We analyze device-funded and ad-funded platforms with differentiated ecosystems supporting apps provided under monopolistic competition. The incentives of a device-funded platform in investing in app curation, introducing its own apps and setting commissions on in-app purchases of external apps are largely aligned with those of consumers, while this is not necessarily the case for the ad-funded platform. In particular, consumers gain from a positive commission set by the device-funded platform because this implies a lower price of the device, and the platform’s apps are introduced and priced internalizing the impact on consumer welfare, perfectly in models of horizontal differentiation and partially in models of vertical differentiation.

我们分析了设备资助和广告资助的平台，这些平台具有差异化的生态系统，支持在垄断竞争下提供的应用程序。由设备资助的平台投资于应用管理，引入自己的应用以及为外部应用的应用内购买收取佣金的激励措施在很大程度上与消费者的动机一致，而由广告资助的平台并不一定如此。尤其是，消费者会从设备资助的平台设定的积极佣金中受益，因为这意味着设备价格会降低，并且平台的应用程序的引入和定价将对消费者福利的影响内在化，这在水平差异化模型中是完美的，部分是垂直分化模型。