All top secrets revealed: How much money do apps make and how to make money off an app

Apps are everywhere! From AM to PM, we have been using lots of apps to make our lives easy. Today morning you have clicked a selfie and want to add the sun-kissed filter, what will you do? We know that you take the help of an app based on the device platform. The users know their points of benefit. But do you know why developers make apps for us? The answer is simple: they get popularity as well as a lot of revenue!

The global app market is increasing day by day and 2019 was the golden year for the app makers. But do you know how much money do apps make? If NO, continue reading you will know something super exciting. If your answer is YES, still we will ask you to read as this blog covers all the areas to let you know how do apps make money that you may not get in other blog posts. 

When it comes to how to make money off an app, you need to consider some facts. You may have seen that some developers or people who invest in app development businesses complain that their apps failed to earn money. There can be several reasons for that kind of situation. But one is for sure is that the app makers did not consider the facts well we are going to discuss. So, let’s focus on those facts- 

How much money do apps make depend on the below facts that you need to consider-

The purpose of the app- When you are interested to know how much money do apps make, you have to consider this factor at the first move. App experts say that the purpose of the app plays a key role here.

Generally, through an app, you are going to target a problem and your app is going to solve that problem for your users. Now you have to check that the purpose is a true need of modern world users or not. If not then how to make money off an app is going to be a tough thing for you.

Chosen platform for your app development- The most important factor to be taken into consideration when it comes to how much money do apps make or how to make money off an app. The leading platform at the moment is Android because of its reach of penetration which is closely followed by Apple’s iOS platform as can be seen from the following graphic.

As BlackBerry and Windows mobile have just not made it to that level, so from an app preparation point of view they are not going to be very good choices. So, it is advisable to either stick to Android or iOS.

Proper competitor analysis- it is another important thing that you need to consider when it comes to how to make money off an app or how much money do apps make today. When you are going to develop an app, you will find that already a lot of developers have worked on a similar concept and are running well. So, they are basically your competitors and you have to learn from them also.

How their apps are running on multiple devices or platforms, their target audience, their monetization plan, concept, features, and other big to small related things need to be properly analyzed before you start developing your own app.

Technologies you are going to use- App marketing and developing experts suggest to pour a bit extra attention here. I mean they say you have to be more careful if you want to know how to make money off an app and do that in reality. They say that the technology stack you are going to use for your app development not only boosts the user experience but also lets you stand out from the crowd.

As an example, we can say that a general app business monetization model lets developers get only 70% of the amount used for mobile app development. But in the case of a blockchain-based app model, it can be 85% of the entire app revenue share. 

How much money do apps make: an average estimate for your ease

You can have an idea of the enormity of the app business just by having a look at this graphic where it clearly mentions that worldwide mobile app revenues in 2020 are scheduled to touch $188.9 billion. The majority of the top money-making apps are in fact gaming apps. Just to give you a perspective on things, Pokemon Go made $890 million in 2017.

A simple way by which you can target revenue for your app is by making in-app purchases. The global revenue obtained from the in-app purchase is much higher as compared to paid app downloads, which is the reason for which most game apps are free to download. 

Have a read at this blog post which has a breakdown on how to make a successful game app. It just may be that you end up making a successful gaming app and you can even earn through your app. 

How much money do apps make: The Monetization Models

How much money do apps make also depends on the app monetization plan you are going to pick. We will discuss the top 5 models today. But as an app developer, we will suggest you align your monetization plan with the platform you are choosing.

You have to keep this fact in mind that in order to get more users choosing a model that can annoy them also can be the reason for the failure of your app. So, when it comes to how much money do apps make and choose the right monetization plan, keep in mind that you have to choose something that is never going to be the pain point of your users or make them uninstall your application from their devices.

1. In-app advertising- If your developed application is completely free to download, install, and use, you can take the help of this monetization model. In this model, you have to basically run advertisements within your applications. T
   
   oday a large number of people spend a huge time on mobile apps, so third-parties have found mobile applications as very effective platforms in order to run their business ads. This monetization model is popular among developers and considered one of the best models to earn a solid profit.
2. Freemium model and in-app purchases- this is another popular app monetization model when it comes to solving the question- how do apps make money! You may have seen that some apps can be used without paying anything up to an extent and after that, we need to pay some bucks to use advanced features or options.
   
   This is also a profitable way that you can apply especially when you are worried about how much money do apps make. It is not that users will only use the free version. They will also purchase but for that, you have to let them know how interesting the thing is going to be if they avail of the premium version.
3. Subscription or software as a service- You may have quite a good idea about the term ‘subscription’. In order to use your application, the users have to pay some bucks as the weekly or monthly, or yearly mode. Generally audio and video providers and the entertainment industry are mainly applying this monetization model into their applications. When you have confidence in your content, enabling this monetization model can help you to earn solid revenue.
4. Sponsorship- It is another great way when you are thinking about how much money do apps make. I mean in this way, a lot of app developers or companies earn a lot of money. Generally, platforms like news portals or other channels which already have a user base, they enable this kind of monetization model. But you are a complete newbie in the industry, this monetization may not work that well for your app unless you invest hugely over solid promotion.
5. Crowdfunding- This is something new that we are going to add on the list this year. Experts call it an alternative monetization model that today’s app developers can apply to their apps.  Here all you need to do is just exchange your app idea or you can publish the MVP version on several platforms such as Indiegogo, CrowdFunder, Fundable, Kickstarter, and so on and you also have to do the required marketing tasks. 

This is definitely a new thing on the plate. And for your ease, we are giving an example- three years back, I mean in 2017, the Hello Earth game app has earned USD 148K with the help of this app monetization model.     

How much money do apps make: Make more money by following these tips

• Email marketing
• SMS marketing
• Affiliate links
• Partnership with other successful apps
• Virtual currency
• Having multiple options for payment

Popular categories of money-making apps-

• Shopping apps
• IoT applications
• Fitness and health apps
• Travel apps
• Personalization apps
• Mobile version of newspapers/magazines
• Social media apps 

Conclusion:

We have discussed all the possible ways when it concerns How much money do apps make today. As you have seen there are plenty of opportunities that exist in the world of app development and you will have enough scope to earn through your app, provided you hit the right notes. Additionally, the world of app development is going to witness an exponential rise in terms of revenue and the number of apps developed. Also, the area of smart TVs and smartwatches will be the ground that shall serve as the fertile area of app development in the future.

Well, you do have a fair idea of the field of app development and also what it would take for you so that you can earn through your app. There is a silver lining here. We, at Vyrazu Labs, have been at the forefront of app development covering both the areas of Android and iPhone. So, we can help you create your dream app and give you more help on ‘how do apps make money’, all you have to do is to get in touch with us FOR A FREE CONSULTATION.

Please feel free to drop your comments and feedback as it helps in improving the quality of this interaction between us and serves as a guideline for further improvement.