The Most Successful Business Model of Mobile Applications: A Comparative Analysis of Six Iranian Mobile Games

Abstract

While recent literature has partly advanced our understanding of mobile application business models, less attention has been given to identify the most successful business model especially in the game area. In this vein, this paper presents a comparative analysis of six Iranian android games in an app store " Iran Apps " which were top level games in terms of download and rate during a 3-month study. The results reveal that freemium and In-app purchase models were more successful, while advertising model can be efficiently used as a complementary model. This provides valuable insight into why some mobile applications are more successful than others.