App Reputation Benchmarks 2026
We went through 92.9 million reviews across roughly 20,700 apps in 13 industries so you don't have to. Learn the latest trends in the app industry in one report.
This report gives you the numbers you need to figure out where you stand and what you should be doing differently. We also compared our own client base against the global market, and the gap is hard to argue with.
Short summary
92.9M
Reviews analysed across both stores, July 2025 to July 2026
204h vs 43h
Slowest vs fastest average reply time by industry (Education vs Finance)
+1.39 vs -0.58
Best vs worst reply effect by industry (Health & Sports vs Education)
4.36 vs 3.77
Highest vs lowest average rating by industry (Productivity vs Social / Auto & Vehicles)
24.5% vs 41%
Average reply rate, market vs AppFollow clients
3 in 4
App reviews go unanswered across the market
What you'll find inside
The report covers major metrics across 13 industries, a look at how AppFollow clients compare to the open market, and a breakdown of where reply effect pays off the most.
We also looked at what separates the top industries from the bottom, and the answer is less about reply speed and more about whether you reply at all and how consistently you do it across star ratings.
If you are building your review management strategy for 2026 or trying to make the case internally that it matters, the data in here will help you make it.
Key takeaway
Most companies leave a lot on the table when it comes to review management. Those that invest in it end up with better store ratings and sentiment scores.
Reply rate matters most, but automation is what makes a high reply rate sustainable.
Download the report and see where your industry is at.
FAQ
What is App Reputation management?
It is the practice of monitoring and responding to how users perceive your app. That means tracking ratings, reviews, and sentiment across app stores, and increasingly in the other places users talk about your product.
How can I use AppFollow to improve my app reputation?
AppFollow lets you track reviews, ratings, and sentiment in one place across both stores. You can automate replies, use AI to handle volume at speed, and monitor how your team's responses affect your ratings over time. The report shows that our clients reply to 41% of reviews on average vs 24.5% globally, and their store ratings reflect that.
What are the most important metrics to track?
Rating, reply rate, reply speed, reply effect (whether a reply actually moves the rating), and sentiment score. The report breaks all of these down by industry so you can benchmark against your specific category.
Is the data split by industry?
Yes. We covered 13 industries, from Finance and Shopping to Games, Health & Sports, and Social, and found meaningful differences on every metric — from a 51% reply rate in Finance down to 9% in Social. The report covers each industry separately and in combined market and client views.
Does the report cover Google Play and the App Store separately?
Industry numbers combine both stores, and we call out platform-level differences where they matter within the report.
How is reply effect different from reply rate?
Reply rate tells you how many reviews got answered. Reply effect tells you whether replying actually changed anything — specifically, whether a user's rating moved after a developer replied. The two can disagree: Education has a decent reply rate but one of the worst reply effects in the set, while Health & Sports gets the biggest lift from every reply it sends.
