India’s app economy has reached a turning point. After years of rapid growth, installs are stabilizing, budgets are tightening, and efficiency is becoming the new currency of success. With the rise of affordable 5G devices, EMI-driven premium upgrades, and near-universal UPI adoption, India is not only the world’s largest app market by volume — it is also becoming one of the most monetizable.
The 2025 edition of the State of App Marketing in India unpacks this next chapter. From the sharp platform divide between Android and iOS, to vertical pivots in Finance, Gaming, and Shopping, we explore the forces reshaping how Indian users engage, spend, and retain.
What’s inside
- India’s app market trajectory — installs have expanded 816% since 2017, but growth is flattening as the market matures.
- UA efficiency — spend declined 48%, led by Android cutbacks, while iOS showed selective bursts of premium-focused growth.
- Vertical highlights — Finance’s efficiency gap, Gaming’s fragmentation, and Shopping’s growing global weight.
- Engagement signals — shifts in session depth and usage patterns.
- Risks and challenges — India’s high exposure to fraud and its impact on ROI.
