I've been an Indie app developer for 10 years. It's hard for me to conclusively give you a "Go for it" advice, here are some key points:
The sooner you start - the better.
Developing apps nowadays takes much less effort than before - I'm using Flutter and it's super easy and intuitive. It's cross platform, so most of the work is done once for both platforms.
The app store(s) are doing some organic promotion work but you need to know what to do in order to optimize it - AKA "ASO" (check out my Udemy course)
ASO is not only about competing over keywords, it's also A/B testing graphics for the long range, localization and many more key points that there is a lot to say about.
Pick an area with less competition. With a solution. With a competitive edge as an app (Maybe there's a successful competitor who has a website, if you have an app, it gives you the edge)
Another option is to pick a niche - low on search volume, but there to solve something that specific group of people really want and are willing to pay for e.g. "Vegan Dating"
Go for a trend! This is a more guerilla tactic style - something goes trendy - quickly launch an app in the subject. I've only tried it once with "Flappy Bird" - made a knockoff called "Flappy You", passing 300K downloads. It doesn't have to be a knockoff of course. For instance, as Covid hit, many statistic apps were launched.
The subscribers model is great. People are more likely to subscribe since they know the OS's UI which asks them to pay, and they're used to it. iOS users are willing to pay more and to cancel less. (Of course it has to do with geo location too, etc)
This is amazing, I particularly like pt. 6. I think someone tried to do this with wordle but they got backlash because of some of their previous tweets. However, with the right execution it is a great strategy.
Just be careful of trends. I tried it twice. First with Among Us helper app to find rooms, second one with augmented wordle clone. I didn't succeed in both.
As of Among Us app, I made it into app store, got some downloads, made a few bucks through ads, but it got removed from the appstore after about a month.
That study, besides being funded by Apple which makes any study conclusion suspect, breezes over some important Apple ecosystem impacts:
How much of the small business profit growth is related to Apple being publicly shamed into dropping the fee to 15%?
The lack of growth by larger developers is probably more indicative of them having the ability and resources to earn more money off the platform and the resources and means to do it. They are listed on the store to support iOS users, not because it's a great business experience.
Without comparing growth in competing marketplaces and environments, is the Apple store just benefiting (less or more) from general economic trends?
How many of those jobs Apple claims also get income from other sources like other marketplaces or a web app?
I worked on a multi-platform application for a healthcare (hospital facing) platform. Native iOS/Android, and web. We had to jump through random hoops thrown up by different Apple reviewers that I couldn't imagine an IH'er dealing with. Sometimes our links to help docs would get flagged for "selling the app outside the store", mostly not, and we had ZERO purchase means from our website. We hadn't changed any of our process between accepted or rejected versions of our app, just sometimes got reviewers interpreting the same thing differently. The Google Play store was never a blocker, and much more consistent with how it enforced rules.
Marketplaces are a great way to get started when you don't have a brand yet, but the fickleness of the Apple store specifically would keep me up at night in the medium to long term. I wouldn't want my mortgage payment depending on it. There's so many other stores out there with more business friendly terms and/or better dev ecosystems too.
I would say launch but don't be 100% dependent on it.
I lost by developer account on it because of fake copyright claim and had to loose 90% of my monthly revenue.
I love the App Store, but as an IH I’d develop a mobile-first web application before I’d develop even a cross-platform mobile application.
My main reason for this is time to deployment. The App Store in particular has a slow turn around time to release (1-3 days, pending approvals). If you’re fixing a problem for your customers, that sort of delay is often a major source of frustration. If you’re managing this whole process on your own, especially as a side gig, it’s a time sink. I’d rather spend my limited time developing valuable features or fixing bugs, which on the web can of course be deployed immediately.
The App Store is amazing for IH wanting to market their App when they don't have an audience. My only frustration with the App store is some of the strict restrictions. For example, all digital products such as music, game credits, and books, purchased via App for iOS must be charged through the Apple Store payment which includes a 30% fee to Apple. To avoid the margin cut by Apple, companies like Audible choose to make their audiobook content unavailable for purchase via the App. This is frustrating for an Apple user to have to jump through hoops to buy things.
Although not specific to App Store, I want to share some experience with launching products as a web app versus a mobile app.
When I built my first business, I regretted making it on the web instead of building it as a mobile app. Here are some insights.
Payment
Building on the web means no built-in payment system. In my case, I had to integrate a third-party payment gateway which required me to develop an extra software component, which was a cloud function for receiving webhooks. Moreover, I needed to wait around 2 weeks before my web app get approved by the payment gateway. Plus, having to put my personal contact address on the landing page and sign some legal documents.
Marketing
I believe it was more difficult to reach the customer on the web than on the app store. Without SEO, users can't find a web app. Whereas on the app store, there's a chance that your app might be shown to users when they search. For solo founders, SEO is not an easy task especially if you don't have content or you don't like to write blogs. It's also time-consuming and not suitable if you want to move fast.
Releasing apps on the app store also opens an opportunity to have your app featured on the homepage of the app store.
Extra built-in features
If you build mobile apps with Firebase, it also supports features like app distribution and A/B testing so it makes your life way easier.
Please note that I don't have experience releasing mobile apps yet so I can't compare them side by side and this is just my thought from one angle, which is from a web app standpoint. But definitely for my next project, I would stay away from web apps and build mobile apps instead.
I've been an Indie app developer for 10 years. It's hard for me to conclusively give you a "Go for it" advice, here are some key points:
The sooner you start - the better.
Developing apps nowadays takes much less effort than before - I'm using Flutter and it's super easy and intuitive. It's cross platform, so most of the work is done once for both platforms.
The app store(s) are doing some organic promotion work but you need to know what to do in order to optimize it - AKA "ASO" (check out my Udemy course)
ASO is not only about competing over keywords, it's also A/B testing graphics for the long range, localization and many more key points that there is a lot to say about.
