How many screenshots do top apps use?
We looked at the top 100 free apps in 24 App Store categories: 2,394 apps in the US store on 30 October 2026. Here's how many screenshots they show, in which shape, and whether they have an iPad set.
How many screenshots top apps show
Half of the top apps (50%) show six to eight screenshots. 12% fill all ten slots, and 11% show four or fewer. The average is 6.8.
By category
Health & Fitness apps show the most (average 7.6). Games are different in two ways: 13% start in landscape and 95% have an iPad set.
| Median | Average | All 10 | 4 or fewer | iPad set | Landscape first | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health & Fitness | 8 | 7.6 | 21% | 5% | 43% | 0% |
| Photo & Video | 7 | 7.3 | 23% | 10% | 70% | 1% |
| Graphics & Design | 7 | 7.3 | 18% | 6% | 72% | 1% |
| Finance | 7 | 7.3 | 11% | 5% | 57% | 0% |
| Weather | 7 | 7.2 | 22% | 11% | 84% | 2% |
| Reference | 7 | 7.2 | 19% | 11% | 69% | 0% |
| Sports | 7 | 7.1 | 12% | 10% | 67% | 0% |
| Travel | 7 | 7.0 | 8% | 13% | 52% | 0% |
| Navigation | 7 | 7.0 | 12% | 4% | 61% | 0% |
| Productivity | 7 | 6.9 | 12% | 11% | 79% | 0% |
| Education | 7 | 6.9 | 15% | 13% | 83% | 5% |
| Shopping | 7 | 6.9 | 10% | 8% | 57% | 0% |
| Business | 7 | 6.7 | 13% | 12% | 66% | 0% |
| Medical | 7 | 6.7 | 13% | 18% | 58% | 1% |
| Games | 6 | 6.6 | 5% | 4% | 95% | 13% |
| News | 6 | 6.6 | 9% | 13% | 92% | 1% |
| Lifestyle | 7 | 6.6 | 5% | 13% | 55% | 0% |
| Music | 6 | 6.5 | 5% | 13% | 58% | 5% |
| Utilities | 6 | 6.5 | 11% | 17% | 59% | 1% |
| Books | 6 | 6.4 | 9% | 12% | 73% | 0% |
| Social Networking | 6 | 6.2 | 6% | 12% | 59% | 0% |
| Developer Tools | 6 | 6.2 | 9% | 23% | 85% | 2% |
| Food & Drink | 6 | 6.2 | 4% | 15% | 49% | 0% |
| Entertainment | 6 | 6.0 | 4% | 15% | 67% | 4% |
| All categories | 7 | 6.8 | 12% | 11% | 67% | 2% |
The top of the chart and the rest
| Median | Average | All 10 | 4 or fewer | iPad set | Landscape first | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank 1–10 | 7 | 7.2 | 13% | 5% | 73% | 1% |
| Rank 11–50 | 7 | 6.8 | 11% | 10% | 68% | 1% |
| Rank 51–100 | 6 | 6.6 | 11% | 14% | 65% | 2% |
The top ten of each chart less often show four or fewer screenshots (5%, against 14% at ranks 51–100). That's a pattern, not proof: the biggest apps also have the biggest teams.
What it means for your set
- Plan for six to eightThat's where half of the top apps are. Put the strongest three first: they show in search results (what goes in them).
- Ten isn't the normOnly 12% use every slot. Add more only if each screen says something new.
- Portrait, unless it's a game98.5% of top apps start in portrait; games are the one category where landscape is common (13%).
- Don't skip the iPad67% of top apps have an iPad set, and App Store Connect asks for one when your app runs on iPad.
- 16:9 is the old shape40% still have a 16:9 iPhone set (the 5.5" size). Apple's required iPhone size is now the taller 6.3", 1206 × 2622.
How we measured
- Which appsThe top 100 free apps in each of 24 App Store categories, US store, on 30 October 2026, from Apple's public top charts. Stickers, magazines and catalogs are left out.
- What we countedThe iPhone and iPad screenshots Apple's public lookup API returns for each app, and the pixel size of the first iPhone screenshot for its shape.
- What we can't seeThe API returns one iPhone set per app and no app preview videos, so apps with several sets count by the one Apple returns.
- RepeatableThe script that took the snapshot is in our repository; the raw data is below, one row per app.
Download the data: CSV · JSON, one row per app. Free to use under CC BY 4.0, with a credit to Storeglow.
Questions
How many screenshots should an App Store listing have?
Top apps use 7 iPhone screenshots (median), and 50% use six to eight. Apple allows 1 to 10 per display size and language. Only 12% fill all ten slots.
Do top apps use landscape screenshots?
Rarely. 98.5% start with a portrait screenshot. Games are the exception: 13% of the top games start in landscape.
Do I need iPad screenshots?
If your app runs on iPad, App Store Connect requires them. 67% of the top apps in this study have an iPad set; among games it's 95%.