• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

How often do you buy apps?

mammador

mammador

Platinum Member
Do developers generally make much money in selling apps? As the Android market has plenty of free apps with perfectly good functionality, is there a point to selling apps?

Can it be seen as akin to shareware/freeware, just done as a hobby or for the love of it? I'd think that there is more money to be had in software for traditional personal computers, whether gaming, office apps, etc.
 
I buy maybe 3-4 apps a month. I won't hesitate to buy an app I want if its under $2.99...I start to balk at $4.99, I've only ever bought one app for more (TouchDown Exchange for Android back before it supported it natively).

As an app developer, I have a free version and a paid version of my primary app. The difference is the paid one is ad-free, and can sync your data with my website. Not trying to spam, but this is the app so you know what I'm talking about: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/apps/ba427f2c-cbe9-df11-9264-00237de2db9e

In terms of download count, I get significantly more downloads of the free version - a ratio of about 50:1. However, the ads pay so poorly, that I still make about 2-3x as much on the paid version as I do the free one. And this is on Windows Phone - I can tell you from experience, the Microsoft Pubcenter ad system pays significantly better than Google's AdMob. On Android, where AdMob is the first choice, and its well known that users don't buy as many apps...it becomes much more of a hobby, and much less of a money maker.
 
Almost never. I don't even use the free paid apps I get from Amazon, GetJar, Google Market, and XDA. I only use couple core apps. I don't really game.

It's the same on the iOS side. I bought essential apps like Air Video and Splashtop but haven't bought anything else besides couple of games my daughter wanted. What I find super annoying about Apple App market is so many "free" games are nothing more than in-app purchase scam. It didn't use to be like this but it seems majority of developers have adopted this scam. It's very annoying and hard to say no to your daughter when she wants to continue on the game and the only way is to purchase ripoff in-game items.
 
I bought titanium backup pro. The rest on my phone are either free, amazon free app of the day, or 10 cent apps from the promo.
 
I bought Power Amp because Android desperately needed a music player with an equalizer. All others I use are freebies.
 
Very rarely. When I first got into Android I went nuts just trying free stuff and found I could easily get by without spending any money. Then Amazon started giving away freebies and I never even bothered inputting credit card info.

Bought Board Express for WP7 cuz its genuinely useful and I spend more than that on candy every day.

I dont like throwing away cash on mobile apps. Its too easy to go crazy and then you're pissing away almost as much as your monthly service, which is also a ripoff. I still laugh at people who spend 1.99 on ringtones or ringback tones and 99 cents on wallpapers.

And if you switch platforms (which I did) you just lost all that value.
 
I used to be that guy who tried to never spend a dime on apps. But really, when you have things like the $0.10 Android market sale or something is like $1 or $3, it's not a big deal. I buy apps all the time now. The time and hassle to deal with trying to get a free alternative is not worth it.
 
I go in waves. Two months nothing, than the next month I want to change it around and I end up buying like $8 of OS, App and Widget skins (don't judge me) or I will get on an emulator kick or something like that.

I would say per quarter I spend about $25 going back two years. My wife does about the same for her iPad (maybe a little more like $40).

When I switched to Android the Amazon promotion didn't really slow down my app purchase rate, as too much I want is only in the Google Market, but it did make me feel better about leaving behind my old iOS purchases.
 
I bought most of the apps I thought were useful last year a few months after I got my Nexus One. Bought a number more (lot of games and marginally useful apps) during the 10 cent sale.
 
Basically never. When I first got my Android phone about 18 months ago I bought a few, but over time I've basically given up on apps altogether. Occasionally I look at the android market but almost all I see is pointless junk, and the permissions most apps want puts me off downloading them in the first place. I have no need of talking cats or wobbling boobs.
 
shortylickens said:
And if you switch platforms (which I did) you just lost all that value.
Click to expand...

Thats the thing. I think I would just feel an obligation to stay with a platform if I had a couple hundred bucks worth of apps on it already.
By using only free apps, its much easier on my conscience to jump from one phone to another every few months. I don't think I'd like that feeling of "Well, I have 80 apps I've bought from iTunes, guess I'll throw them away and try an Android phone now." or vice versa. I'm also highly against videogame DLC though, so I'm definitely not anyone's target consumer.
 
Downloading all my iOS apps to new MacBook now

Almost 2200 apps since I first bought my wife the iPhone 3G in early 2009. I'd say about 100 of them bought. The rest free or freemium
 
Deeko said:
I buy maybe 3-4 apps a month. I won't hesitate to buy an app I want if its under $2.99...I start to balk at $4.99, I've only ever bought one app for more (TouchDown Exchange for Android back before it supported it natively).

As an app developer, I have a free version and a paid version of my primary app. The difference is the paid one is ad-free, and can sync your data with my website. Not trying to spam, but this is the app so you know what I'm talking about: http://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/apps/ba427f2c-cbe9-df11-9264-00237de2db9e

In terms of download count, I get significantly more downloads of the free version - a ratio of about 50:1. However, the ads pay so poorly, that I still make about 2-3x as much on the paid version as I do the free one. And this is on Windows Phone - I can tell you from experience, the Microsoft Pubcenter ad system pays significantly better than Google's AdMob. On Android, where AdMob is the first choice, and its well known that users don't buy as many apps...it becomes much more of a hobby, and much less of a money maker.
Click to expand...

Considering Windows Phone 7's tiny market share wouldn't you be likely to make more money on an ad supported app on Android even if you get payed less per ad?
 
I don't hesitate to purchase an android app that I need, or want, I just don't find that many. I refuse to purchase an apple app that's free on android.....
 
I buy in waves, usually lining up with paydays. I check the Market roughly every other day or so for new stuff, and several times a day for updates.

Didn't bother to reinstall the Amazon Appstore on my Nexus though, too many glitches between it and the Android Market, and their poor treatment of the developers was grating.
 
Puddle Jumper said:
Considering Windows Phone 7's tiny market share wouldn't you be likely to make more money on an ad supported app on Android even if you get payed less per ad?
Click to expand...

Well, on top of how much less the ads pay, there is also a lot more competition. The top apps on Android make good money I'm sure, but its a lot harder to get noticed in that market.
 
I've got about $106 I spent on apps going back to 2009, when I got my first Android phone, a myTouch 3G.

I haven't spent any actual money on the Amazon appstore, only the Free App of the Day. Most of the apps I use on a daily basis are freeware, though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top