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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
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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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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.
I've gotten the impression (maybe incorrectly) that a lot of the developers here are against ads in apps. I don't understand that, as I believe it to be the only way to generate revenue for free apps. Possibly, it's an issue of youth and it's naivete (the idea that everything is not about about money...ha ha ha). I don't mean that to sound offensive. I was once young too, but as you age and become responsible for more than a couch, a tv and pizza, you realize that money is what makes the world go round.
Anyway...Evernote...this a pretty major app (over 9 million users) with what I'm guessing are some actual employees that support it. That means they're not doing it "for fun," and probably require those pesky little paycheck thingies. It's free and it has no ads. How does it generate revenue?
How does it generate revenue?
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Donations of course!
But seriously, free apps generate revenue in several ways. Probably the biggest way is companion products or services. Evernote has a premium type subscription that is probably where the revenue comes from.
Even if the app and service is completely free, maybe they sell other products and the app is "Free Advertising" in that if that app is useful, other products by that company are useful and thus I'm going to buy them.
Finally, one of the newest ways that free apps are generating revenue is through in-app purchases. Look at Facebook apps for examples.
Either way, if your company is big enough, there is less of a need for ads in apps to generate funds. This forum is a group of hackers/enthusiasts/developers that for the most part do development in exchange for other people's hard work. Since we do a lot of free apps, we have the "right" to complain about ads in apps We put in the hard work and give our products away for free, and we survive, why can't everyone else!?
I kid of course.
Cheers
Any rooted user is going to be running adfree and droidwall, so looking beyond ads is probably a good idea.
joe_coolish said:
Donations of course!
But seriously, free apps generate revenue in several ways. Probably the biggest way is companion products or services. Evernote has a premium type subscription that is probably where the revenue comes from.
Even if the app and service is completely free, maybe they sell other products and the app is "Free Advertising" in that if that app is useful, other products by that company are useful and thus I'm going to buy them.
Finally, one of the newest ways that free apps are generating revenue is through in-app purchases. Look at Facebook apps for examples.
Either way, if your company is big enough, there is less of a need for ads in apps to generate funds. This forum is a group of hackers/enthusiasts/developers that for the most part do development in exchange for other people's hard work. Since we do a lot of free apps, we have the "right" to complain about ads in apps We put in the hard work and give our products away for free, and we survive, why can't everyone else!?
I kid of course.
Cheers
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obviously the right answer so donations or simply making it a paid app will cut the ads as people downloading from the server is costly.
Sent from my Arc using XDA premium App
DONATION! Haha. I always donate to those who created apps and make my life easier.
And also not to forgot those who created ROM and KERNAL.
It is a good point to say that some of the most successful and widespread programs and sites are not profitable nor nearing it. Skype loses money, but it's been bought at high sums already twice. Twitter hasn't ever broken even, but it keeps getting lots of funds.
Therefore, if you think you have a successful app in the oven, make it, make it real good, and funding will come later.
greydarrah said:
.. Possibly, it's an issue of youth and it's naivete (the idea that everything is not about about money...ha ha ha). I don't mean that to sound offensive. I was once young too, but as you age and become responsible for more than a couch, a tv and pizza, you realize that money is what makes the world go round....
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You don't need to be young or naive to write free software. It can be a hobby that you do in your spare time (rather than golfing or watching TV).
It can be more economical than other popular hobbies because it does not require major investment or expenditure.
I hope the free apps don't steal my credentials phone contacts or something serious and sell them to make revenue.
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA Premium App
4silvertooth said:
I hope the free apps don't steal my credentials phone contacts or something serious and sell them to make revenue.
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA Premium App
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LBE Privacy Guard makes sure that they don't. A prime example of a succesful free app without ads! AdFree is another fine example of an ad-free app that doesn't cost you a penny.
greydarrah said:
Possibly, it's an issue of youth and it's naivete (the idea that everything is not about about money...ha ha ha). I don't mean that to sound offensive. I was once young too, but as you age and become responsible for more than a couch, a tv and pizza, you realize that money is what makes the world go round.
