Database Users

[Q] Do most Android users not download paid apps?

I'm working on a couple Android apps and haven't yet decided if I'd like to charge for some (something small like .99 or 1.99 USD), or make them free but have ads in them. I was leaning towards charging for them, but I noticed that Angry birds is a paid app on the iPhone, whereas the Android version is free and has ads. I thought this was interesting and I'm curious whether iPhone users are more interested in paid apps than Android users are. Anyone know anything about this?

They made Angry Birds available for free because they want everyone to play it, they are gonna make a paid-app later that removes the ads. I would gladly pay for that game even if I can get it for free.
So I actually don't think that iPhone users is more interesting in paid-apps than Android users.
Make one free app with ads and then have a paid-version that removes the adds, that way everyone can download and use it whether they are in a country with or without paid-apps. Or you can make a "premium" app that has more features than the free one. Just a couple of suggestions
When paid-apps wasn't available in Sweden, I got so frustrated on apps that were only available for paid-apps-countrys and had no free alternative with ads or less features and stuff.
Hope this helps.
EDIT:
And remember, if the apps are good quality they will probably sell, people don't want to pay for apps that look like crap and have no functionality. And also, have screenshots in Market because people want to be ale to check out how the apps looks and stuff before they make a purchase or download it

I used to try crippleware/nagware/adware on my PC and use a lot of it on my phone. I don't need a lot of apps so I don't buy many but I try hundreds.
Over the years, I have acquired lots of apps for my WinMo phone, many of which I still miss, INCLUDING A SIMPLE "PHONE TO OUTLOOK" APP! Make that app happen on Android and I will pay for it AND I won't mind iif you want to still collect ad revenue from it.

I bought all apps that were available as adware to remove the ads. Half my apps are paid apps. If the price is reasonable I have no problem paying for the app and supporting the developer.

I myself will only pay for what I feel are essential apps or if I feel the developer really just loves the community; I don't generally mind ads, but sometimes will be so annoyed i will buy the paid version.
Apps ive paid for up to this point:
Launcher Pro
Root Explorer
Rom Manager
Better Keyboard (Before i had swype)
Widget Locker
Set CPU
Chomp SMS (Really wish I didn't as the developer seems to be very confrontational with users)
I have donated to the following:
Smooth Calendar
Anderweb
and a few others ive sent a few dollars to for being supportive and not berrating their customers for not wanting to pay.

I do pay for apps if the price is reasonable . I think the most I have paid for an app is ~5 bucks

I've bought 3 apps for my phone so far. LauncherPro, BeautifulWidgets and SNesoid. Both Snesoid and LauncherPro have "trial" versions with limited functionality (but unlimited usage), whereas BW you just have to flat-out pay for.
I am definitely more inclined to purchase an app if I have chance to try it out first, if for no other reason than to make sure that it works correctly on my phone before I buy it, so having a locked-down version for free (and I mean, leave out some features for PRO users only), as well as maybe ads is probably a good move. that way you might get some money from ads in the free version, and a lump sum if the app is purchased.
Zeb

panguin said:
Right. Cause **** all those people who put in time and effort to make my phone do the things I want it to do, right? Bunch of no good leeching assholes. How DARE they try and collect recompense for all their hard work!
/s
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I agree 100%. I've paid for about 10 apps thus far and not just to remove ads, but to support the developer's efforts.

Yeah ive bought a lot of things, and like they are saying make a paid version and a trail to show people how it is if they like they will pay.

ya...i buy too.....
my phone
i`ve spend ~400€ on my phone and now spend more for apps?! no...not me!
one of the things who lead me to buy an android was the "open source thing".
i won`t ever buy an app for it!
allways search for a open source app that suits me instead of buying something.
ya, ya, ya...we must pay for all hard work and bla, bla, bla...so...by an WM or an iPhone
look at the example given. Angry Birds.
another? swype...allways beta
just my 5cents

i buy paid games and launcher pro plus as well ans a few other apps that are
payable and to all you people that say you support the xda but you have unpaid full app like pirating them you people suck. if you support something you shouldn't feel bad sending a few bucks to the dev.

