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Top 20 Developer Tools SDKs Used in iOS Apps on the Apple App Store
Last update: 3 Aug 2026 CET
App Store

Top 20 Developer Tools SDKs Used in iOS Apps on the Apple App Store

We at 42matters have identified the 20 most popular Developer Tools SDKs leveraged by iOS apps available on the iOS app market.

Developer Tool SDKs help developers build sophisticated mobile apps. Technology vendors and platform providers develop these SDKs — which include programming libraries, APIs, sample code, documentation, and other tools — for third-party app developers that want to build mobile apps that leverage the features and functionalities of their technologies or platforms.

This list is based on our analysis of the millions of mobile applications – and the 2,300+ SDKs they use – that constitute the vast inventory of the Apple App Store. The accompanying data provides readers with a glimpse into the rich mobile application insights generated by the 42matters technology. This data is also available via our APIs, file dumps, Explorer, and SDK Explorer.

The intended purpose of this article is to assist app builders in their search for the perfect Developer Tools SDK to leverage in their app, as well as to give SDK developers insight into their biggest competitors and potential customers. This data collected by our technology may also serve as a useful tool for folks researching the wider mobile app market.

The 20 most widely-integrated developer tools SDKs:

1st

Apple Core Foundation

Check “Apple Core Foundation” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 99.96% have integrated Apple Core Foundation. This accounts for 100.00% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
2.01m
App Store
App Share
99.96%
App Store
Apps
1.81m
Games
198.72k
Total Downloads
593.65b
App Store
Download Share
100.00%
App Store
App Downloads
455.03b
Game Downloads
138.62b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple Core Foundation.

2nd

Apple AVFoundation

Check “Apple AVFoundation” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 75.61% have integrated Apple AVFoundation. This accounts for 94.87% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
1.52m
App Store
App Share
75.61%
App Store
Apps
1.34m
Games
178.91k
Total Downloads
563.21b
App Store
Download Share
94.87%
App Store
App Downloads
426.80b
Game Downloads
136.41b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple AVFoundation.

3rd

Apple WebKit

Check “Apple WebKit” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 70.39% have integrated Apple WebKit. This accounts for 93.76% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
1.41m
App Store
App Share
70.39%
App Store
Apps
1.28m
Games
138.99k
Total Downloads
556.60b
App Store
Download Share
93.76%
App Store
App Downloads
423.76b
Game Downloads
132.84b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple WebKit.

4th

Google Firebase

Check “Google Firebase” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 49.55% have integrated Google Firebase. This accounts for 66.15% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Firebase is Google's mobile platform SDK that helps you quickly develop high-quality apps and grow your business.

Total Apps
995.51k
App Store
App Share
49.55%
App Store
Apps
906.28k
Games
89.23k
Total Downloads
392.69b
App Store
Download Share
66.15%
App Store
App Downloads
284.67b
Game Downloads
108.02b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Google Firebase.

5th

Apple Accelerate

Check “Apple Accelerate” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 48.85% have integrated Apple Accelerate. This accounts for 77.16% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
981.45k
App Store
App Share
48.85%
App Store
Apps
911.19k
Games
70.25k
Total Downloads
458.09b
App Store
Download Share
77.16%
App Store
App Downloads
340.24b
Game Downloads
117.85b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple Accelerate.

6th

Firebase Installations

Check “Firebase Installations” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 40.94% have integrated Firebase Installations. This accounts for 62.43% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
822.47k
App Store
App Share
40.94%
App Store
Apps
765.47k
Games
57.01k
Total Downloads
370.65b
App Store
Download Share
62.43%
App Store
App Downloads
272.98b
Game Downloads
97.66b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Firebase Installations.

7th

Apple Core Data

Check “Apple Core Data” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 29.70% have integrated Apple Core Data. This accounts for 52.03% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
596.64k
App Store
App Share
29.70%
App Store
Apps
568.77k
Games
27.87k
Total Downloads
308.89b
App Store
Download Share
52.03%
App Store
App Downloads
264.93b
Game Downloads
43.96b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple Core Data.