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How much money did you get for starting this thread or for writing your other 60 posts (as of today) on this forum? See, not everything is about money. Some people write apps for the same reason that you write forum posts.
rogier666 said:
LBE Privacy Guard makes sure that they don't. A prime example of a succesful free app without ads! AdFree is another fine example of an ad-free app that doesn't cost you a penny.
How much money did you get for starting this thread or for writing your other 60 posts (as of today) on this forum? See, not everything is about money. Some people write apps for the same reason that you write forum posts.
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Thanx for the lbe app.
Sent from my LG-P500 using XDA Premium App
BenKranged said:
Any rooted user is going to be running adfree and droidwall, so looking beyond ads is probably a good idea.
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Not any rooted user. Some of us understand that ads generate revenue for the developer so we don't block them.
As to the OP: some less reputable developers will also collect and sell user data for revenue.
The dominant ad business model is pay-per-click. Making money from pay-per-view ads is limited to a handfull of large companies.
With hundreds of thousands of apps the audience is so diluted that most ads mainly serve to annoy the users into paying to get rid of 'em.
Blocking banner ads is not really a problem. If a small percentage of users blocks them the revenue loss is close to zero. If a large percentage blocks them then developers will have to think of something else, just like web site builders had to think of something else when every browser came with a built-in popup blocker.
Popup blockers didn't kill the internet, and AdFree won't empty the app stores.
BenKranged said:
Any rooted user is going to be running adfree and droidwall, so looking beyond ads is probably a good idea.
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Unless you program the app to close if the user is using "ad-blocking" software, which is what i do.
And then the next generation of ad blockers will make your app believe that there's no ad blocker running.
And then the next generation of adware will try to fix this.
And then the next generation of ad blockers...
rogier666 said:
And then the next generation of ad blockers will make your app believe that there's no ad blocker running.
And then the next generation of adware will try to fix this.
And then the next generation of ad blockers...
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That's true, but I like competing those ad blockers.
Anyone here actually believe that just because you pay money for an app it will not steal your data or open a back door to your device?
Think again!
Even in the PC world, the biggest companies like Microsoft constantly spy on their users, with the official excuse of "fighting piracy".
So pleas don't assume that application price is any guarantee of security, or for that matter, quality.
Also, there are other types of very real and very useful gain to be maid from Free Software (I am reffuring to what people often call "open source", not apps that simply cost 0$).
One example is reputation. When software companies hire developers, they often ask for years of experience, so it is hard for someone fresh to get a job in the field, and even when they do, as all starting positions the pay is relatively low.
Open source projects however, can be worth much more on programmers resume, then simply claiming X years of work for a given company.
The reason is that such projects allow potential employers to evaluate the actual skill of the applicant by looking at his work.
^^^ That is very true.
I just got hired to work for a new startup company based solely on a couple of free Android apps that I made in my spare time.
I do have years of experience in non-android programming though, but still, without those two private projects I couldn't have found a paid-job in Android...
good afternoon, i was just wondering if anyone has any idea if its possible to make an app last 14 days and then the user is required to make an in app purchase to get the full app past the 14th day. Trying to work out best way of marketing with free app then get people to feedback their dislikes or purchase if they like the app.
Regards
It's technically possible, though depending on the app it may be easy to restart the trial by just deleting the app data.
In your case I'd go for two versions: trial and paid one. With in-app purchases you're getting a lot of 1-star comments of users complaining that the app is in fact a trial, while having a paid one will probably end with good score (after all only users that have paid can comment, and must have bought it because they liked it).
You could do it with a server check if your app requires an internet connection. Cheers!
Where and how will you spend them?
I recently launched my new app, and are receiving dozens of emails from review sites ive never heard of, claming they have hundred thousands of readers each month.
I paid 99$ for a featured review, and sent out a press release through PrMac/pc, so far nothing measurable.
So, what are the actions that REALLY works to get more downloads?
Care to colaborate on this subject?
appfactory said:
Where and how will you spend them?
I recently launched my new app, and are receiving dozens of emails from review sites ive never heard of, claming they have hundred thousands of readers each month.
