There are so many applications to choose from these days on mobile devices, including both free-to-play and paid ones. However, when it comes to which ones are more appealing, there’s no question that users want to save a few bucks, according to eMarketer.

Based on a recent poll from October 2014 conducted by Zogby Analytics for the Digital Advertising Alliance, 35.7 percent of U.S. based internet users prefer free or low-cost applications with in-app advertising over paid apps, mainly due to the pricing involved. In that same group, only just over ten percent of those polled felt like downloading free or cheap ads that don’t include advertising, but instead run via in-app purchases. As for those who would prefer paying full price for an app, that percentage came in at the lowest, with 2.7 percent.

Meanwhile, that same group was also asked if they were interested in paying for free apps that were already downloaded. 46.4 percent of those believe that they wouldn’t download any of their applications again if they came with a price tag, while 15.1 percent felt that they would, but only one-fifth of those offered. Out of those polled, only 8.1 percent believe that all of them would be worth coughing up a few dollars for.

Most users have no problem with pop-up ads that appear in applications. A separate study from AYTM Market Research indicates that 72 percent of users of mobile devices have seen such ads, but only one-quarter of that audience actually interacted with them. However, app advertisers still got some attention, as mobile users that do click these ads have grown around 10 percent when it came to interaction in an app, compared to a mobile browser.

Advertisers shouldn’t be discouraged by low numbers, though. 451 Research believes that over the next few years, there will be an estimated growth in mobile app users, from 1.81 billion this year all the way to 3.01 billion in 2018. That’s a lot of pop-up ads.

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