rendeiro2005 said:
ya...i buy too.....
my phone
i`ve spend ~400€ on my phone and now spend more for apps?! no...not me!
one of the things who lead me to buy an android was the "open source thing".
i won`t ever buy an app for it!
allways search for a open source app that suits me instead of buying something.
ya, ya, ya...we must pay for all hard work and bla, bla, bla...so...by an WM or an iPhone
look at the example given. Angry Birds.
another? swype...allways beta
just my 5cents
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Click to collapse
And yet you have a 'Donate to me' button. Well no support for you I guess.
I will always pay for an app if it's something I need or want. I generally like to buy from apps made by devs not companies who charge outrageous amounts for something. Like Documents To Go, if I had the knowledge I'd make the exact same thing for free and I guarantee people would donate to support my effort instead of charging $16, $17, $25 for an app.
So far I've bought:
SetCPU (even though you can get it for free in the thread here)
Rom Manager
'File Copy'
SU File Explorer
Mini Info
Some LWP's
Some games
and about 7 or so other apps

For me it's simple - I will spend my money on a good, quality app. I've got quite a few apps, and I love the fact that Google's market gives you the 24 hour trial period - so how can you go wrong?

I've paid for a lot of apps. About 90% of them I don't even use anymore.
I wouldn't charge too much for it. That would only lead to people paying, copying the apk, then refunding... Sadly.

ante0 said:
I've paid for a lot of apps. About 90% of them I don't even use anymore.
I wouldn't charge too much for it. That would only lead to people paying, copying the apk, then refunding... Sadly.
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Wow, I had never thought of that before

JGeZau said:
Wow, I had never thought of that before
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Good thing though is that they don't get updates...
More and more apps use license check now though, forcing you to redownload the app (Which I have noticed everytime I restore apps using Titanium backup). Which in that case wouldn't be possible since you refunded it
Google should make some license check too, everytime you open up the market it should check for apps that need licenses (i.e. paid apps), if none is found it could force you to uninstall it and not let you use the market until you have done so.

I think most people on this site are more willing to pay for apps then if you looked at some other forums because this is a forum for developers and they know the hard work that goes into these products. I buy a lot of apps, most under $3.00, If I don't find an app I want then I buy a soda there's not much of a price difference and people buy sodas millions of times a day so I don't see why so many people are so hesitant to buy apps. I think there needs to be an Android gift card like an iTunes card but that's for a different thread.

ante0 said:
Good thing though is that they don't get updates...
More and more apps use license check now though, forcing you to redownload the app (Which I have noticed everytime I restore apps using Titanium backup). Which in that case wouldn't be possible since you refunded it
Google should make some license check too, everytime you open up the market it should check for apps that need licenses (i.e. paid apps), if none is found it could force you to uninstall it and not let you use the market until you have done so.
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Yeah, I imagined they wouldn't get updates, but I wouldn't do it, I support Android development

I have paid for three applications, because they were the single best applications that delivered the most functionality.

This post has got me wondering, what sort of money would you expect to get from adverts and if there was an ad blocker installed on the phone would you still get paid? In other words would you get paid for having the advert built in or just on a paid per click basis?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

How much does your android app make?

I have some ideas for a bunch of different apps but am trying to get a realistic feel for how much different kinds of apps make.
So please post:
Your App Name:
Short Description:
Monthy/Yearly/or Daily Revenue:
Is it Paid? FreeWithDonation? or FreeWithAdds?
Any other comments:

GingerEffect said:
I have some ideas for a bunch of different apps but am trying to get a realistic feel for how much different kinds of apps make.
So please post:
Your App Name:
Short Description:
Monthy/Yearly/or Daily Revenue:
Is it Paid? FreeWithDonation? or FreeWithAdds?
Any other comments:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We build apps for clients and this is what we normally tell the client: Unless your ideas are really really really good and you have a really really really good way to market it, most mobile applications will loose money (cost of each app is around 25-50k). They are there to expose your business normally. In terms of games, it's a whole different area. I heard that angry bird makes about a million dollars a month in ads alone.
If you are looking for paid app, no point releasing it for under $5.00 unless you are looking for donation amount. With the way android market is setup, out of 100 apps, only 50% will stick in terms of actual purchase. As for donation, don't even bother. Most people are users. They don't like to donate. Might as well make it as free with ads. (see above for potential revenue). But I can tell you up front that most ads driven apps do not come anywhere close.
I hope I am transparent enough for your question.

