Report addresses the problem of too many SDKs for mobile apps

It’s no wonder that software development kits (SDKs) are making mobile game and app developers weary. There are hundreds of possible SDKs that developers can integrate into their apps, allowing them to exploit third-party services such as analytics, monetization, engagement, and other features. So SafeDK is releasing a report today that takes a big picture approach to the problem of “SDK fatigue.”

Herzliya, Israel-based SafeDK released the report today as part of an effort to educate mobile app and game publishers and developers about the trends that they should pay attention to on a macro level. The report analyzes SDK trends in the Android market based on deep analysis of tens of thousands of free Android apps and hundreds of SDKs.

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The first report looks at data from April 2016 that draws from more than 30,000 Android apps, including popular free apps that are regularly at the top of the charts. It also looks at hundreds of SDKs that are used by big and small companies around the world. The report addresses facts like how many SDKs, on average, are integrated into mobile apps and how this number changes based on the app category and number of downloads. It shows the popularity of the SDK categories and the most popular SDKs.

“We are very excited to be releasing the report that reveals mobile SDKs trends and benchmarks for the first time, and we plan to continue publishing it on an ongoing basis, for the benefit of the whole mobile app ecosystem,” said SafeDK CEO, Orly Shoavi, in a statement.

While SDKs play a huge role in the mobile app development arena, till today there were no related statistics and trends information out there. This information can help publishers make more educated decisions as to which SDKs they should keep on their radar and consider using. Our goal is to bring a new standard of transparency to the industry by making this information accessible and public, just as we do with our SafeDK marketplace. This information can also serve SDK players, helping them understand their position and market share and learn about the competition.

In advertising, Google has the top SDK with Admob, used in over 90.9 percent of apps. Chartboost is No. 2 at 27.5 percent, followed by Facebook Audience Network at 22.5 percent, UnityAds at 19.5 percent, and Mopub at 19.2 percent.

In mobile apps, the average number of SDKs used in games is 17.5, followed by sports apps at 16.5, shopping at 15.1, news and magazines at 14.9, and weather at 14.4.

Within mobile games, casino games lead the way with an average of 18.7 SDKs per app, followed by 18.4 for action games, 18.1 for role-playing games, and 17.9 for strategy games.

The chart below shows the most popular categories for types of SDKs.

And this chart shows the top makers of SDKs.