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Distimo: 60% of Android apps are free

September 1, 2010 — 5:16pm ET | By Sue Marek

Google's Android Market has the largest share of free applications. App store analytics firm Distimo reports that 60 percent of Android apps are free--an increase of 3 percent from May. Windows Marketplace for Mobile has the lowest percentage of free apps with just 22 percent, while 26 percent of apps in both Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) App Store for the iPad and BlackBerry App World are free.

However, Distimo acknowledged that the higher percentage of free Android apps may be because developers from only nine countries are currently able to distribute paid applications through Android Market and users from only 14 countries are able to download paid applications (out of the 46 countries in which Google Android Market currently is available).

Interestingly, applications in the Google Android Market, Nokia Ovi Store and Palm App Catalog are priced the lowest, compared to other app stores. However the average price of the 100 most popular applications in Google Android Market and Palm App Catalog is higher than the average price of the entire catalog of apps.

Other tidbits from Distimo's July research report, which was released yesterday include:

More than 60 percent of applications in the Apple App Store for the iPhone, Android Market, Nokia Ovi Store and Palm App Catalog are priced at $2 or lower; the Apple App Store for iPad and Window Marketplace for Mobile have a smaller proportion of apps priced at $2 or lower than the other stores.
The proportion of paid apps priced at $1 on the Apple App Store for iPad decreased from 30 percent to 25 percent from June to July and the proportion of paid apps priced at $1 on the Apple App Store for iPhone decreased from 49 percent to 45 percent from June to July.
Gameloft, Electronic Arts, Handmark, Digital Chocolate and Glu Mobile are the top five publishers that distribute apps in more than one store.
Electronic Arts is the top grossing publisher in the Apple App Store for the iPhone.

For more:
- download the report