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How Often Do Top Apps Update?
We measured how long ago every ranked app in every active list shipped its current version. The top of each list is almost always fresh; the bottom has mostly stopped.
Quick answer
Top apps keep their current version fresh. Across AppTierList's active ranked lists, as of 3 November 2026, 78.5% of S tier list entries had shipped their current version within the last 30 days and 99.8% within 180 days. At F tier, only 11.2% had shipped their current version within 30 days, and 72.3% were on a version more than a year old. Update recency is one of the parts of every score, so part of this link is built into the method, and the study cannot separate cause from effect. The gap is still very large: the bottom tiers are mostly apps their makers have stopped looking after. Our advice, from what we see across makers' apps: never let six months pass without a real update, and aim for one every two months. Ship a change a user would notice each time, say what changed in the release note, and use each release to check your screenshots and listing text.
Most top tier apps run a version under a month old
We took every ranked list entry of every active list and asked one question: how long ago did this app ship its current version? A list entry is one app in one list, so an app in three lists counts three times, each with the tier it holds there. Every figure counts list entries, not unique apps. The study covers 30,075 list entries across 1,235 active lists, made up of 18,934 different apps.
| Tier | Within 30 days | Within 60 days | Within 180 days | Over 365 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | 78.5% | 91.1% | 99.8% | 0.0% |
| A | 62.8% | 76.7% | 94.0% | 0.2% |
| B | 51.8% | 63.4% | 81.4% | 5.8% |
| C | 46.0% | 56.6% | 70.6% | 20.8% |
| D | 21.6% | 26.8% | 39.3% | 46.1% |
| F | 11.2% | 15.3% | 21.6% | 72.3% |
Read the first column from top to bottom and the pattern is plain. At S tier, 78.5% of list entries were on a version less than a month old. The share falls at every step: 62.8% at A, 51.8% at B, 46.0% at C, then a sharp drop to 21.6% at D and 11.2% at F.
The longer windows tell the same story with less noise. Almost every S tier list entry (99.8%) and nearly every A tier one (94.0%) was on a version shipped within 180 days. The top of a list is not a set of apps that once had a great release. It is a set of apps that keep shipping.
The bottom tiers are mostly apps nobody maintains
The last column is the one to look at twice. At S tier, 0.0% of list entries were on a version more than a year old, and at A tier only 0.2%. Further down, the share climbs fast: 5.8% at B, 20.8% at C, 46.1% at D and 72.3% at F.
So F tier is mostly apps their makers have left alone. Nearly three in four have not shipped in over a year, and only 21.6% are on a version shipped within 180 days. D tier sits in between, with 39.3% in that window.
An app that has not changed in a year can still work. But it is rarely an app that is gaining ratings, answering reviews or keeping its screenshots current. A long silence is usually a sign that the work stopped, and the other signals in the store tend to follow.
Part of this gap is built into the score
Be careful with what this table proves. Each AppTierList score draws mainly on numbers the App Store shows to everyone, and How we rank names them all. Update recency is one input, so some of the link between recency and tier is there because the method puts it there.
That means this study cannot say updates cause a high tier. It can say how different the two ends of a list look. Recency is one input among several, and the difference between 0.0% and 72.3% of list entries going a year without a release is not a small tilt. It describes two different kinds of app: ones that are looked after, and ones that are not.
The same numbers can be checked against each list’s members through the public API.
Never let six months pass without an update
The advice that follows from the table is simple, and it matches what we see across makers’ apps: never let six months pass without a real update, and treat a release every two months as a very good pace.
This is advice, not a measured cadence: the study shows only how old each current version is. Still, six months is a line the top tiers almost never cross: 99.8% of S tier and 94.0% of A tier list entries had shipped their current version within 180 days, against 70.6% at C. And 91.1% of S tier and 76.7% of A tier list entries had shipped it within 60 days, against 56.6% at C and 26.8% at D.
A rhythm that holds for a solo maker:
- Put a release window on the calendar every eight weeks, and protect it.
- Keep a running list of small fixes users asked for, so each window has something real in it.