Since I am doing it in my spare time the cost of mobile app development will be time only. So just $20 a day would be amazing. I would likely make it free with adds.
I'd love to see how much your clients' apps make per month if you have that data.

Your App Name: Nudnik Calendar Notifications
Short Description: The very much needed repeating alarms (notifications) for stock calendar events.
Monthy/Yearly/or Daily Revenue: Monthly ~150 to 200 euros and growing...
Is it Paid? FreeWithDonation? or FreeWithAdds? PAID

Nice thread idea, I'm always interested to here development stories and info.

I'm just starting out and I'm deploying apps for the casual user....for now. It's a tough market, in my opinion, to write an app that the masses just can't live without and will pay $1.00 or $2.00 for and get you 10,000 downloads. Would be nice though
Now, what I want to target are companies, universities and business' that need a smartphone or iPad application. I think it's a young enough technology to get going.
For example: Auto Parts stores...app runs, put in car, year, make, model and you get back a list: "Electrical" "Brakes" "Engine", yada, yada. Much the way they look it up at the store. Find your part, pay for it and it's at the door when you walk in.
What you have to keep in mind is "why use the phone when I can use my computer or just call the business/store?" You have to take the particular business and app and target the mobile user. Still, a huge market exist out there (think GPS Campus Navigator for freshman college students ) Don't take it, I have it copyrighted LOL
Just like companies had to have a web site, I think most are going to want a mobile app. Or for the budding web designer, just a web site that's formatted for the smaller screens.

seraph1024 said:
We build apps for clients and this is what we normally tell the client: Unless your ideas are really really really good and you have a really really really good way to market it, most mobile applications will loose money (cost of each app is around 25-50k). They are there to expose your business normally. In terms of games, it's a whole different area. I heard that angry bird makes about a million dollars a month in ads alone.
If you are looking for paid app, no point releasing it for under $5.00 unless you are looking for donation amount. With the way android market is setup, out of 100 apps, only 50% will stick in terms of actual purchase. As for donation, don't even bother. Most people are users. They don't like to donate. Might as well make it as free with ads. (see above for potential revenue). But I can tell you up front that most ads driven apps do not come anywhere close.
I hope I am transparent enough for your question.
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Click to collapse
Sorry, but that's rubbish.
I have 2 apps, one costing £2.00 (roughly $3.10) and the other costing £1.50 ($2.37) which make about £65 to £70 a week (that's about $102). That jumps to around £100-110 if i update them both.
If you have 3 or 4 good app ideas there no reason you couldn't live off the procedes.
Don't forget you could also offer 2 of the same app, one free with ads, the other paid with no ads to maximize your earnings.

Meltus said:
Sorry, but that's rubbish.
I have 2 apps, one costing £2.00 (roughly $3.10) and the other costing £1.50 ($2.37) which make about £65 to £70 a week (that's about $102). That jumps to around £100-110 if i update them both.
If you have 3 or 4 good app ideas there no reason you couldn't live off the procedes.
Don't forget you could also offer 2 of the same app, one free with ads, the other paid with no ads to maximize your earnings.
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Click to collapse
very nice but can you please answer the questions in the main subject

