Amazon Alexa Skills Double in the US During 2018
The number of Alexa skills available in the United States more than doubles throughout 2018, showcasing strong developer interest in Amazon's voice platform. However, questions remain regarding the actual monetization and user discovery of these rapidly growing voice applications.
New data from Voicebot reveals that the number of Amazon Alexa skills in the U.S. more than doubles in 2018, growing from 25,784 to 56,750. This impressive 120 percent growth means developers are publishing an average of 85 skills per day, further cementing Alexa's position as a leading voice platform. While this growth rate is lower than the 266 percent seen in 2017, it still shows strong and sustained interest from the developer community.
The expansion extends well beyond American borders, with the U.K. and Germany experiencing massive surges of 233 percent and 152 percent, respectively. Other major markets also see significant numbers, with Canada hosting nearly 23,000 skills and Australia following closely behind. Much of this global growth occurs rapidly at the end of the year, as developers rush to publish new voice apps ahead of the busy holiday shopping season when Alexa-enabled devices become top sellers.
Despite these staggering numbers, industry analysts debate the actual value of this rapid skill proliferation. Critics point out that many third-party skills remain virtually invisible to everyday users and struggle to gain meaningful installations or generate revenue. Nevertheless, this remains the early stage of voice-based computing, and the current influx of applications allows developers to experiment, learn from their mistakes, and ultimately discover what voice experiences truly resonate with consumers.