We now live in the time of the app. As of October 2014, there are more than 2 million total apps in the Android and Apple stores. In the Apple iOS Store alone, the number of available apps topped 1 million, with 475,000 designed specifically for iPad, and $13 billion paid to developers. According to Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, 75 billion applications have been downloaded so far, and users visit the Apple’s App Store 300+ million times per week.
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But here’s the funny thing. Most of these apps are free. So how are developers making billions of dollars from free apps? Let’s examine the app monetization strategies from these popular mobile apps.
5 Successful App Monetization Strategies That Work ... #mobileapps #appmonetization #AppMonetizationStrategies #MobileAppDevelopment Share on X01) Dots
Originally only for the iPhone, Dots quickly became popular with over 71,000 installs as of May 2014. And from that user base of 71k, Dots receives revenues close to $1,800 per day. Not bad for a gaming app that has users simply “connecting the dots.” Its popularity has sparked Dots to develop versions for both Android and tablets as well as create a Facebook friends multiplayer mode.
Download: Dots (iOS) or Dots (Android)
App Monetization Strategies:
- Multiplayer Mode: Multiplayer mode for Facebook and Twitter friends encourages daily play sessions. They are also more addicting, more competitive and encourage more in-game purchases.
- Multiplatform: Both phone and tablet version for Apple and Android
- In-App Purchases: In just a couple hours, Dots will have you addicted to the fun and easy gameplay, playing games against your Facebook friends and considering buying in-game add-ons like Endless Mode.
02) Make It Rain
Make It Rain is the latest game letting iPhone and Android players go from rags to riches. This game with almost 60,000 installs as of May 2014 generates a whopping $7,104 per day. It’s a pretty addicting game where players perform tasks to make money. It’s more swipes involved in this game than strategic play. With each swipe, players “make it rain.” Once players generate enough cash, they can invest the money into a lemonade stand, offshore drilling, or even buy a politician.
Download: Make It Rain (iOS) or Make It Rain (Android)
App Monetization Strategies:
- Advertising: You can earn money by exposing yourself to sponsored messaging by doing things like clicking on ads, reading articles or watching videos
- Game Promotion: Make It Rain also promotes other games and earns an affiliate commission from your purchases.
- In-App Purchases: If you get impatient (or carpal tunnel syndrome) from constantly swiping to earn more money, then you can buy virtual cash in the game with real money.
03) Pandora
Just about everyone has heard of the free music app, Pandora. This may be why it’s ranked so high with over 34,000 installs as of May 2014. Bringing in approximately $119,780 a day in revenue from their subscription service and advertising, Pandora is a favorite for music lovers who want free popular music on the go or at their desktop. Pandora allows music lovers to create their own station, vote for what they want to hear, or vote down to keep particular songs and genres out of their stream. In fact, Pandora is so popular that it’s available on almost every device.
Download: Pandora (iOS) or Pandora (Android)
App Monetization Strategies:
- Advertising: Users with the free app must listen to occasional advertisements in between songs
- Subscription: Users can pay $3.99 per month for an ad-free experience
- Multiplatform: Pandora is available on every major platform including web, iPhone, Kindle Fire, Nook, Android, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry devices.
04) Swamp Attack
If you’ve seen the infamous cat Talking Tom, then you know the developers Outfit7 well. Their new game Swamp Attack has made some upgrades and since has received 16 million downloads in about four months, earning $12,500 a day. It’s available in 61 countries and rated as number one throughout them all.
After installing Swamp Attack, your swamp cottage will come under attack by over 15 evil zombie critters, and it’s up to you to protect your home and survive.
Download: Swamp Attack (iOS) or Swamp Attack (Android)
App Monetization Strategies:
- In-App Purchases: This is a free game, but there are options to buy weapons and accessories to help you make it through the 78 levels of the game.
05) Angry Birds Friends
Since its debut in the iOS store, Angry Birds has gone from a single breakout hit app to an international entertainment brand. The app’s creators, Rovio, even have even branched out to a book series and theme parks. The best part of Angry Birds Friends, is you are playing against your friends. Just connect to Facebook and compete weekly to see who can get the top score. Your weekly score is also rated against a global pool of players in 7 different Leagues: Glass, Wood, Stone, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Diamond.
Download: Angry Birds Friends (iOS) or Angry Birds Friends (Android)
App Monetization Strategies:
- Multiplayer Mode: Gets you addicted and committed.
- In-App Purchases: League competition is fierce and players often need different powerups to help keep their League status. When you run out of earned powerups, you have no choice but to buy more.
- Multiplatform: Angry Birds is available on every device, every platform, everywhere, around the world.
- Promotion: Every time you pause the game or restart a level (which happens often), Rovio promotes one of their games, products or videos. It’s a clever ad network built into their suite of games.
Successful App Monetization Strategies
If you’re a game developer then hopefully you’re using some, if not all, of these monetization strategies in your projects. One additional piece of advice: More downloads do not equal greater revenue! Take a look at the revenue numbers in this Huffington Post article. It looks like the key to success is making your app free and then gaining users’ trust to continue with your services. Also, if there are hundreds of similar apps, free seems to be the best way to generate more downloads. Good luck!
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Frank Wilson is a retired teacher with over 30 years of combined experience in the education, small business technology, and real estate business. He now blogs as a hobby and spends most days tinkering with old computers. Wilson is passionate about tech, enjoys fishing, and loves drinking beer.
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