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...
It's Del.icio.us!
Furl It!
December 18, 2008 11:29 AM
Nicely done, but of course the right food just before your meal can help you avoid the embarrassment of iFart. :-)
December 18, 2008 11:54 AM
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
December 18, 2008 12:33 PM
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!
December 18, 2008 12:35 PM
We believe these rankings are daily. However, we are testing some things that will provide more insight as the days go by.
December 18, 2008 11:49 PM
nice job on the app, really silly though
December 19, 2008 11:12 AM
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!
December 19, 2008 03:50 PM
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.
December 19, 2008 08:00 PM
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.
December 19, 2008 08:12 PM
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.
December 20, 2008 03:46 PM
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.
December 20, 2008 09:12 PM
Are you going to update this now that you are up in the top 10?
December 21, 2008 04:39 PM
Thease rankings, are they weekly or a total of a monthly activity?
December 22, 2008 12:40 AM
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.
December 22, 2008 04:16 PM
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. :(
December 23, 2008 09:57 AM
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.
December 23, 2008 05:02 PM
Please post the updated sales figures now that it is the #1 app, thanks!
February 6, 2009 04:17 AM
In case anyone's interested in sales figures of a "normal" app, I published them in my latest blog entry here.
March 17, 2009 08:17 PM
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!
May 21, 2009 08:58 PM
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
May 29, 2009 11:27 AM
I love this video. Great idea using the apple music in the background along with the white backdrop.
July 27, 2009 02:28 PM
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!