- Write the release note while you build, in the words a reviewer used for the problem.
- At each release, check that the first screenshots and the subtitle still match the app.
Ship versions that change something. An empty build fixes nothing a reviewer sees, people read release notes, and a version with nothing in it costs trust. Apple’s guidance on the product page covers what each part of the listing is for, and App Store Connect help covers how to submit a new version.
Claim your page, then keep your page as current as your app
Adding your app is free and takes a few minutes. Then give its page the same care as each release:
- Claim the page.
- Fill in your words.
- Share your page.
Claiming takes one email address: submit the app, or tap Claim on its page. Your words, with your website, are where you describe your audience and your edge over the rest, next to the ranking, and readers see them after verification. Sharing the page gives people one place to see the app, the apps ranked beside it and its current facts.
When you ship, glance at the page and fix anything the release made out of date. The same habit that keeps the app current keeps its page honest.
The numbers
- 78.5%of S tier list entries shipped an update in the last 30 daysAs of
- 62.8%of A tier list entries shipped an update in the last 30 daysAs of
- 51.8%of B tier list entries shipped an update in the last 30 daysAs of
- 46.0%of C tier list entries shipped an update in the last 30 daysAs of
- 21.6%of D tier list entries shipped an update in the last 30 daysAs of
- 11.2%of F tier list entries shipped an update in the last 30 daysAs of
- 91.1%of S tier list entries updated within 60 days (pct60)As of
- 76.7%of A tier list entries updated within 60 days (pct60)As of
- 63.4%of B tier list entries updated within 60 days (pct60)As of
- 56.6%of C tier list entries updated within 60 days (pct60)As of
- 26.8%of D tier list entries updated within 60 days (pct60)As of
- 15.3%of F tier list entries updated within 60 days (pct60)As of
- 99.8%of S tier list entries updated within 180 days (pct180)As of
- 94.0%of A tier list entries updated within 180 days (pct180)As of
- 81.4%of B tier list entries updated within 180 days (pct180)As of
- 70.6%of C tier list entries updated within 180 days (pct180)As of
- 39.3%of D tier list entries updated within 180 days (pct180)As of
- 21.6%of F tier list entries updated within 180 days (pct180)As of
- 0.0%of S tier list entries had no update in more than 365 daysAs of
- 0.2%of A tier list entries had no update in more than 365 daysAs of
- 5.8%of B tier list entries had no update in more than 365 daysAs of
- 20.8%of C tier list entries had no update in more than 365 daysAs of
- 46.1%of D tier list entries had no update in more than 365 daysAs of
- 72.3%of F tier list entries had no update in more than 365 daysAs of
- 30, 60, 180 and 365days: the windows measured, counted back from the snapshot moment, 2026-11-03 10:21 UTCAs of
- 30,075ranked list entries in the study (one app in one list)As of
- 1,235active lists with ranked membersAs of
- 18,934different apps behind those list entriesAs of
Method: 30,075 ranked list entries (one app in one list) of 1,235 active lists, 18,934 different apps, every tier S to F. Days since the current version's release date, counted back from the snapshot moment, 2026-11-03 10:21 UTC. The cutoff is that moment, not 2026-11-02, so no list entry has a version date after it (622 did against 2 November) and none is excluded.
Reproduce it: GET https://apptierlist.com/api/v1/lists
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FAQ
How recent is the current version of top App Store apps?
Very recent. In AppTierList's active ranked lists on 3 November 2026, 78.5% of S tier list entries had shipped their current version within the last 30 days, and 99.8% within 180 days.
Does updating my app help its score?
Update recency is one input among several, and How we rank lists them all. An empty build fixes nothing a reviewer sees, so ship a real change each time.
How long is too long between updates?
In what we see, six months is the line to stay inside. In AppTierList's active ranked lists on 3 November 2026, 72.3% of F tier list entries were on a version more than a year old, against 0.0% at S tier.
Why count list entries instead of apps?
Tiers belong to an app inside one list, not to the app overall. An app in three lists has three tiers, so each list entry is counted once, the same way the lists show them.
Sources
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