I paid 99$ for a featured review, and sent out a press release through PrMac/pc, so far nothing measurable.
So, what are the actions that REALLY works to get more downloads?
Care to colaborate on this subject?
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I guess you're trying to promote paid android app... Is that right?
anuloid said:
I guess you're trying to promote paid android app... Is that right?
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Yes, thats correct, and its that sort of app that isnt suitable with ads all over, otherwise i would for sure have made a in app ad vers of it...
appfactory said:
Yes, thats correct, and its that sort of app that isnt suitable with ads all over, otherwise i would for sure have made a in app ad vers of it...
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Maybe it'd be prudent to have a free version, so you can measure the demand of your app, plus use some marketing strategies to promote your app, and after then ask money for the full version (maybe via free app). Having only one app in your account will probably make people think deeper before buying, let alone bugs that might be in the app itself.
If you sure you've developed a great bug-free app that is unique and will be of a great help for users, than you can invest in promotion of the app, but I must warn you that it's some kind of tricky thing and you may lose more money than till now.
Anyway for paid apps and monetization purposes iOS is better based upon my experience. Is your app available at iTunes?
anuloid said:
Maybe it'd be prudent to have a free version, so you can measure the demand of your app, plus use some marketing strategies to promote your app, and after then ask money for the full version (maybe via free app). Having only one app in your account will probably make people think deeper before buying, let alone bugs that might be in the app itself.
If you sure you've developed a great bug-free app that is unique and will be of a great help for users, than you can invest in promotion of the app, but I must warn you that it's some kind of tricky thing and you may lose more money than till now.
Anyway for paid apps and monetization purposes iOS is better based upon my experience. Is your app available at iTunes?
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Yes, ive been considering that myself, its amazing how cheap people are, even with "useful" apps for .99 bucks.
A bugfree app is essential free or paid, naturally... It has been going through extensive testing for 8 months, a new vers is currently in the que at Apple, but no crash bugs have been discovered so far, this vers only fixes a problem when words are split in two after a line shift, nothing else.
iOS is here, i have some promocodes if you would like to try it out
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/medicall-app/id878350761?ls=1&mt=8
appfactory said:
Yes, ive been considering that myself, its amazing how cheap people are, even with "useful" apps for .99 bucks.
A bugfree app is essential free or paid, naturally... It has been going through extensive testing for 8 months, a new vers is currently in the que at Apple, but no crash bugs have been discovered so far, this vers only fixes a problem when words are split in two after a line shift, nothing else.
iOS is here, i have some promocodes if you would like to try it out
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/medicall-app/id878350761?ls=1&mt=8
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Send via pm, will try.
So what are your stats so far as for download in the App Store and on Google Play ?
I've just published my game to Google Play Store and was thinking of purchasing some advertising or pay per install ads. Anyone has any experience using Facebook ads, Admob, appbrain or other ad networks? What would you recommend. I do not have a large budget, for a start I am planning to spend around USD100.
Digitally said:
I've just published my game to Google Play Store and was thinking of purchasing some advertising or pay per install ads. Anyone has any experience using Facebook ads, Admob, appbrain or other ad networks? What would you recommend. I do not have a large budget, for a start I am planning to spend around USD100.
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No experience with ads yet. I was recommended Facebook Lookalike Audience but we'll continue on our own up until 10k users. My fear would be to get a mass of users and disappoint them. Growing 100 at a time provides a good feedback loop to improve the app. Might use the Lookalike Audience then! Good luck!
Digitally said:
I've just published my game to Google Play Store and was thinking of purchasing some advertising or pay per install ads. Anyone has any experience using Facebook ads, Admob, appbrain or other ad networks? What would you recommend. I do not have a large budget, for a start I am planning to spend around USD100.
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I am also interested in this topic. I have a free app with a paid (no ads) counterpart. I was considering using any of the services that charge per install (CPI) on the paid app. If the cost per install is lower than 70% of the price of your app, then that investment would be risk-free.
