Original Summary

Solo developer here. Since May I've shipped 19 iOS apps (14 of them also on Google Play), mostly Flutter. Downloads aren't the problem. Money is: - ~1,570 iOS downloads + ~580 Android installs - ~$45 total revenue in 5 months (subscriptions + one-time unlocks + ads) - About 2 cents per download **How the apps try to make bucks* - PDF scanner/editor: every tool works for free, you pay when you save/share/export. $4.99/mo, $39.99/yr (3-day trial), $79.99 lifetime. Free users can also unlock actions by watching an ad. - AI journal and AI day planner: subscriptions, $5.99–$9.99/mo. - Bible study app: free core, $9.99 one-time Pro + tip jar. - Small puzzle/arcade games: AdMob (rewarded + interstitial) + a one-time "remove ads / Pro" unlock. What I tried and what happened - Apple Search Ads for the PDF app: a few hundred dollars, worldwide, broad match. Result: $3.50 in sales. Most of the app's installs came from India and the Gulf. - Google Ads for two Android apps: ~130 installs, most uninstalled within days. - AdMob across everything: a few dollars total. - Changed the PDF app's paywall three times (freemium, hard paywall, pay-at-export). Nothing moved revenue. What I think is wrong (correct me) Wrong traffic. My prices in India, Egypt, etc. are the same as or higher than US prices. Nobody there pays $40/yr for a PDF app. Zero social proof. 18 of 19 apps have zero ratings on the US store. Most never asked for a rating (fixing that now). Spread too thin. 19 apps in 5 months, none of them pushed properly. US search is out of reach. I measured ~300 US keywords with real search volume; none of my apps is in the top 50 for any of them. Questions At low volume, what monetization actually worked for you on a utility app: hard paywall, pay-at-export, ads, or lifetime? Would you cut prices hard (40–60%) in low-income markets, or just ignore them? If you could only keep pushing 1–2 of these apps, which would you pick and why? Is Apple Search Ads worth one more try (US only, exact match, capped at ~$150), or pointless with zero ratings? Anything on the store pages that screams "don't pay"? Happy to share more numbers in the comments. Brutal feedback welcome. Links - All iOS apps: https://apps.apple.com/us/developer/mustafa-salim-erek/id1896175573 - All Android apps: https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=algoguy - The three I most want feedback on: - PDF Scanner & Editor: Privio: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pdf-scanner-editor-privio/id6769985472 - Evenfall: Reflective Journal: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/evenfall-reflective-journal/id6780204063 - Colophon: Interlinear Bible: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/colophon-interlinear-bible/id6789892808   submitted by   /u/Ok_Move4719 [link]   [comments]

  • 情报分类：商业与市场研究
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  • 信息来源：Reddit · SideProject
  • 发布时间：2026/10/17 17:32:31