Latest
Apple/Tech Insider
Apple provides a list of featured Apple TV apps in the App Store, but it won't tell you which apps are most popular, like you can on an iPhone or iPad.
That's a major problem, because if Apple doesn't feature your app, users have to go out of their way to search for it. There are no other ways to discover content; most notably, you can't browse apps on the Apple TV, in distinct categories or otherwise. You can't even use Siri to search for apps.
However, Apple will be adding more discovery features to the Apple TV App Store soon, including lists of the most popular apps in different categories.
In the meantime, a few developers have managed to get around these early restrictions: one developer, Steve Troughton-Smith, was able to find the Apple TV's top paid, free, and grossing charts by basically trying to access the charts online and spoofing the Apple TV headers into the request, according to 9to5Mac. Another developer, Jeff Scott from SlideToPlay, has published real-time lists of these apps (via MacRumors).
Thanks to the efforts of these developers, we have an idea of the top Apple TV apps, both paid and free. Here they are:
Top 10 paid Apple TV apps
1. Beat Sports ($9.99) (Apple TV Only)
2. SimpleX - for Plex ($2.99) (Apple TV Only)
3. Galaxy on Fire - Manticore RISING ($5.99)(Apple TV Only)
4. Lumino City ($4.99) (+ Universal)
5. Alto's Adventure ($2.99) (+ Universal)
6. Does not Commute TV ($2.99) (Apple TV Only)
7. Battle Supremacy: Evolution ($5.99)(+ Universal)
8. Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions Evolved ($9.99)(+ Universal)
9. Shoot The Zombirds ($0.99)(+ Universal)
10. Oceanhorn ($8.99)(+ Universal)
Top 10 free Apple TV apps
1. Rayman Adventures (Apple TV Only)
2. Crossy Road - Endless Arcade Hopper (+ Universal)
3. HBO NOW (+ Universal)
4. The Nat Geo TV (+ Universal)
5. FOX NOW (+ Universal)
6. SHOWTIME (+ Universal)
7. HISTORY (+ Universal)
8. CNNgo (Apple TV Only)
9. CBS (+ Universal)
10. Asphalt 8: Airborne (+ Universal)
(SlideToPlay even includes a list of the top 200 Apple TV apps, in case you want to dig even further into the new content.)
There are a few obvious takeaways from these real-time lists. First of all, it's surprising to see a $10 app topping the charts of paid apps: Most people only spend a few dollars on mobile apps, so it's a good sign that new owners are willing to spend more money for bigger, TV-optimized applications.
It's also super interesting to see so many games topping both paid and free charts. Netflix is nowhere to be found in the Top 10 free apps - it's actually the No. 32 free app right now, believe it or not. Instead, the top free apps are hot iOS games: "Rayman Adventures" and "Crossy Road." That bodes well for Apple's gaming ambitions, should the company invest in more tvOS-exclusive games and applications.
We look forward to seeing how these charts change as more customers get their hands on this device.
The new Apple TV, now available for purchase, comes in two configurations: 32GB ($149) and 64GB ($199). We recommend buying the 64GB version only if you plan on downloading lots of games and apps.