Ask HN: Has anyone made any serious money selling Android apps?

[ghoomketu]

A lot of saas success stories here ger posted often but I seldom see any success stories about someone making any serious money from apps, especially android apps.

Is it very hard to do that, especially with the play store tax? Or am I being a pessimist.

Please share your success (or failure) so we can all get some motivation (or reality check)

[ageitgey]

In my experience, the time to make money selling mobile apps was 2008-2012 or so. The market is totally different now.

In my opinion, has never been harder to make money charging money for apps:

- Competition is huge (including underhanded competition that will clone any successful app instantly)

- Customer appetite to pay for "apps" is near zero. Customers don't even want to download more apps, let alone pay money for them.

- Programs like Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass have further eroded the idea of paying for apps

- Ad-driven trash apps and poor app store ranking/discoverability have further driven consumers away from trying new apps in app stores

Of course lots of successful businesses use apps as part of their business model. But very few are making money from selling the app itself unless they have a really good niche figured out.

[Eddy_Viscosity2]

I agree with this, personally I stopped installing new apps a while ago and use the browser more. I see apps as just security and privacy nightmares and forget about getting me to pay for them. Not to say I won't pay for good things, I have a number of subscriptions to various web services. There are a few exceptions where I have to install and use an app, and I resent each of those situations.

[desmondmcnamee]

I have a gym logging app that’s currently making about $20k/month on Android. I think fitness is a bit of a unique market because, in my experience, people are more willing to spend money on it compared to other types of software. Last I checked we’re in the top 5 apps on the play store for our niche.

https://www.hevyapp.com

[Torwald]

> I think fitness is a bit of a unique market because, in my experience, people are more willing to spend money on it compared to other types of software.

It is one of 3 markets that are like that: health, dating/relationships, finances.

"Fitness" as a concept pertains to the "dating/relationships" market and is therefore linked to the strongest motivator ie. gettig laid. It is also linked to health and for some it helps with their professional performance. So yeah, "fitness" hits a sweet spot there.

But really, have a seriously useful app in either one these three and you can build a business around that.

[Snoozle]

Small world! I started using hevy in 2020 to track weights and haven't used anything else since. By the way somehow the timer noise always makes me jump.

[nakedgremlin]

Would you be willing to share how that compares to your iOS side? I see you have Apple Watch support which I assume is easier to monetize for your space.

[toyg]

There is a lot of churn in that space, though, with apps disappearing as fast as they appear. You must be doing a very good job.

[nimbleplum40]

This looks great! Does it support RPE or other similar metrics?

I currently use Strong, but the Apple Watch app uses 1/2lb increments and there is no way to change it. Super irritating to scroll through hundreds of ticks to log a deadlift...

[xwowsersx]

App looks great, congrats. I've logged years and years in FitNotes. Any way to import my data from FitNotes into Hevy? I would guess not, but figured I'd ask!

[Melatonic]

How do you make money? Ads Im guessing? Will check this out

[chourobin]

curious, is this made with react native?

[unixhero]

Well done

[brandonb]

I helped build an app that does ~$1m in annual revenue, and 75+% of revenue came from iPhone. That ratio seems to be in line with global stats on app store revenue, which show $72.3B of total revenue for the Apple App Store compared to $38.6 for Google Play: https://webtribunal.net/blog/app-revenue-statistics/#gref

Apps are a hits-driven industry. The top apps generate about $82,500 per day but only 0.01% of apps make money.

IMO, the Play Store tax isn't a huge deal. They've lowered their take from 30% to to 15%: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ....

[bombcar]

> only 0.01% of apps make money.

This is the key stat - you can sell your app and maybe make some coin, or you can make it free and shove it full of ads and definitely get some (small amount) of coin.

Making a big success is unlikely; but if you find a targeted niche that you're already involved in you may be able to make a small success.

[mdavis6890]

I really want an app-store filter for paid/free apps, where I can filter OUT the free apps. Anyone else?

I feel like a big part of the problem is that the entire space is filled with junky 'free' apps, and getting to something high-quality is difficult. And so we're trained not to value apps because they're awful, and therefore not worth paying for anyway. A vicious cycle.

