The majority of Brits do not want to pay for mobile apps up front but are happy to make purchases within the app, a survey by Screen Digest has found.
At least 96 per cent of apps downloaded during 2011 were free, while in-app purchases accounted for 39 per cent of the market.
This is set to rise to 64 per cent of the total app revenue market by 2015, reaching $5.6 billion (£3.7 billion).
Jack Kent, senior analyst of mobile media at Screen Digest and author of the report, said: "In 2012, it will become increasingly difficult for app stores and developers to justify charging an upfront fee for their products when faced with competition from a plethora of free content.
"Instead, the apps industry must fully embrace the freemium model and monetise content through in-app purchases."
One example of an app that does this is Angry Birds as the game can be downloaded for free and users can purchase additional features and levels.
Over the Christmas period, more than 80 million catch-up TV apps were downloaded to smartphones, reported the Guardian.
