Data.ai
Data.ai, formerly App Annie, is a mobile app and digital economy analytics platform founded in 2010 by Bertrand Schmitt and Bjørn Stabell.
Profile
Provides mobile app analytics and digital economy market intelligence, helping businesses measure app downloads, revenue, user engagement, and competitive positioning.
Data.ai, formerly App Annie, is a mobile app and digital economy analytics platform founded in 2010 by Bertrand Schmitt and Bjørn Stabell. The company began in Beijing, reflecting Schmitt's thesis that China would be ground zero for mobile innovation, before expanding globally to offices across Amsterdam, Hong Kong, London, New York, Seoul, Shanghai, and Tokyo. Data.ai became the primary intelligence layer for understanding app performance—tracking downloads, active users, revenue, and demographic reach across iOS and Android ecosystems.
The company raised approximately $157 million in funding over its independent lifetime, making it one of the better-capitalized app analytics platforms. However, Data.ai faced a significant setback in September 2021 when the SEC settled securities fraud charges against the company and founder Schmitt, alleging that from late 2014 through mid-2018, Data.ai altered model-generated estimates using non-aggregated, non-anonymized customer data to inflate pricing for trading firms. The company paid $10 million in penalties; Schmitt paid $300,000 and was barred from serving as officer or director of a public company for three years.
Data.ai rebranded from App Annie in February 2022, attempting to signal a fresh start. In March 2024, Sensor Tower acquired Data.ai, consolidating two rival app intelligence vendors. At the time of acquisition, Data.ai reported $100 million in annual recurring revenue and employed approximately 400 people.
The combined entity now operates under Sensor Tower's banner, with Data.ai's metrics and customers integrated into the unified platform. By October 2025, Sensor Tower secured a strategic investment from Shinhan Securities to accelerate generative AI capabilities and expand Web and app intelligence offerings. Sensor Tower now serves over 2,500 enterprise customers globally, including Microsoft, P&G, Tencent, and UBS, and forecasts consumers will spend 4.3 trillion hours on mobile apps in 2025.
Who buys this
- App publishers and game developers measuring performance and user acquisition
- Brands and enterprises tracking competitive app market dynamics
- Investors and trading firms using app data to inform financial decisions
- Advertising agencies and media buyers optimizing mobile marketing spend
Publicly disclosed clients
- Microsoft
- Snapchat
- Activision
- Samsung
- Sky
- Bandai Namco
- United Airlines
Strengths and what to watch
Strengths
- 81 of the top 100 mobile publishers use data.ai for growth insights, representing deep market penetration in the publishing sector.
- Proprietary Mobile Performance Score (MPS) powered by applied AI provides differentiated measurement for app performance tracking.
- Post-acquisition integration with Sensor Tower adds web traffic and gen-AI datasets, creating unified digital economy visibility across mobile, web, and gaming.
Watch for
- SEC fraud settlement legacy: the 2021 enforcement action for manipulating estimates to inflate customer pricing damaged trust with trading firms and data-dependent buyers; customer concentration risk if major financial users shifted platforms post-settlement.
- Post-acquisition organizational changes: Sensor Tower laid off part of data.ai's ~400-person team upon acquisition; product consolidation and customer migration risks as standalone platforms merge into unified offering.
- Competitive pressure from consolidated rival: Sensor Tower itself became a larger player through this acquisition, but faces ongoing competition from Apptopia and other mobile intelligence vendors, particularly as data quality and AI feature parity increase.
Recent moves
Key Information
- Industry
- Product Analytics
- Founded
- 2010
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Data.ai?
Data.ai is a mobile app and digital economy analytics platform that helps businesses track app downloads, revenue, user engagement, and competitive positioning. Acquired by Sensor Tower in March 2024, it serves over 2,500 enterprise customers globally, including Microsoft and Google.
How does Data.ai measure app performance?
Data.ai measures app performance using its proprietary Mobile Performance Score powered by applied AI. It tracks downloads, active users, revenue, and demographic reach across iOS and Android ecosystems to provide comprehensive app performance insights for publishers and brands.
Who owns Data.ai and when was it acquired?
