Abstract
Many mobile applications (apps) are available for anxiety management, but little is known about how their monetization strategies influence their success. This study evaluates how monetization strategies differ between anxiety apps intended for the United States (US) and People’s Republic of China markets, and which monetization strategies are most associated with commercial success. During July 2018, the US and China versions of the iOS App Store were queried for apps mentioning anxiety. Apps were then reviewed to determine whether they cost money to download, offered in-app purchases, or had a subscription fee. The number of reviews and average ratings apps received were recorded as measures of commercial success. The relationships between nation, monetization strategy, and commercial success were assessed using both chi-square tests and multivariate regressions. Selection criteria were met by 382 apps. Most (346) of the apps were from the US store. Apps were significantly (P < 0.05) more likely to be completely free in the China store (41.7%) than in the US store (25.4%). Apps from the US store were significantly more likely to have a download fee (P < 0.01) and to have a subscription model (P < 0.001). Subscription models were significantly (P < 0.01) associated with more ratings and with apps being more likely to be rated 4+ on a 5-point scale (P < 0.01). Anxiety apps in the US and China used different monetization strategies. Subscription models were associated with commercial success.