According to a new report from Gartner there will be 45.6 billion mobile app downloads this year, up from 25 billion downloads in 2011. Free apps will play a large role in this growth, as 89% of these downloads will be free. And of those apps that do cost money, 90% will cost less than $3.

Gartner anticipates that this trend will continue. The company predicts that app downloads will hit 81.4 billion by next year with 90% of those apps being free.

TechCrunch has more: “By 2016, Gartner is predicting the the mobile app market will see almost 310 billion downloads, with 93% of those free apps. These numbers point to growing opportunities for those companies that help app developers monetize their apps in other ways: not just through mobile advertising, but also through developing models for in-app purchases, subscriptions and other ways to get users to pay later for content. Indeed, in-app purchases, Gartner predicts, will drive 41% of all app revenues by 2016.”