8th

Promises by Google

Check “Promises by Google” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 26.44% have integrated Promises by Google. This accounts for 20.08% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
531.13k
App Store
App Share
26.44%
App Store
Apps
502.95k
Games
28.18k
Total Downloads
119.19b
App Store
Download Share
20.08%
App Store
App Downloads
83.56b
Game Downloads
35.63b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Promises by Google.

9th

Apple Metal

Check “Apple Metal” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 23.39% have integrated Apple Metal. This accounts for 61.56% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
469.93k
App Store
App Share
23.39%
App Store
Apps
355.88k
Games
114.04k
Total Downloads
365.44b
App Store
Download Share
61.56%
App Store
App Downloads
241.30b
Game Downloads
124.14b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple Metal.

10th

Apple Swift Framework

Check “Apple Swift Framework” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 19.49% have integrated Apple Swift Framework. This accounts for 9.25% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Apple Swift Framework is a powerful and intuitive programming language for macOS, iOS, watchOS, tvOS and beyond.

Total Apps
391.56k
App Store
App Share
19.49%
App Store
Apps
347.62k
Games
43.93k
Total Downloads
54.91b
App Store
Download Share
9.25%
App Store
App Downloads
32.26b
Game Downloads
22.66b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple Swift Framework.

11th

Firebase Remote Config

Check “Firebase Remote Config” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 14.37% have integrated Firebase Remote Config. This accounts for 37.78% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
288.68k
App Store
App Share
14.37%
App Store
Apps
259.22k
Games
29.46k
Total Downloads
224.27b
App Store
Download Share
37.78%
App Store
App Downloads
169.87b
Game Downloads
54.39b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Firebase Remote Config.

12th

Firebase App Check

Check “Firebase App Check” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 12.34% have integrated Firebase App Check. This accounts for 12.02% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
247.89k
App Store
App Share
12.34%
App Store
Apps
233.65k
Games
14.23k
Total Downloads
71.35b
App Store
Download Share
12.02%
App Store
App Downloads
55.55b
Game Downloads
15.80b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Firebase App Check.

13th

Expo

Check “Expo” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 11.44% have integrated Expo. This accounts for 1.68% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
229.87k
App Store
App Share
11.44%
App Store
Apps
223.55k
Games
6.32k
Total Downloads
10.00b
App Store
Download Share
1.68%
App Store
App Downloads
9.81b
Game Downloads
183.11m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Expo.

14th

Apple Vision

Check “Apple Vision” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 10.70% have integrated Apple Vision. This accounts for 26.92% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
214.96k
App Store
App Share
10.70%
App Store
Apps
211.91k
Games
3.06k
Total Downloads
159.82b
App Store
Download Share
26.92%
App Store
App Downloads
159.02b
Game Downloads
801.47m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple Vision.

15th

Apple Core Bluetooth

Check “Apple Core Bluetooth” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 8.57% have integrated Apple Core Bluetooth. This accounts for 17.69% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
172.09k
App Store
App Share
8.57%
App Store
Apps
164.53k
Games
7.57k
Total Downloads
105.01b
App Store
Download Share
17.69%
App Store
App Downloads
100.27b
Game Downloads
4.74b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple Core Bluetooth.

16th

react-native-device-info

Check “react-native-device-info” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 7.84% have integrated react-native-device-info. This accounts for 3.49% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

The react-native-device-info SDK offers device information for React Native for iOS and Android.

Total Apps
157.51k
App Store
App Share
7.84%
App Store
Apps
156.62k
Games
888
Total Downloads
20.73b
App Store
Download Share
3.49%
App Store
App Downloads
20.41b
Game Downloads
323.75m

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use react-native-device-info.

17th

Protobuf

Check “Protobuf” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 5.83% have integrated Protobuf. This accounts for 18.40% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Protocol Buffers (a.k.a., protobuf) are Google's language-neutral, platform-neutral, extensible mechanism for serializing structured data.