Meltus said:
Sorry, but that's rubbish.
I have 2 apps, one costing £2.00 (roughly $3.10) and the other costing £1.50 ($2.37) which make about £65 to £70 a week (that's about $102). That jumps to around £100-110 if i update them both.
If you have 3 or 4 good app ideas there no reason you couldn't live off the procedes.
Don't forget you could also offer 2 of the same app, one free with ads, the other paid with no ads to maximize your earnings.
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Click to collapse
he did say that if you have a great idea .. you'll do find.. but his post was mostly about the majority of the apps

some bump love

Bumpy lumpy
Sent from my Blade using Tapatalk

Meltus said:
Sorry, but that's rubbish.
I have 2 apps, one costing £2.00 (roughly $3.10) and the other costing £1.50 ($2.37) which make about £65 to £70 a week (that's about $102). That jumps to around £100-110 if i update them both.
If you have 3 or 4 good app ideas there no reason you couldn't live off the procedes.
Don't forget you could also offer 2 of the same app, one free with ads, the other paid with no ads to maximize your earnings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have 4 apps and can hardly make $5 a month. Can you help me?

[Q] Paid vs Ads

In your opinion what has been better charging for apps or giving them for free with ad support? Also what kind of apps tend to do better with paid/ad based revenue?

Saw a few articles about that in the last few weeks. They talked about applications that have a free ad supported version and a paid ad free. The free version generates the most revenue. Paying seems a big threshold for some and is even impossible in a lot of countries.
Most banners are not intrusive in portrait mode but I do think they are mostly too large in landscape mode.

I do non-ad apps. The two that I have published are $1.00. Who can't afford a buck, really?
Perhaps having to sign-up for Google Checkout stops people from leaning towards the non-free apps.

Rootstonian said:
I do non-ad apps. The two that I have published are $1.00. Who can't afford a buck, really?
Perhaps having to sign-up for Google Checkout stops people from leaning towards the non-free apps.
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You would be surprised, ppl get defined all the time when trying to buy my app and its only 1.5 lol. Tho I guess there could be more reason why they are declined lol.
Sent from my Nexus One

If youre making a game... id say free version will make more money.
If its a utility... a paid version will make more money because the user wont have the app open for very long or use it very often

Lakers16 said:
If youre making a game... id say free version will make more money.
If its a utility... a paid version will make more money because the user wont have the app open for very long or use it very often
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to google docs, the onBackPressed() simple calls finish(). So it would be the same.
Honestly this isnt making any sense, calling onBackPressed() *should* be teh same as pressing the back button, but its not...

Lakers16 said:
If youre making a game... id say free version will make more money.
If its a utility... a paid version will make more money because the user wont have the app open for very long or use it very often
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But if a user does not use it very often it is better to have an ad supported version as the user will not like to pay for it.

As a user, having to sign up for Google checkout did stop me from buying, but I got on it cause I figured out the can bill through my carrier.
But honestly, the thing that really keeps me from buying more apps - and specially games with downloadable content - is the 15 minute refund window.
Most of the times that is not enough for me to figure out if the app or game have this or that bug that could potentially turn me off.
Examples: I bought tapatalk, only to find out it FC on me frequently, at which point I am better off using g the free XDA app.
I also bought PSX4DROID only to find out later that it FC on my device when I change orientation - found out dropping the phone and loosing progress -
Lately I am opting for apps that have a free version or a fully functioning trial.
If I'm going to drop some cash then I want to make sure I'm getting something fully functional which will be supported by the dev.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

I prefer ad supported apps over paid apps.
Two Reasons,
1) Ad Supported apps are free.
2) I'm only 13 (well almost 14 ) so I can't really pay for apps.

Not to mention a lot of people are broke.

It's all basic Economics (yes, I actually liked economics classes in college).
2 things: Supply and Demand and Economies of Scale
Which boils down to quality vs. quantity. Do you create and make that "KILLER APP" that sells 100,000 copies at a measly $1.00 each? Yeah, I would be happy.
Or do you create 100 "NICE TO HAVE APPS" and sell 1000 copies each at same price?
Still would be happy
I really still think the mobile app market (Android, Windows Mobile, iOS) are still in an infancy stage. Especially when it comes to corporate implementations; whether end-user or in-house.

