Reader poll says 1 thing matters most in free apps — and it’s not open source

There are swathes of free apps available for your Android phone, many of which are built to the standard and capabilities of premium apps. But what single feature matters most when picking one of these free apps?

We wanted to know from our readers, so we ran a poll. The results can be viewed below.

We offered readers three distinct options, with a fourth that encapsulates all three.

The most important single feature for our readers in a free app is the lack of ads. Over a third (33.6%) of respondents picked this particular option. While ads are certainly annoying, what’s more interesting is that these readers specifically picked this option over the broader, all-inclusive option we made available. This suggests just how much disdain our readers have for advertising in free apps.

Notably, 12.4% see “no paywall” as an important aspect, suggesting these readers wouldn’t be too fussed by ads but do not welcome gatekept features on their devices.

The least important aspect of a free app for readers is open access to its source code. Only 5.7% value the “open source” requirement for their free apps. I have a slew of open source apps installed on my device, but it certainly isn’t the most important consideration for me.

The vast majority of readers (48.2%) believe that all three items are of utmost and equal importance.

What do you consider when picking a free app? Is it the lack of ads, the paywall, the open-source code, or something else? Let us know in the comments.