iOS vs Android: What Canadian Businesses Should Build First
Market Share in Canada
Canada skews significantly toward iOS compared to global averages. iPhone users represent a majority of Canadian smartphone users, particularly in higher-income urban demographics — often the most valuable customer segments for startups. Android holds strong market share in certain provinces and demographics, making both platforms important for broad reach.
Cost Differences
iOS development is slightly more predictable because Apple maintains tight hardware and OS standards. Android development involves additional testing time due to device fragmentation — hundreds of devices with different screen sizes, OS versions, and hardware specs. This can add 15–25% to Android development time versus iOS-only builds.
User Behaviour Differences
Canadian iOS users spend more in apps and convert at higher rates for in-app purchases and subscriptions. If revenue depends on premium features, iOS users are typically more valuable. Android users represent wider demographic reach — essential for any Canadian app targeting mass-market adoption.
Why Build Both at Once
The smarter move for Canadian businesses is building both platforms simultaneously using a shared codebase. This avoids “platform debt” — where one platform lags and creates customer service issues. FadsMedia’s packages include multiplatform development by default for exactly this reason.
