Since the iTunes App store launched, many developers have been wondering exactly how app store rank relates to actual sales. I haven't seen anyone release this data as of yet, and while mine is incomplete, it can give you a glimpse into how ranking translates to units sold.
Our application, iFart Mobile (app store link) , was finally released last week, alongside other novelty apps that had been rejected or placed "in review."
There are several variables that affect the margin of error on this data.
Is the app paid or free? In this case, the app is paid.
How much is the app? It is far more impactful if a highly ranked app costs $9.99 versus a .99 app. In this case, our app is .99.
Another variable is the category selected. Games has become the most popular category, so it is more difficult to break into the top 100 with a game than it is with an entertainment app. As of this writing, iFart Mobile is #3 in entertainment and #15 overall. The #2 entertainment app is iBeer, which is enjoying an overall ranking of #9.
Here are the results from the data we have gathered over the past week. Your mileage may vary. The number of units sold per day is approximated. Apple doesn't give totals in the daily reports. The units sold are broken down by country, so I didn't hand count the countries where one or two units was sold.
Sales and App Store Rank for iFart Mobile (official site link)
Date - Units/Day - Rankings
12/12 - 75 units - #70 entertainment
12/13 - 296 units - #16 entertainment
12/14 - 841 units - #76 overall, #8 entertainment
12/15 - 1510 units - #39 overall, #5 entertainment
12/16 - 1797 units - #22 overall, #3 entertainment
12/17 - 2836 units - #15 overall, #3 entertainment
I would expect more data to be forthcoming from other developers as we seek to share information which can help us all.
Are the number of sales as high as you would expect for a #15 ranking or would you expect them to be lower? I'm interested in your comments.
Oh, and here's a bonus. Check out the fun parody/promo video we created below...
Nicely done, but of course the right food just before your meal can help you avoid the embarrassment of iFart. :-)
Hey Joel is that cumulative over a certain period of time or lifetime?
If it's lifetime and after Only 6 Days your #15, It's only a matter of a few weeks and you'll be in the top 3.
What are the top three now??
Ralphc
What is the time period for ranking in the App Store? Lifetime downloads? Monthly downloads? Daily downloads?
I recommend the zhiing application in the App Store -- it's quickly moving up the charts!
We believe these rankings are daily. However, we are testing some things that will provide more insight as the days go by.
nice job on the app, really silly though
Hey, I think it's very cool and generous for you to share your stats like that. Looks like every day is increasingly better. I would be curious to see how many people purchase it over the next year!
Joel Comm, your iFart application has been cracked like many other apps including mine and its being distributed for free. Please check it out on that page and I hope a big company like yours takes legal action.
Thank you for sharing this. We have two apps in the education category. Both are ranked in the top 100 paid apps and one is in the top 50 for paid apps. It seems impressive but the sales are low. I think there must be a ton of apps that literally get no sales each day.
I should clarify incase it isn't clear that they are in the top 100 paid apps for the education category. According to mobclix Henry and Hailey's preschool pals is ranked 133 overall for the education category while Henry and Hailey's Kids ABC is ranked 237. Their paid ranks in the education category are much higher. Education is much smaller than entertainment.
The ABC game only came out 2 days ago so I think the rankings are done on a daily basis.
Aren't the rankings per store or region? So no need to add up the sales for non-US stores to get the US store rankings.
Are you going to update this now that you are up in the top 10?
Thease rankings, are they weekly or a total of a monthly activity?
What I do not understand is, that Apple provides a hitlist for every single country, but you give overall sales statistics. Isn't that fudging the figures? Hope you make another post and give some more exact numbers sorted by country.
Joel, I was gonna say something nice and congratulate you for your App. But once I noticed that there was one person who gave 5 stars for your app and 1 star for all the other fart Apps in the store, I was very disappointed. Not to mention that the review for you App has the exact same style of writing AND humor as your App description and it also reiterates the features of your App. It is obviously from you or someone associated with you. I was gonna buy your App, but now I feel compelled to just spread the word. That is just dirty business. I was gonna congratulate you for your honest success. But it was obviously not very honest after all. Thats a shame. :(
I have the app Will It Blend? which was released one day before yours. My app was priced at $1.99 (on sale now for .99) and peaked at about 350 purchases per day but I never got ranked higher than 30 in entertainment. You posted that at 296 you were ranked #16. I believe you but there must be something else that factors in to rankings that we are not accounting for. I sold 350 units at $1.99 and only reached #30. I would love to compare numbers further with you.
Please post the updated sales figures now that it is the #1 app, thanks!
In case anyone's interested in sales figures of a "normal" app, I published them in my latest blog entry here.
We at appstoreanalysis.com publish weekly and monthly revenue estimates for the TOP 25 earners on the iTunes App Store - We'd appreciate your feedback. Thanks for looking!
Lol, thats a pretty sick app. The security system gonna catch so many people offguard. Lol. Wait till iphone is able to emit scents, this app will be perfect
I love this video. Great idea using the apple music in the background along with the white backdrop.
To the person that wrote this:
___________
Joel, I was gonna say something nice and congratulate you for your App. But once I noticed that there was one person who gave 5 stars for your app and 1 star for all the other fart Apps in the store, I was very disappointed. Not to mention that the review for you App has the exact same style of writing AND humor as your App description and it also reiterates the features of your App. It is obviously from you or someone associated with you. I was gonna buy your App, but now I feel compelled to just spread the word. That is just dirty business. I was gonna congratulate you for your honest success. But it was obviously not very honest after all. Thats a shame. :(
___________
If you're going to make such an accusation, you should really post some evidence!
I am very much confused,in your book you have said that i can paste 3 ad units, 3 link units, and two search boxes,but many forums around are saying yhat you can only post,3 ad units,1 link unit, and 2 search boxes, SO what is true? I have pasted 3 adunits, 3 link units,at my website http://www.medicinfo.yolasite.com SO am i going against the google Tos?
Hi all, this is some great data. Can anybody point to more recent data showing (ideally) App Store rank against downloads for some category over some time period (daily, weekly, monthly, etc)? Even more ideal would be some finance-related app. Thanks!
-david
I got to see Joel Comm at the o2 arena in london late 2009 where he showed us the ifart app live on stage and the whole arena was in histerics. Can you imagine it, over 7,000 people wetting themselves with laughter, it was awesome.
He also went on to show us all the sort of income possibilities from creating iphone apps and the figures can be staggering. Fun apps tend to sell the most and ifart is evidence of that when it made $27,000 in one day on the app store alone. Well done Joel and thanks for the insight into the industry which i’m now promoting through my own wesite.