user request for a desktop version
• Both watchOS and Catalyst enable developers to build on their existing app logic and UI – without having to reinvent the wheel.

Catalyst can enable some quick wins for developers, especially when used in conjunction with Rentamac’s macOS test environments for checking screen scaling and resolution.

SwiftData and Swift 6: Back End Upgrades

Data persistence and language features are evolving too. Two major trends at the back end level:

• 31% of developers we surveyed are already experimenting with SwiftData, which is Apple’s new declarative persistence framework.
• Swift 6 adoption is accelerating, now that Apple requires it for all App Store submissions when you use Xcode 16 and the iOS 18 SDK (beginning April 2023).

Cross-Platform Development: Flutter, React Native & Vapor

Not every iOS developer develops solely for Apple platforms. In 2025, many iOS developers will be adopting cross-platform frameworks to increase their presence, save time, and simply reuse code – especially if you’re an indie developer or agency developing for both iOS and Android. 

Flutter and React Native: Common Code, Greater Presence

Developers are still fascinated with cross-platform development. 

• 37% of developers surveyed explore or use Flutter 
• 29% use React Native, which is typically adopted in hybrid development teams
• Both tools promise 60-80% shared code across iOS, Android and even web

Flutter is a desirable tool that enables developers to automate UI build processes and a rich ecosystem of widgets, whereas React Native can be easily incorporated into projects by in-house teams that spend most of their time working with JavaScript. 

Cross-platform may no longer just be a specialized approach – it is common practice that can extend and make the most of the value of your app, especially for developers on startups with little engineering bandwidth. 

Server-side Swift and Full-stack development

While the majority of the iOS developer base will go on to use existing solutions with FIFOs or Configurations, the use of Swift on the server side is also being explored in some cases. 

• 18% of Rentamac users have developed back-end services using Vapor or similar framework
• Common use cases include user authentication, APIs, and admin dashboards

Why use Swift on the server side?

• Benefits of using Swift on the server include being able to share models and types between the front-end application and back end service. 
• Swift makes concurrency easier to deal with, making handling async data clearer
• Onboarding Swift will be much easier for teams with a Swift-first approach. 

Developer Sentiment: How Developers Feel About Apple

Apple’s developer tools are continuously evolving quickly. But how do developers really feel about the platform going forward in 2025? Our survey indicates a community that is mostly positive, but not without its critiques.

Overall Sentiment: Predominantly positive, but divided

• 58% of developers reported a positive outlook on the Apple developer ecosystem
• 23% were neutral, saying they’d “take the good and the bad”
• 19% were negative, usually due to:

• Unpredictable App Store guidelines
• API instabilities or regressions in new SDKs

While Apple gets credit for innovation, many developers seek more predictability around app review and backward compatibility.

The Truth About SwiftUI: Powerful, but Not Perfect

SwiftUI is an area of great excitement, but also great tension.

Pros developers appreciate:

• Live previews during UI design
• A shorter amount of code compared to UIKit
• Built-in state management with Swift concurrency

Cons developers are contending with:

• Performance on older devices
• Missing parity with UIKit in complex use cases
• Smaller available component and plugin ecosystem

Adoption of SwiftUI is progressing rapidly – but many teams are still dependent on UIKit for advanced layout or feature set previously developed. 

Monetization Models and Revenue Sources

In 2025, there are a lot of iOS developers using different monetization models but the success of each model varies dramatically depending on the app type, audience, and team size.

Developer Monetization Models

Survey respondents had the following reports about primary revenue source:

• In-App Purchases (IAP): 49%
• Subscriptions: 43%
• Ads: 26%
• Paid app: 21%
• Non-monetized: 19% – commonly a hobby or portfolio app

It is common for many devs to adopt hybrid models, e.g., free app that includes both IAP and subscriptions.

Monetization by Type of Developer

Monetization models vary based on who you are:

• Indies who want their apps to be free use IAP (52%) and ads (31%)
• Enterprise development teams focus more on subscription businesses (61%).
• Agencies usually build paid apps or subscription models for clients

Indie developers often find the most success in reach, while enterprise developers are focused on retention.

