The number of developers creating apps for the Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 platform has increased by about 80 percent since in a few months and this has resulted in prices of applications falling to the levels offered by rivals.

According to a report from application marketplace intelligence company Distimo, the prices of apps on Windows Phone 7 platform are now in line with prices of apps on other stores unlike apps for Mobile 6 in the Windows Marketplace, which are priced much higher.

The prices of top one hundred apps in the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace are comparable to those in Apple's App Store and Google's Android Marketplace. More than half of the apps in the top list are priced at less than $2 in the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace.

Distimo said in its report released on November 25, that the lower prices shows that the company's new customer oriented approach is working. The Windows Phone 7 Marketplace, which was launched on October 21 and grown to about 3,000 apps and more than 15,000 registered developers. The number mught be small when compared to Apple's App store with 300,000 apps, RIM's BlackBerry App World with about 14,500 apps and Nokia's Ovi Store with 28,000 apps but indicates a beginning for the platform.