I've tracked 1700 iOS launches since 2021. Volume alone is misleading. A category can have fewer launches but higher engagement per product (maturation) or exploding volume with declining quality (saturation). You need both numbers.
Five years of iOS launch data. Volume, engagement, and the products that stood out.
I've tracked 1700 iOS launches since 2021. Volume alone is misleading. A category can have fewer launches but higher engagement per product (maturation) or exploding volume with declining quality (saturation). You need both numbers.
| Quarter | Launches | Avg Interest Score | Top Product |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2026 | 47 | 139 | Mom Clock |
| Q2 2026 | 6 | 107 | Remodex |
| Q1 2025 | 43 | 182 | Fluently |
| Q2 2025 | 66 | 160 | Bubble for native mobile apps (beta) |
| Q3 2025 | 45 | 100 | Barrier |
| Q4 2025 | 46 | 204 | Welltory |
| Q1 2024 | 82 | 150 | Arc Search |
| Q2 2024 | 52 | 191 | OH, a potato! |
| Q3 2024 | 61 | 214 | Sugar Free: Food Scanner |
| Q4 2024 | 53 | 225 | Remy AI |
| Q1 2023 | 83 | 113 | Hevy |
| Q2 2023 | 67 | 114 | Oscar personal bedtime stories |
| Q3 2023 | 79 | 144 | Deepen |
| Q4 2023 | 87 | 138 | Urso |
| Q1 2022 | 83 | 124 | Othership |
| Q2 2022 | 39 | 137 | birb |
The iOS category has been cooling over the past 6 years of tracked data. Total launches went from 604 in 2021 to 53 in 2026.
Average engagement ratio across all iOS launches sits at 0.22. Products above that threshold tend to serve a real, specific need. Products below it often entered a crowded market without sufficient differentiation.
Three common reasons. The market consolidated around winners. The technology matured and stopped generating new startups. Or builder attention shifted to adjacent categories. Usually it's a combination.
Volume without engagement is saturation. Engagement without volume is opportunity. Check which one you're looking at.
Sum of all interest scores in the quarter divided by number of products. Simple average. We don't weight by category or product age.
Depends on what's declining. If volume drops but engagement rises, the market is maturing. That's often good for existing players. If both drop, the category may be dying. The quarterly breakdown on each page tells you which pattern you're seeing.
At least three. Two data points is a line, not a trend. We have five years of data for most categories, which is enough to distinguish real shifts from noise.