If the apps are reasonable quality and solve a problem, what's $5 or even $10? Many people spend around that for a cup of coffee that will be gone in 30min. I'd happily pay that for a good app - if only I could find one.

I'd LOVE to see super-cheap subscriptions too - like maybe ten cents or even less per month. This solves another issue: Once a dev has gotten most of the one-off sales they can, there's not much incentive to maintain the app. A subscription model is much better for this, but for most simple utility apps it needs to be very cheap.

[superasn]

Some guy created this play store search alternative(1) that lets you find apps by filtering IAP, Ad free, etc. It's very useful but I think it's on a small server so it takes a lot of time to search. Still very useful imo.

(1) https://playsearch.kaki87.net/

edit: sorry it looks to be down right now. Was working before last time I tried. I'll just leave my comment here in case he updates it again.

[kaba0]

I believe the most sustainable and fair payment model is paid app at version X, which will get bugfixes indefinitely (or for a long time at least), but no new features. Later a new paid version comes out that will contain the new features, but that way existing users that find the previous version they paid for enough can continue to use it, yet the developer gets a steady stream of money as presumably many of the users will buy the newer version.

See the Reeder app for an example.

Though this doesn’t work where service fees are part of the equation, perhaps the best way to handle that would be passing the cost down to users through an optional subscription.

[sdk16420]

There appear to be few good apps left that do not use a subscription model, and when they do, more often than not they charge at least €5/month, or a yearly €40 subscription. I remember around circa 2012, apps like Nova Launcher and Titanium backup were considered expensive, at €7 or so. Another example, I have a grandfathered subscription on Sleep Cycle for €2 a year, if you would take a new subscriptions it's €30 a year.

[water554]

So many people even on HN complain about something as trivial as a $1/mo price change (digital ocean). I don’t get the mentality but it exists. That’s a great idea about micro subscriptions. I wonder if the friction is the same between $1 and $0.10 though.

[kitsunesoba]

I totally agree. Especially one time purchases below $20 are peanuts in the grand scheme of things for quality apps that will never nickel and dime me or nag me about IAPs.

[cwoolfe]

Android and iOS app developer speaking. If you've got Android development skills, the easiest money would be to get a normal job with a normal company developing their app. If you're interested in long-term gains, invest 50% of your salary into index funds. They are are currently offered at a big discount because we're in a recession!

Most of the mobile industry is normal companies who need developers for their app, in the same way they need developers for their website. The image of the lone app developer making some passion-project app and posting it up on the store to sell for millions gained some popularity because it's so inspirational, but that's not how most app developers make money, especially in 2022. The market is over-saturated.

If you are more interested in a risky passion-project than a normal job, then the emerging market of VR gaming apps on Oculus still shows some promise.

[ryandvm]

I made about $5K selling a live wallpaper that showed local weather radar. I originally just made it for myself, but then decided to release it on the app store.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appidio.ra...

I never marketed it properly though and so the bottom fell out of my sales to the point that I was making almost nothing from it, so I made it free.

That was project that taught me that marketing is more important than technical achievement.

[david422]

I've made a few apps. Some were even quite popular. But eventually they all lost traction. So I agree - marketing is a _very_ large part of app development that I wasn't interested in/neglected. To make an app successful, it really needs to be _the_ focus, with constant support and updates.

[giarc]

Why not find someone and give them 50% cut of future revenue? You can show proof that it would make money, and there's no downside to you if they are able to extract more out of a dead app (unless it needs a bunch of updates and maintenance).

[Vespasian]

Just a side question: Any reason you did restrict it by country?

I suppose you have only data for certain locations so that would be the most logical explanation to me

[yccheok]

It is still possible. I have been doing so for a few years, by focusing on single note taking app

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yocto.weno...

Here's my take :-

1) Just like in other businesses, it is a competitive market.

2) However, it is also full of limitless opportunities. Google Play store helps you to reach worldwide end consumers. Only a few channels can do that with a frictionless payment system. Google Play store is one of them.

3) Since it is a highly competitive market, you need to know your niche and know who your targetted customers are very well. Then, we provide a solid solution to fit customer needs.

4) Play store tax is not a concern. Once you publish the app, the only main concern is how to market the app and how to pitch the app so that consumers will choose your app over the others.

