­Google says that its Android apps store, Google Play has now matched the number of downloadable software apps offered by Apple's iTunes.

The company said that it had around 700,000 mobile apps up from the 675,000 a month ago and now matches the number Apple currently claims for its service.

Apple has long claimed a lead over Android in mobile apps being developed, and that has been seen as a key battleground between the two companies. Although Nokia had an app store years before Apple, the lack of apps and difficulty installing them held back the rise of the mobile app as a revenue source.

A key issue remains though in that numerous reports over the past year have repeatedly found that Apple users are more willing to pay for a mobile app than their Android counterparts. That difference will continue to cause app developers to favour Apple over Android if prioritising development work.

By comparison, Windows Phone OS now has 120,000 mobile apps, and the Blackberry App World has around 105,000 apps (at September).