Syn Ack said:
Not to mention a lot of people are broke.
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Click to collapse
Broke? Explain to me how someone who has sh at least $50 phone eith the majority bring well over this can not afford $1-3 apps?
Do ad supported apps do better then paid? Generally yes, but its no2 bc ppl can't afford it. Fickle had create an environment where any person with a key board csen go out and make an app. Bc of this this the majority are free and crap.
Look at the iphone quality of apps, out far exceeds that of android by far. This had nothing to do eith number of users, but rather bc paid aps actually still on the iphone. Look at the best paid aps on android...less thrn 10k sales that's crap. A company can not operate on that number of sales.
Its all about mentality of the user and supply n demand...
Sent from my Nexus One

I prefer ad supported apps. That way, I can get the app for free, with no hassle on my end, but the dev is still making money. And when it's an app that I really like, I tend to just click the ads a bunch of times.

Amazon App Store Rocks

In case you haven't heard they give out a free paid app every day! Yesterday was Picsay Pro and today is Wolfram Alpha! Both great apps! I high suggest installing the app store and checking every day I'm not really sure what happens when the app get's updated by the developer though.

I uninstalled it because I was offended that it was notifying me about updates even though I hadn't run the app since a reboot...
I hate that presumption that my cpu and bandwidth is free for the taking, or that I even care that an app that I haven't run for a few days has been updated...
Also, I had installed a free app from amazon app store, and it wouldn't run after I uninstalled amazon app store (reasonable I suppose).
Otherwise, I buy a lot of stuff from amazon - I'm a loyal customer of theirs...
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA Premium App

I think the Amazon Appstore is a great alternative to the Android Market, but I'm glad we have both.
The Appstore is much more like Apple's App Store (and not just in name only). Amazon reviews and tests all applications, and if they don't work as advertised, are buggy, or have security issues, they get denied. One one hand, it's nice to know you can trust your app downloads, especially when there have been some rather notable security problems with Market apps.
On the other hand, there's nothing stopping Amazon from denying legitimate apps like Apple has a habit of doing. That said, I haven't seen any evidence they're doing that, and generally speaking I think Amazon is a rather trustworthy company (see the platform-agnostic Kindle software and their willingness to go toe-to-toe with record labels to give us Cloud access to our own music).
Oh, and ironically, the Appstore's search engine is about a bajillion times better than the Market's. I'll never understand why Google's Android Market search engine is so awful.
Of course, the free apps -- which are just discounted to $0 from the full price for a day, so they're handled exactly the same as a real purchase as far as updates go -- are just the cherry on top. But what a cherry. At first, I was worried they would just go the easy route and give out ****e apps. But that definitely hasn't been the case (with the exception of some "meh" games). In the slightly over two weeks the Appstore's been available, I've nabbed legitimately top-shelf apps like Shazam Encore, SoundHound Infinity, SwiftKey Keyboard, PicSay Pro, Wolfram Alpha, Weatherbug Elite, and a whole bunch of games, many of which are pretty darn good, like Fruit Ninja and Backbreaker Football. That's a lot of money saved (like $30 for apps I've listed here alone).

Amazon App store is GREAT
We need a second option from Google

I like how there aren't problems downloading apps and apps will correctly queue for download. With the Android market on 2.2 it will sit there and try to download multiple apps only to either error out on the download or do a continuous installing thing that you have to cancel anyway.

Darn I missed picsay!! How did that happen!!
One bad thing about Amazon...yesterday I went to play Angry Birds Rio, and it gave me an error saying that it didn't have a network connection to verify my purchase.
So if you are in Airplane mode, or don't have a connection, it sounds like the apps from Amazon won't run. Not an issue most of the time, but annoying nonetheless.

My morning ritual now involves checking the Amazon App Store.

does anyone know if you can transfer apps already purchased onto the same phone if we flash a new rom? i'm assuming you can, but the data saves might disappear

Apps can be installed on unlimited (I'm not sure about that, but I've got it going on 2) phones. Data might be transferable through Titanium but I've not actually tried.

ah cool. hopefully TiBU data restoring won't cause force closes because i know it sometimes does

[Q] Christmas Present for 5 boys?