5) With some luck, one will hit overnight success. But, the chance is rare. Most of the time, we need to invest a lot of resources, and success is not guaranteed.

[jdthedisciple]

Mind elaborating a bit? How is your app doing? What's your model - a free and a paid version or just ads?

[holgersindbaek]

How did you market your app to the point that it has 1m+ downloads?

[porbelm]

Bertheussen IT, the company (one guy) behind Wordfeud, made millions. $20 million ish over a few years actually.

https://proff.no/selskap/bertheussen-it-as/trondheim/datapro...

[napolux]

My experience on iOS: even with an app featured by apple I didn't made much (around 100$/month before fading away). The app was a paid app with IAP. Then moved to freemium... Still no success. Other apps I've made were always around 5$ per month.

I strongly believe that the "non-gaming" app business is flawed. Or you offer a superb app for peanuts (e.g. Procreate is wonderful, but I paid it 10$, and it's worth way more IMHO) or you trick people with subscriptions which are really sketchy to me.

Games are a different story btw.

[ghaff]

I'm not sure subscriptions are a "trick" but random little subscriptions are very off-putting to me. Every one is a money leak. I'll very deliberately pay for some that provide me value--a handful of streaming services for example. But not some random utility app that costs $5/month.

[mattgreenrocks]

Seems like consumers are way more price sensitive these days, and can accurately assess whether they are getting value from a subscription.

[doix]

During the very early days of Android (2010, I think) I made some terrible arcade games. They made about 100$ a month from ads and I sold the rights for distribution in Korea for 600$ a game to a company that no longer exists (ubi-nuri). Live wallpapers became a thing at some point, and I sold some procedure generated garbage for $0.99. I think I made somewhere between 3-4k GBP out of the whole thing.

Then the market got very competitive, the "recently updated" section was removed and everything died immediately for me. I have no idea how you would get users now without an advertising budget.

[kbridger3]

It is still generally harder to make serious money from apps but possible.

Also, games are very different than Apps. People are more willing to spend money on entertainment than apps. Some exceptions are dating, health, finance though.

Back in 2014 and 2015, I launched an app on windows phone and android respectively. They both made a few thousand within a couple of months. I discontinued them, but mostly because the competition on Android was too much and I was unsure about the product strategy going forward. Fast-forward years later, and several of those competitors also shut down, leaving room for other apps in that space to grow and take more marketshare. I really think you have to just keep at it.

I actually think Apps were difficult to make money from years ago but that was because several factors such as competition, consumer spending habits, lack of incentives from iOS/play stores.

Now, I think things are a bit different:

1. Fewer apps as the tech sector has shifted to more cutting edge tech like crypto, etc.

2. Quality of apps have gone up

3. In-App purchases are very common as are Subscription models

4. People are more willing to spend on IAP and have gotten used to subscriptions

5. Stores have reduced taxes to %15 in some cases

6. People are using fewer apps these days, no more app explosion.

But basically, you're app has to be high-quality and useful. Also, the main drivers for app installs are still the app stores themselves, so you have to optimize for the app store. Look into ASO ( app store optimization ). Also, expect to take a long-time to build up your audience. I'm attempting to launch a new app now, and going through this process.

Regarding ios vs android, it's easier to make revenue on iOS for sure, but again, if your app is high-quality and useful i'm not sure it makes a big difference.

[jdthedisciple]

> Regarding ios vs android, it's easier to make revenue on iOS for sure, but again, if your app is high-quality and useful i'm not sure it makes a big difference.

Why is it a "vs"? Why not just both? I thought so many tech stacks nowadays are more or less cross platform and make it relatively easy to ship to both or am I being naive?

[ackbar03]

Can you explain why dating, health, and finance are different? Another comment above just said the exact same thing. I sort of get dating and fitness but I've never used a finance app on my phone before

[zorr]

Around 2012-2013 (I think) I had an app where I had reverse engineered the Omnifocus sync protocol so you could "use Omnifocus" on an Android phone. After experimenting with pricing a bit I think I left it at $20 and consistently had a few sales per day for months. I have received zero complaints about the price. It was a simple one-off transaction for an app that solved one specific problem well.

