Distimo, which specializes in app store analytics, and the Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF), have released a report on the European app store market, covering the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia and Spain. The report covers the Apple App Store for iPhone, Apple App Store for iPad, BlackBerry App World (worldwide), Android Market, Nokia Ovi Store, Palm App Catalog, and Windows Phone 7 Marketplace during January 2011.

The report reveals that the average price of top apps in the most expensive stores is lower than the average price of all apps. In the stores where apps are cheaper on average, the reverse is true: the most popular apps have a higher average price than the average price of all applications.

The most used pricing tier for all app stores is under $2, except for BlackBerry App World, where the most used pricing tier is between $2 and $2.99. In-app purchases have become an important way of monetizing applications in the Apple App Store for iPhone. 29 per cent of the revenue of the most successful apps in the UK is generated solely by free apps that monetize using in-app purchases.

At least one-third of all downloads of the 300 most popular apps in the selected countries is from the UK, on both the iPad and iPhone. And significantly more apps are downloaded on Saturdays and Sundays than on weekdays. The difference between weekdays and weekends is larger on the iPad than on the iPhone.

The full report is available exclusively to MEF members. There’s more information about joining MEF here.