How Much Do Apps Really Make? Real Revenue Benchmarks for App Store & Google Play

Every indie developer eventually types the same thing into Google: “how much do apps make?”

The answers you usually get:

• Vague averages like “the average app makes $X per day”
• Blog posts that mix games, utilities, and enterprise apps into one number
• Generic charts with no link to your niche, your store, or your country

If you’re serious about building a profitable app, you need something better than “apps can make a lot of money”.

In this guide, we’ll walk through:

• How much apps actually make in practice (with realistic ranges)
• How free apps make money (and when it works)
• The most common mobile app revenue models
• How to use real App Store & Google Play data instead of guesses

---

Why “Average App Revenue” Is a Trap

Search for “how much do apps make” and you’ll see:

• Global averages that hide the difference between top 1% and everyone else
• Numbers based on old datasets or rough web scraping
• No breakdown by category, monetization, or platform

This creates two dangerous illusions:

1. “Any decent app can easily make $X/month”
   → You underestimate how hard it is to get traction and retain users.
2. “All the money has already been taken”
   → You ignore profitable micro‑niches where a small indie app can win.

What you really need is revenue context for your niche, not a global one‑size‑fits‑all answer.

---

The 3 Revenue Layers That Actually Matter

When you look at how much apps make, think in three layers:

1. Top of the category
   • A handful of apps that dominate installs and revenue
   • Often big studios or heavily funded products
2. Healthy middle
   • Smaller teams making $2k–$30k/month
   • Often niche‑focused, with good retention and clear monetization
3. Long tail
   • Thousands of apps making $0–$500/month, many abandoned
   • Decent idea, but weak execution, no visibility, or no monetization

Your realistic target as an indie:

• Either join the healthy middle in a sensible niche, or
• Build several small apps that each sit at the upper long tail / lower middle.

To do that, you need to understand how apps in your niche monetize and what they actually earn.

---

How Do Free Apps Make Money?

Most new developers underestimate how many ways there are to monetize a “free” app.

The main revenue models for free apps:

1. Ads (ad‑supported)

   • Show ads in free apps (banners, interstitials, rewarded videos).
   • Works best when:
     • You have large volume.
     • Sessions are frequent but short (casual games, tools).
   • Downsides:
     • Users complain about intrusive ads.
     • Revenue per user is often low unless you have serious scale.

2. Freemium (free app, paid features)

   • Core app is free, advanced features are paid.
   • Works when:
     • There’s a clear “power user” layer (extra reports, export, automation).
     • You can offer real value behind a paywall, not just cosmetic perks.
   • This is one of the most flexible models for indie apps.

3. Subscriptions

   • Recurring payments (weekly, monthly, yearly).
   • Great for:
     • Ongoing value: content, coaching, tracking, automation.
     • Niches where users keep using the app for months.
   • Powerful, but users expect serious value and will churn if they don’t get it.

4. One‑time purchases / paid unlock

   • Pay once → unlock full app or remove limits.
   • Simple and honest, but:
     • Harder to scale revenue over time.
     • Works best for tools with clear, “finished” value.

5. Hybrid models

   • Example: free app + optional subscription + one‑time lifetime unlock.
   • Common in productivity, fitness, and finance niches.

The question is not “can free apps make money?”.
The right question is: “Which monetization model fits this problem, this audience, and this market?”

---

Realistic Revenue Ranges for Indie Apps

There is no universal answer, but across many markets you’ll see patterns like:

• $0–$200/month
  • Typical for apps with:
    • Weak ASO (no keyword strategy).
    • No clear monetization (or only banner ads).
    • Little to no iteration after launch.
• $200–$2k/month
  • A common range for:
    • Simple tools in small but healthy niches.
    • Apps with basic freemium or subscriptions.
    • Solo projects with occasional updates.
• $2k–$10k/month
  • More likely when:
    • The niche has solid demand and users are willing to pay.
    • Monetization is aligned with real value (not just “pay to remove ads”).
    • The team actively iterates on onboarding, pricing, and ASO.
• $10k+/month
  • Usually:
    • Strong product‑market fit in a well‑chosen niche.
    • Multiple monetization streams (subscriptions, IAP, maybe B2B).
    • Ongoing investment into growth and retention.

The point isn’t to memorize numbers — it’s to understand that context matters:

• Category (fitness vs. utilities vs. kids)
• Platform (iOS vs. Google Play)
• Country (US vs. emerging markets)
• Monetization model

---

Why You Need Revenue Benchmarks Before You Build

If you’re asking “how much do apps make?” because you want to know whether your idea can become $500/month, $5k/month, or more, what you really need is:

• Revenue benchmarks for your exact niche
• Per‑competitor ranges, not just global averages
• Context for:
  • Market size
  • Competition
  • Entry difficulty

That’s exactly what KeyPathfinder focuses on:

• It finds the most relevant competitors for your idea in App Store and Google Play.
• Estimates monthly revenue ranges for top apps in your niche.
• Shows monetization patterns (subscriptions, IAP, paid apps).
• Wraps everything into a single report with an Opportunity Score.

Instead of asking “how much do apps make?” in general, you can ask:

“How much do apps like mine make in this category, on this platform, in this country?”

— and get an answer grounded in real store data.

---

How to Use Revenue Data to Shape Your Monetization Strategy

Once you know how much apps in your space are making, you can do more than just “hope”.

1. Check if the market is even worth it

   • If top competitors struggle to reach $200–$500/month, it’s probably a hobby market.
   • If several players are in the $2k–$10k+/month range, it’s a real business opportunity.

2. Align your model with user expectations

   • If the niche is dominated by subscriptions, users may expect a subscription.
   • If one‑time purchases dominate, aggressive subscriptions may backfire.

3. Spot monetization gaps

   • All apps free with ads? → Opportunity for ad‑free premium or freemium.
   • All expensive annual subscriptions? → Room for a lower‑priced monthly plan or a generous free tier.

4. Set realistic goals

   • If the entire niche seems capped at $3k/month, don’t expect it to fund a 10‑person team.
   • Use competitor revenue as a sanity check for your own expectations.

---

How KeyPathfinder Helps You Move Beyond “Vibes”

Instead of hand‑waving about “apps can make a lot of money”, KeyPathfinder gives you:

• Opportunity Score (0–100) for your idea.
• Market size, friendliness, and entry difficulty for your niche.
• Revenue benchmarks for top competitors.
• Monetization breakdowns by model and price ranges.

You still have to build, ship, and iterate — but you’re no longer guessing whether your category is:

• A dead end with no revenue, or
• A validated market where small, focused apps can make solid money.

---

Where to Go Next

If you’re currently at the “how much do apps make?” stage, here’s a simple sequence:

1. Pick 3–5 ideas you actually care about.
2. Run each one through KeyPathfinder to see:
   • Market demand
   • Competitor revenue
   • Entry difficulty
3. Shortlist ideas where:
   • Competitors are making real money.
   • You see a clear monetization gap or UX gap.
4. Dive deeper into:
   • How to Find and Validate App Ideas: A Complete Guide to Market Research
   • How to Validate Your App Idea Before Writing a Single Line of Code

You’ll stop thinking in terms of “apps can make millions” and start thinking in terms of:

• “Apps like mine make $X–$Y/month in this niche. Is that enough for my goals?”

— which is exactly the kind of question serious builders ask before they write code.