I am looking for a tab(like) device for a christmas present for each of my boys. We travel a lot to family and they are used to playing their DSs and PSPs but would the KF be a solid replacement (emulators...)? Battery life/durability/price and fuctionality will be the deciding factor. They enjoy games (birds and such) on my phone and using my phone as a wifi HS in the car, it makes sence not to spend the extra money for a 3G tab.
If the KF is not the answer would a NC(rooted) be a more acceptable item?
Other ideas?
Thanks

Why would you want to replace the PSPs and DSs? Are the boys unhappy with them? Both devices have a solid backing.
In general, I think the Fire would probably work out ok, especially since you do a buy-once-share-to-all on apps, books, and music (I'm assuming each boy gets his own).

get them the new ps vita (new psp) that's coming out for the holidays.
Sent from my Incredible 2 using xda premium

Two use their DSi(s) and the PSP has gone by the wayside. I am pushing the tab issue due to is versitility (apps/learning/games/music/video). I dont feel they are ready for their own laptop. Ages are 12,11,10,9,7 .... 3 and 5 months but the later two are not considered in the equation, unless someone pops up with a water proof model.
I have been looking at the NC, I dont have an issue rooting it and making it more versitile.

The Fire wouldn't be a bad way to go for what you want, but myself, I would go ahead with the laptop instead. Snag a couple of older models for $100 or so off Craigslist, let them get the hang of things on before handing them something nicer.

Little812 said:
Two use their DSi(s) and the PSP has gone by the wayside. I am pushing the tab issue due to is versitility (apps/learning/games/music/video). I dont feel they are ready for their own laptop. Ages are 12,11,10,9,7 .... 3 and 5 months but the later two are not considered in the equation, unless someone pops up with a water proof model.
I have been looking at the NC, I dont have an issue rooting it and making it more versitile.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My 2 year old daughter loves the Nook Color and iPad. On the iPad she can wake it, unlock it, swipe to the page she wants and launch apps. I suspect the fire will be just as easy. the Nook Color takes more work to make it toddler friendly. But your kids are old enough that either the NC or Fire would be easy to pick up. I personally would pick the Fire over the Color if I had to pick. The experience isn't as smooth as I hope it will be on the Fire. I would guess because it's essentially a hacked together piece of kit and a slower processor.

I think you'll have an easier time deciding when all the reviews come out.
But I can tell you that my nephews absolutely love the rooted nook color they have and the Kindle Fire will almost certainly be better.

For your kids? I'd wait and read User Reviews and not the Professionals once the device is out for a while.
A lot of semi-negative info is floating around on "scalability" and what it can or cannot do (the AF, that is).
Kids get bored quickly and a device (any device) that one cannot modify, add to or otherwise personalize may or may not be a good long term solution.

Thanks all around. The wife and I discussed it last night and we are going to wait before pre-ordering and look at some reviews.
Thank you all for your responses.

FYI: Nook Color refurb for $149 at Buy.com
They're not really refurb, they're new units with full 1-yr warranty from B&N. They're labeled that way presumably to clear inventory w/o impacting the official price.
I've gotten 3 refurbs from various discount vendors, and they've always been new. Since I open up my electronics to tinker, it's easy to tell when a device is new as vs been serviced.
http://www.buy.com/prod/nook-color-...ed/q/loc/111/221376447.html?sellerId=31227291
The good thing about the NC over the KF is that it's already supported by CM, and when ICS drops, it'll be one of the first to get it.

I just bought 3 of these (after buying one,) for my boys - 11, 9, and 8.
These are really ideal for kids, especially since you can easily limit their access to stuff if you choose to.
If you know how to hack these, then they are REALLY ideal. You can remove the Silk Browser (or, move it somewhere where it can't easily be found.)
They DO NOT have access to the Google Market - Good THING!
By disabling one-click, you can allow them to download free apps, but not spend any money - IDEAL.
You can setup e-mail on them pretty easily.
They can watch Netflix, Hulu (watch out for age appropriate content - Hulu doesn't limit this as yet,) or even certain shows on Amazon, if you have Prime.
They can read eBooks from the Amazon store, or check out eBooks from the local library.
Kids aren't usually as picky about interfaces. The Bookshelf Launcher is perfect for them.