Total Apps
117.21k
App Store
App Share
5.83%
App Store
Apps
110.64k
Games
6.57k
Total Downloads
109.22b
App Store
Download Share
18.40%
App Store
App Downloads
101.96b
Game Downloads
7.26b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Protobuf.

18th

Apple Speech

Check “Apple Speech” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 3.38% have integrated Apple Speech. This accounts for 11.54% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
67.82k
App Store
App Share
3.38%
App Store
Apps
67.19k
Games
630
Total Downloads
68.52b
App Store
Download Share
11.54%
App Store
App Downloads
66.53b
Game Downloads
1.99b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple Speech.

20th

Apple Core ML

Check “Apple Core ML” SDK Insights

Among all apps utilizing developer tools SDKs, 2.92% have integrated Apple Core ML. This accounts for 34.83% of app downloads within the developer tools SDK category.

Total Apps
58.63k
App Store
App Share
2.92%
App Store
Apps
34.83k
Games
23.80k
Total Downloads
206.80b
App Store
Download Share
34.83%
App Store
App Downloads
131.58b
Game Downloads
75.22b

Use the 42matters SDK Explorer to find all apps that use Apple Core ML.

Browse iOS and Android SDKs With the SDK Explorer

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  • SDK IntelligenceSDK Intelligence

    See how many apps integrate specific SDKs, how many times these SDKs have been downloaded, developer details, similar SDKs, and more.

  • New Installations and Removals HistoryNew Installations and Removals History

    Analyze installation and removal trends for SDKs. Discover which apps have removed or integrated specific SDKs in a given timeframe.

  • Market Share per Google Play and Apple App Store CategoryMarket Share per Google Play and Apple App Store Category

    See which app categories or genres are most likely to use specific SDKs. Detect SDK market share per category.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How does 42matters collect this data?'

We’ve developed a number of machine learning algorithms that scan millions of mobile and connected TV (CTV) applications on a regular basis. In addition, we collect ground truth app performance intelligence and use this data to build statistical models that estimate the performance of apps for which we do not have ground truth data.

What SDK data does 42matters collect?'

We track over 2,300 of the most popular SDKs integrated in iOS and Android apps. We collect a variety of SDK insights (title, platform, ID, category, and developer website); performance metrics (the number of apps that have installed each SDK, installation and removal trends, and app downloads); market share statistics (including market share per app category); and more!

How can I access 42matters’ SDK data?'

The most direct way is to use our SDK Explorer, which is a visual, web-based research platform that enables you to peruse all 2,300+ SDKs that we track. It’s great for market research, lead generation, competitor analysis, etc. However, more technically-inclined folks might prefer our APIs and File Dumps, which enable you to query info for specific apps or SDKs. You can also use our other research platform (the Explorer) to view integrated SDKs by app.

Can I use 42matters’ solutions to generate app publisher leads?'

Absolutely! We actually wrote about this on our blog. We focused on ad network SDKs, but the examples are applicable to most SDK types. To summarize, you can use the Explorer’s advanced filtering capabilities to home in on best-fit app publishers, leverage the SDK Explorer to see which apps use your competitors’ SDKs, and use our APIs and file dumps to build custom lead generation processes.

What data does 42matters provide on mobile apps?'

A ton! We track 17+ million apps across Google Play, the Apple App Store, Amazon Appstore, Tencent Appstore, and Huawei AppGallery. Our solutions provide access to app details (developer insights, metadata, ASO keywords, contact information, etc.); performance metrics (downloads, MAUs, ratings, reviews, top chart rankings, etc.); technical insights (integrated SDKs, permissions, required capabilities, etc.); content details (categories, genres, IAB categories, content ratings, etc.); compliance information (app-ads.txt, privacy policies, store status, etc.) and much, much more!

Can I use 42matters’ solutions to find SDKs for my app?'

Definitely. The SDK Explorer enables you to sort SDKs by category, identify similar SDKs, analyze SDK reliability, and more. In addition, you can use the Explorer to monitor your competitors, including which SDKs they add and remove, their current tech stacks, and SDK changelogs. This means you use our solutions not only to find the right SDK for a particular purpose, but also which SDKs you might need to keep up with your rivals.