It wasn't serious money but a nice addition to my salary at the time. I highly doubt a price point like this can still be done in the current app environment.

[robgering]

This isn't exactly what you're asking, but consultancies that produce mobile apps on behalf of clients can see significant revenue. This is particularly true for apps that require user-to-user interaction or other functionality requiring a decent amount of backend code.

Unlike websites, which are largely commoditized by big players, custom apps still fetch large sums. The pros in this space charge project-based (or at least per diem) rates, so you'll need to be good at estimating your work.

[ilrwbwrkhv]

I know 2 solo devs making over 500k per month with apps. Highly niched and competitive space though so you won't really hear much from them.

[gjvc]

500k per month ... USD ?

Insane, or BS.

[webmaven]

> I know 2 solo devs making over 500k per month with apps.

You said "solo", so... each?

[doppp]

Do you mind sharing what type of industry they are in?

[WA]

Every popular and useful app that also has an Android-version (Runtastic, Komoot, training apps, health apps) will have significant revenue coming from Android users in Europe, because the market share of Android in Europe is 70%.

Yes, iOS users pay more easily for smaller apps (think special Camera apps), but if you create an app that provides value on a daily basis with a subscription model, you also make money on Android.

[lawgimenez]

Wow I have no idea Android has that large of a market share in Europe.

[sgt]

Selling Android apps is really hard. I haven't met any indie Android developer able to make a decent buck (or anything at all). Rather focus on iOS development if you want to actually make a profit.

This is well known in the industry and a bit sad if you enjoy Android, but that's how it is and it has many reasons, such as user behavior.

[threeseed]

> especially with the play store tax

It's the cost of the acquisition channel not a tax. And if you want to build a successful business then you better understand the difference.

Because these days you will likely need to pay for other channels as well e.g. SEO, Paid Ads, Referral, Influencer etc. And the challenge is how you can afford this when your app is only a few dollars.

Which is why most newer startups are doing free apps with a subscription add-on.

[j_4]

Are you interested in games as well?

I recently released my first game on Android, very much a commercial endeavor but with a model that I somewhat expected too friendly for its own good - ad-free demo, single IAP for the full game. It made $10k over the first month and so far it seems to be still accelerating. I'm yet to release on iOS, I expected the Android port to be a drop in the bucket but this is going to go a long way in sustaining me as an indie game dev.

[zigzag312]

That sounds very good for a first game. Did it have any following before the release?

> ad-free demo, single IAP for the full game

Is there any backslash from the demo-only players (eg. leaving bad reviews since they need to pay to access full game)?

Care to share the link to the game?

[Torwald]

You ask: "Is it very hard to do that" which is a bit ambiguous as a question.

But here are some tips for starters:

- Pick a niche for your app that is very nerdy, don't do something mainstream, that would make too mayn people interested in your offering.

- Do not have a website or a youtube channel that helps people use your app. obscurity is absolutely crucial for your Android apps business success.

- Please pick a very cheap price with a crummy number like, say, $4,97 to evaporate your margins.

- Understand that consumers hate pretty icons and nicely animated user interfaces. Your app has to look like a Linux desktop of a guy, who feels most comfortable to be in terminal all day.

- Please make the billing process a PITA, otherwise things would be too easy! Better yet, make sure I can't even buy your app in most countries!

- Don't invest in graphics! Make the app icon ugly und undiscernable!

- Likewise, don't think about marketing. It is important that you just upload the app and let the app store do it's magic! It works 100%!

- Make sure you have no customer support. If you have good customer support, that could build trust and drive sales, something we do not want if we want to be successful.

- Lastly, let's make sure you disrespect quality programmers. Buy cheap code from a third world country! The delivered software architecture that breaks with every OS update and additional bag of bugs will be a constant maintenance nightmare. And after all, we want to have dreams, right?

- Oh, and don't make the app useful. Make it a gimmick that nobody really needs!

Keep the above in mind and surely, becoming a millionaire garage style with programming Android apps will be a peace of cake!

[iasay]

The money in the app market is making apps for other people who think they're going to get serious money. Or rarely are fronting an existing application and have a stable customer base already.