Pick an area with less competition. With a solution. With a competitive edge as an app (Maybe there's a successful competitor who has a website, if you have an app, it gives you the edge)
Another option is to pick a niche - low on search volume, but there to solve something that specific group of people really want and are willing to pay for e.g. "Vegan Dating"
Go for a trend! This is a more guerilla tactic style - something goes trendy - quickly launch an app in the subject. I've only tried it once with "Flappy Bird" - made a knockoff called "Flappy You", passing 300K downloads. It doesn't have to be a knockoff of course. For instance, as Covid hit, many statistic apps were launched.
The subscribers model is great. People are more likely to subscribe since they know the OS's UI which asks them to pay, and they're used to it. iOS users are willing to pay more and to cancel less. (Of course it has to do with geo location too, etc)
That's just from the top of my mind,
Good luck
Any particular reason you settled on flutter? Did you try react or native?
I felt it was more intuitive, and had a really positive experience with it. Community and support is also very good.
Interesting info on IOS Users, will surely use these, appreciate the post.
This is amazing, I particularly like pt. 6. I think someone tried to do this with wordle but they got backlash because of some of their previous tweets. However, with the right execution it is a great strategy.
I would emphasize that it is recommended to also be a unique and interesting as possible. Not simply copy an app
Wow this is gold. Thank you for sharing all these info. Learning a lot!
Just be careful of trends. I tried it twice. First with Among Us helper app to find rooms, second one with augmented wordle clone. I didn't succeed in both.
See my twitter for wordle story:
As of Among Us app, I made it into app store, got some downloads, made a few bucks through ads, but it got removed from the appstore after about a month.
I would test it first on Google Play before making the effort for iOS, specifically due to their strict policies
Yeah I did, both apps were written in flutter. Among Us was removed from play store as well.
But there was not any problem with wordle, it is available there until now.
EDIT: But still thanks for your helpful tips!
That study, besides being funded by Apple which makes any study conclusion suspect, breezes over some important Apple ecosystem impacts:
I worked on a multi-platform application for a healthcare (hospital facing) platform. Native iOS/Android, and web. We had to jump through random hoops thrown up by different Apple reviewers that I couldn't imagine an IH'er dealing with. Sometimes our links to help docs would get flagged for "selling the app outside the store", mostly not, and we had ZERO purchase means from our website. We hadn't changed any of our process between accepted or rejected versions of our app, just sometimes got reviewers interpreting the same thing differently. The Google Play store was never a blocker, and much more consistent with how it enforced rules.
Marketplaces are a great way to get started when you don't have a brand yet, but the fickleness of the Apple store specifically would keep me up at night in the medium to long term. I wouldn't want my mortgage payment depending on it. There's so many other stores out there with more business friendly terms and/or better dev ecosystems too.
I would say launch but don't be 100% dependent on it.
I lost by developer account on it because of fake copyright claim and had to loose 90% of my monthly revenue.
I love the App Store, but as an IH I’d develop a mobile-first web application before I’d develop even a cross-platform mobile application.
My main reason for this is time to deployment. The App Store in particular has a slow turn around time to release (1-3 days, pending approvals). If you’re fixing a problem for your customers, that sort of delay is often a major source of frustration. If you’re managing this whole process on your own, especially as a side gig, it’s a time sink. I’d rather spend my limited time developing valuable features or fixing bugs, which on the web can of course be deployed immediately.
The App Store is amazing for IH wanting to market their App when they don't have an audience. My only frustration with the App store is some of the strict restrictions. For example, all digital products such as music, game credits, and books, purchased via App for iOS must be charged through the Apple Store payment which includes a 30% fee to Apple. To avoid the margin cut by Apple, companies like Audible choose to make their audiobook content unavailable for purchase via the App. This is frustrating for an Apple user to have to jump through hoops to buy things.
True, but the fee is 15% for small companies (up to 1M USD in revenue / annum from in-app purchases)
100% agreed
I totally agree.
Although not specific to App Store, I want to share some experience with launching products as a web app versus a mobile app.
When I built my first business, I regretted making it on the web instead of building it as a mobile app. Here are some insights.
Payment
Building on the web means no built-in payment system. In my case, I had to integrate a third-party payment gateway which required me to develop an extra software component, which was a cloud function for receiving webhooks. Moreover, I needed to wait around 2 weeks before my web app get approved by the payment gateway. Plus, having to put my personal contact address on the landing page and sign some legal documents.
Marketing
I believe it was more difficult to reach the customer on the web than on the app store. Without SEO, users can't find a web app. Whereas on the app store, there's a chance that your app might be shown to users when they search. For solo founders, SEO is not an easy task especially if you don't have content or you don't like to write blogs. It's also time-consuming and not suitable if you want to move fast.
Releasing apps on the app store also opens an opportunity to have your app featured on the homepage of the app store.
Extra built-in features
If you build mobile apps with Firebase, it also supports features like app distribution and A/B testing so it makes your life way easier.
Please note that I don't have experience releasing mobile apps yet so I can't compare them side by side and this is just my thought from one angle, which is from a web app standpoint. But definitely for my next project, I would stay away from web apps and build mobile apps instead.
I think if you know ASO and some basics of growth hacking, it will be possible to get views in App Store.
The toughest part is discovery of the app and creating a strong word of mouth.
I built an ios app to help creative musicians capture their new ideas over the past 2 years and I can say the experience was overall pleasant.
4/5 - like others have mentioned it's never been easier to build and distribute an app.
While you're building - I recommend learning and implementing marketing and community building skills.
It's the big missing gap 'builder first' product creators lack (myself included).
This comment was deleted 2 years ago.