Mobile apps are crushing the market these days, and a lot of entrepreneurs have turned to app developing to get huge amounts of revenue. Smartphones drastically changed the way people use technology for work, communication, shopping, entertainment and basically everything else. Having a device with you all the time makes it easier to download and use the app instead of getting to your computer or a location in the city.
Research shows that there are certain spheres of human activity that attract most people and as a result bring the app creators most profit. Here is the list of these app categories:
- Social apps;
- Games;
- Entertainment;
- Education;
- Dating.
IMPORTANT: Companies that make apps use different strategies to make profit from their ideas. There is no single solution that will benefit every app that is released.
Social apps
Social networking apps attract users by having lots of features such as making friends, sharing news, streaming videos, posting photos, etc. The most profitable app is currently TikTok, which made incredible $4.6 Billion revenue in the year 2021 and is expected to increase the profits. The idea of the platform is sharing short videos under 3 minutes in length. It gained huge popularity among young people and has more than a billion active users. The algorithm of the platform allows anyone to become the star if their video goes viral.
Another app worth mentioning is Instagram. This platform used to focus on sharing photos, but added a lot more features since then. It became a popular place for businesses and self-employed people, because the users are already on Instagram. The only thing left is to show your product and reach to the audience. The creator of the app sold it to Facebook for astounding $1 Billion.
Games
Mobile gaming is a new market that has a growing number of users and profit. Many people started playing mobile games instead of computer games because of simplicity and cheapness. A lot of games are free to download and make profit through various strategies included in the game: small purchases, ads, upgrading to a premium tier, etc. A good example of a successful mobile game is Candy Crush Saga. It is a puzzle game, and its principle is to move objects to make a line of three or more things of the same kind. Simple to make, but absolutely addictive, so the idea was copied by many other game creators.
Entertainment
Music and video streaming apps are the primary type of apps included in this category. Netflix and YouTube are currently among the most popular and profitable streaming services. Netflix has more than 200 Million subscribers, and YouTube is claimed to have more than 2 Billion users. The first platform makes money from paid subscriptions. The second app is free to use, but provides an option to remove adds by upgrading to a premium. Businesses also pay YouTube for streaming ads within monetized videos.
Education
It turns out people love to learn new things and are ready to pay for their education. One of the most relevant things mobile users want to learn is new languages. The top-1 education app is currently Duolingo. It dominates the market making 63% of the total revenue of educational apps. Its 2021 profit is shocking $250 Million and it is still growing.
Dating
What is more important in life that to find love? That is what dating apps are profiting on. They help users find a partner based on their preferences such as age, height, interests, and so on. The global match-making app market gained more than $5 Billion revenue in 2021, and phenomenal $1.65 Billion went to Tinder. The app is free to download and simple to use. Additional features can be purchased for money.
Some of the apps that were not mentioned in the text are Uber, Shopify and Grubhub. The first one is a rideshare app that lets people get to the desirable destination. The second one is a shopping app giving people the possibility to shop online. And the last one is the food delivery service. All of them made their creators extremely rich.
 Conclusion
Apps that make the most money provide people with what they need most. The most profitable apps are the ones that attract huge numbers of users and are used daily. It gives the creators opportunities to include paid features and products for purchase. Sometimes the service itself allows people to make money on the app, so the owner of the platform can keep a certain commission. The majority of successful apps are free to download, but many of them force users to watch ads. To learn how to make revenue from apps read and analyze the list of Pay Per Click agencies.
Also Read: How Mobile Apps are Changing the Finance Industry?
