Online store GetJar has consolidated its position as the biggest marketplace for free apps by reaching its two billionth download. The company, which makes its money through advertising, was one of the earliest players in the app market. Admittedly it still trails paid-for offerings such as the Apple App store, the market leader, which as recently as May had a reported 59% of the app market worldwide.
GetJar, which along with Handango pretty much established the app store concept before every passer-by knew what an app actually was, believes its continuing viability is down to its open policy and commitment to the free model. Unlike the Apple, BlackBerry and Android equivalent marketplaces, it allows developers to upload their apps for any platform they wish. Android, Blackberry, Java, Symbian and Mobile Web customers will all find something that will work on their phone, with 150,000 apps available supporting (the company believes) 2,500 devices.
Patterns of what people are downloading reflect what’s happening elsewhere in the market, with Facebook being the most popular app across all platforms. 100,000 people have downloaded a Facebook app from the store, with the company reaching 1,000,000 Facebook Connect users so far.
It has also had fillips from massively popular online games and the simultaneous growth of the Android market, so Android versions of Cut The Rope and particularly Angry Birds have brought people to the business in large numbers.