iPhone or Android users: Who spends more money per month
A comprehensive study reveals that 45% of citizens pay monthly in app stores, while the purchasing market is undergoing a fundamental shift from one-time transactions to recurring monthly subscriptions.
The smartphone has ceased to be just a device for calls or messages and has become the center of household digital spending. A new study by Shop Analytics, conducted based on data from July 2026, reveals that about 45% of Israelis paid at least once in app stores during the month. The average monthly expenditure per paying user currently stands at about 81 shekels.
The data reveals an interesting gap between Google users and Apple users regarding habits. 71% of all buyers performed transactions via Google Play, compared to only 29% in the App Store. Apple users spend more per purchase, an average of about 42 NIS, compared to about 29 NIS for Google users. The average Android user paid for three applications during the month, while an iPhone user purchased an average of only two.
One of the most prominent changes emerging from the study is the clear shift from one-time purchases to a model of recurring monthly subscriptions. In Apple's store, about 84% of all purchases are for subscriptions, while in Google, the subscription rate stands at 48%.
The list of leading subscriptions is opened by cloud services iCloud and Google One, but the main surprise comes from the direction of artificial intelligence. ChatGPT has integrated into one of the three most popular subscriptions on both platforms. The chatbot now captures about 82% of all purchases in the artificial intelligence category in Israel; the data shows that AI tools have turned from a technological novelty into a basic consumer service that many are willing to pay for on a regular basis.
68% of all buyers in app stores are women, compared to only 32% men. In Apple, the young audience dominates: those aged 25-34 make up 44% of all buyers, while in Google, the dominant age group is 35-44, at 33%. While subscriptions dominate in ongoing services, one-time purchases are still valued mainly in the world of games, especially among those aged 25-44.
Nati Yaakobi, CEO of Shop Analytics, explains the significance of the findings:
"The app market in Israel is in the midst of a fundamental change. If in the past most of the revenue came from selling apps and games, today the main engine is ongoing services based on monthly payment. For consumers, this means that the digital spending basket is expanding; cloud storage, music, video, and artificial intelligence have become an inseparable part of the modern household's expenses."