Sensor Tower acquired Data.ai in March 2024. Data.ai was founded in 2010 by Bertrand Schmitt and Bjørn Stabell and had $100 million in annual recurring revenue at acquisition. The integration combines app and web intelligence into a unified digital economy platform.
What was the Data.ai SEC fraud settlement?
In September 2021, the SEC settled securities fraud charges against Data.ai and founder Bertrand Schmitt for manipulating model-generated estimates using customer data from 2014-2018 to inflate pricing. Data.ai paid $10 million; Schmitt paid $300,000 and faced a three-year officer ban.
How many app publishers use Data.ai?
Of the top 100 mobile publishers, 81 use Data.ai for growth insights, demonstrating significant market penetration in the app publishing sector. This adoption rate reflects the platform's credibility and utility for tracking app downloads, revenue, and competitive performance metrics.
What is Sensor Tower planning with Data.ai?
In October 2025, Sensor Tower secured a strategic investment from Shinhan Securities to accelerate generative AI capabilities and expand web and app intelligence offerings. The combined platform now provides unified digital economy visibility across mobile, web, and gaming with advanced AI features.
How Data.ai compares
Direct head-to-head against 2 competitors. Picked by 7wData.
Data.ai
- Positioning
- Provides mobile app analytics and digital economy market intelligence, helping businesses measure app downloads, revenue, user engagement, and competitive positioning.
- Customer segments
- App publishers and game developers measuring performance and user acquisition
- Strengths
- 81 of the top 100 mobile publishers use data.ai for growth insights, representing deep market penetration in the publishing sector.
- Watch for
- SEC fraud settlement legacy: the 2021 enforcement action for manipulating estimates to inflate customer pricing damaged trust with trading firms and data-dependent buyers; customer concentration risk if major financial users shifted platforms post-settlement.
- Recent moves
- Sensor Tower secures strategic investment from Shinhan Securities to accelerate gen-AI and Web data capabilities
Apptopia
- Positioning
- Mobile app intelligence focused on SDK-level competitor data and investor-grade KPI forecasting for publishers and financial analysts.
- Customer segments
- App publishers, brand strategy teams, and investment firms benchmarking performance and informing portfolio decisions via mobile metrics.
- Strengths
- SDK-level data exposing competitor tech stacks, plus proprietary Bloomberg Terminal partnership delivering mobile consumer metrics to institutional investors.
- Watch for
- Customer reviews cite an average 20% margin of error in usage estimates; accuracy concerns persist despite a 2023 model update.
- Recent moves
- Acquired a U.S. mobile consumer panel in February 2025; launched Mobile Performance Index in June 2025.
Similarweb
- Positioning
- NYSE-listed digital intelligence platform combining web traffic and mobile app data for enterprise competitive benchmarking.
- Customer segments
- Enterprise marketing, strategy, and investor teams requiring unified visibility across competitor web and app performance in one platform.
- Strengths
- Unified web-plus-app coverage in a single platform, bolstered by the 42matters acquisition (July 2024) adding 4 million tracked iOS and Android apps.
- Watch for
- Stock fell 30% in February 2025 after missing revenue targets; recurring workforce reductions signal persistent margin and execution pressure.
- Recent moves
- Launched App Intelligence in March 2025, built on the July 2024 acquisition of 42matters for $12.8 million.
Sources
- sensortower.com — Sensor Tower acquisition of data.ai in March 2024, CEO quotes, strategic rationale, customer expansion
- techcrunch.com — Acquisition announcement, $100M ARR for data.ai, ~400 employees, employee layoffs, SEC fraud settlement as context
- www.sec.gov — SEC securities fraud settlement against App Annie and Bertrand Schmitt in September 2021, $10M penalty, allegations of data manipulation from 2014-2018
- www.prnewswire.com — Data.ai customers including Microsoft, Sky, Bandai Namco, employee count, Bain Capital financing, strategic context
- golden.com — Data.ai founders Bertrand Schmitt and Bjørn Stabell, 2010 founding, rebranding to data.ai in February 2022
- www.businessofapps.com — Data.ai product categories (Market and Analytics), Mobile Performance Score, 81 of top 100 publishers as customers