Revenue Tiers: The Long Tail of Revenue

Of developers with monetized apps:

• 27% earn less than $1,000/month
• 34% earn $1,000-$10,000/month
• 14% earn $10K-$50K/month
• 4% earn more than $50K/month
• 21% elect not to share their revenue

Reality check: the revenue curve rises steeply – there are some apps that hit big – most earn modest revenue.

Growth Strategies: Organic or paid?

How do developers market to users?

• Apple Search Ads: 31%
• Social media ads (TikTok, Insta): 23%
• ASO (app store optimization): 9%
• Content & community driven growth: 45%, e.g., blog posts, open-source projects, influencer collabs

iOS and the Larger Mobile App Ecosystem

Gaining an understanding of iOS development within its context will require stepping outside the Apple ecosystem altogether and taking a look at the larger mobile app market. Although Android has more volume, iOS is still the leading platform where it counts: revenue and engagement.

iOS vs Android: A Brief Market Snapshot

Global OS share:

• Android: ~70%
• iOS: ~29%

Total App Count:

• Google Play – ~3.55 million apps
• Apple App Store – ~1.6 million apps

Total Revenue:

Although it has fewer apps and fewer users, the App Store brings in over 2x the revenue of Google Play regularly. This is attributed to better monetization systems in place and the spending behaviors of users.

Insights on App Engagement and Churn

User behavior reveals dark side news about retention:

• Average time on mobile apps of 2-3 hours/day
• Users only regularly engage with 9-10 of those apps
• 25% churn after first use
• 71% churn within 90 days

Getting downloaded is easy. Keeping it on someone’s phone is hard – which is why UX, performance, and onboarding are more critical than ever.

Major Trends Impacting iOS App Development’s Future

iOS development in 2025 is not just about becoming a better software engineer – it’s about working on a fast and sometimes rapidly changing platform.

In addition to taking advantage of design and workflows, app giants like Apple are putting in place some of the smartest infrastructure to enable developers to design and deliver applications faster and more effectively.

Developer-Friendly Tech trends

Some technologies are fully revolutionizing how iOS apps are designed and built: 

• AI and Core ML: Personalized experience, predictive UX, voice/image recognition are moving towards the mainstream.
• Augmented reality and spatial computing: It has been supercharged by visionOS, and it is bringing new product categories into play.
• Motion design, gesture UI, and SwiftData: Users are expecting more fluid and natural applications, and Apple’s toolkits are available to support developers in providing better experiences.

Apple has been helping to push the limits – and developers responded by integrating more immersive and intelligent features into their little simple applications.

Cloud-Based macOS Access Is Now a Competitive Advantage

As the Apple tooling becomes more demanding, cloud-based Mac environments have shifted from a “nice to have” to a strategic requirement:

• Scale without hardware ownership – perfect for indie teams or agencies
• CI-ready builds without local machine configuration
• Always-on toolchains – continue to be compliant with Xcode + SDK changes

Platforms like Rentamac don’t just save money – they save time, reduce blockers, and help teams ship faster.

Conclusion

The iOS development landscape in 2025 is a rapidly-changing and opportunistic space – with challenges to match.

With SwiftUI’s growth and complexity with CI/CD, as well as App Store guidelines and hardware access to consider, developers are managing a constantly-evolving platform.

Our survey of 404 Rentamac users found, among other things:

• Indie devs, agencies and enterprises all have different pressures.
• Most developers use IAP, subscriptions, and cloud Macs to keep things lean and competitive.
• Tools in the ecosystem like SwiftData, Swift 6, and visionOS are defining the next wave of development.

With the right tools and infrastructure in place, no developer is missing out on the vibrancy of the iOS ecosystem – in fact, may just become the ‘next’ Apple developer.

FAQs

• Can I develop iOS apps without a Mac?

Yes. RentAMac gives you access to a whole macOS setup with full access.

• Is SwiftUI replacing UIKit?

Not quite. SwiftUI is growing but UIKit is still exists for many apps.

• What’s the top monetization model?

In-app purchases at 49% and subscriptions at 43%.

• Why do apps get rejected?

Most apps violate the guidelines; the most popular violations are around ‘completeness’ and IAP.

• What CI tools are popular?

For RentAMac users the majority of code pushes were via Xcode Cloud (41%) and GitHub Akimbo (31%).