App Reputation Benchmarks 2025

Certainly, here is a summary of the provided excerpts from the "App Reputation Benchmarks 2025" report, drawing on the information available in the sources and our conversation history.The report, published by AppFollow, provides a comprehensive cross-industry analysis of key app performance metrics based on data gathered and analysed by AppFollow. It studied 12,199 apps from the Top 200 across Android and iOS, analysing over 5 billion reviews globally from January 1, 2024, to December 15, 2024.According to the report, the "brutal truth" is that many developers still ignore app store feedback in 2025, which is deemed "commercial suicide". A "striking gap" exists between companies that leverage user insights and those that dismiss them. The report highlights that most apps are "terrible at customer service," with a "measly 14% average reply rate across all analyzed industries".Health & Sports apps have the highest median ratings across both platforms, with a 4.72 median rating. Business apps trail behind everyone else. Health & Sports apps lead with a 4.6 average rating by reviews on Google Play, while Business trails at 3.93. Health & Sports also wins with the highest sentiment score of 0.409 on App Store, while Business suffers at -0.172. Health & Sports has the highest average rating overall at 4.75, while Business has the lowest at 4.18. Health & Sports also leads with the highest sentiment score overall at 0.617, with Business suffering at -0.172. This suggests apps that help people enjoy life tend to generate positive feelings, while utility apps can frustrate users.Review volume varies significantly by industry. Social apps receive far more reviews per app on Google Play compared to App Store categories. Social apps are described as "drowning" in feedback with 4,865 monthly reviews per app on Google Play, while Business apps receive a manageable 356. This 13x difference helps explain response rates, as Social developers struggle to keep up.Finance apps are identified as the "customer service champs," responding to 41% of negative reviews on Google Play, while Social apps have the lowest reply rate at just 4%. This stark difference suggests developers find time to address problems when money is involved. Finance apps on Google Play respond to 55.4% of reviews, while Social apps on App Store manage only 3.6%, a 15x difference in engagement. Finance apps lead with the highest overall reply rate at 55.4%, while Social has the lowest at 3.6%. Google Play finance apps are significantly more engaged, responding to 55% of reviews compared to App Store's 27%.The report also looks at reply delay. Tools & Utilities apps on App Store show a "jaw-dropping" 102,982 hours average reply delay (over 11 years), while Maps & Navigation on Google Play manage 158 hours. This Tools statistic is noted as potentially an error or reflects very old responses. Regarding finance apps specifically, iOS finance apps take significantly longer to respond (113 hours average) compared to Android developers (23 hours average). This is nearly a 5-day difference, though the report notes this is largely due to App Store's longer review response verification process. Shopping apps take 108 hours on App Store and 36 hours on Google Play. Health & Sports apps have response times of 97 hours on App Store and 57 hours on Google Play. Entertainment apps are relatively quick when they do respond, with 77 hours on App Store and 57 hours on Google Play.