Has anyone tried something like that? Would you recommend any service in particular? (Ideally, the ones that do not require SDKs to be added to the app, I don't want to add crapware to my app).
Digitally said:
I've just published my game to Google Play Store and was thinking of purchasing some advertising or pay per install ads. Anyone has any experience using Facebook ads, Admob, appbrain or other ad networks? What would you recommend. I do not have a large budget, for a start I am planning to spend around USD100.
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The budget normally starts from $10000. I don't think $100 generates significant data and downloads to help you make further decisions considering that average CPI is about $1.
Reply From A Guy That Knows The Data
Digitally said:
I've just published my game to Google Play Store and was thinking of purchasing some advertising or pay per install ads. Anyone has any experience using Facebook ads, Admob, appbrain or other ad networks? What would you recommend. I do not have a large budget, for a start I am planning to spend around USD100.
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Great question! While I cannot, and will not give you numbers or estimates in any shape or form, I can give you broad and general advice.
First off, I'll explain my background in a bit more detail. I worked in advertising sales for years at the top companies, and then moved into the mobile app space (I am also a secret coder by night.) I then spent two years working in the mobile app data space - providing performance data in the form of estimates for downloads/revenue. Our job was to sell our vast data sets (on every mobile app and publisher - ranked and un-ranked) which were centered around accurate estimates for downloads/revenue for any given app in every category/subcat, and country for iOS and GP. We worked with mid-market and top publishers to help them forecast how many installs they would need to purchase to reach top rank, how many organic installs they would receive at that rank, and how many installs they would have to purchase on an ongoing basis to maintain that rank.
Based on my experiences, truth be told, most publishers that are actual companies (not small indie or single shop guys)....they are buying downloads. This is not to say that strong marketing campaigns don't come with this (PR, promotions, social media, viral, cross-promotional ads to existing user base, etc.), but in some way or another, most of them will be buying ads. Here is the caveat - it is not a simple process, at all. They have analysts that know exactly how much money they make off of one download....for instance...they know that for every download on xyz game, they make $2.30, and their CPI is $1.95, thus, their actual net rev is $.35 per install. However, this is all also centered around growth potential as well...so in many cases, they need to hit the top ranks for organic growth to generate higher profit margins, so they need accurate forecasting of exactly/roughly how many installs it's going to take to get there...and if they come up short, they don't make top charts and they either have to spend more money to climb up...or they're out of budget and they've lost $$$. Basically, if you want to buy ads...you need to set realistic goals, and understand what the value of your user is...from a financial standpoint. You must know your numbers cold before even considering putting a budget towards ads.
That being said, there are a ton of ways to buy ads out there, as I'm sure you and everyone knows. However, if you do get around to doing some solid analysis on what your users are worth, and want to run some testing with a low budget...nothing to break the bank...I would A) Go with a reputable company, even if the CPI/CPA is higher than you'd like....because you want to avoid fraudulent DL's....many ad networks will turn a blind eye to this for obvious financial reasons, and B) Try Facebook....honestly, I've spoken to many smaller developers that find a fair CPI/CPA, with pretty good ROI and retention.
Hope this helps - KNOW YOUR NUMBERS AND ALWAYS LOOK TO THE DATA
~Geo_Mojito
Some interesting data we are gathering at Thalamus.co, where we have the average CPI rates & Install Volumes of each network broken out by genre/platform/country. There are also contacts and minimum spends so should give you a good sense of what's out there.
A $100 budget is not too large, so it'd be hard to give you a definitive answer as to which network has basically no minimums (unless you want to work with a mobile self-serve DSP like PocketMath). Facebook would be a good place to start, although prices are at a premium due to high demand. I'd suggest really going all in on free methods like PR, reaching out to Bloggers, ASO, Social Fan Pages, Organic/Viral Installs, and Partnerships first.
My experience:
1) Social Networks advertising. I promoted it personally, it was tooooo long and without big results.
2) Youtube videos. Not bad, but you have to attract users to watch your videos and invite their friends to install your app.
3) Buying the marketing services in agencies. I have experience with several agencies, but App-Reviews has the best, I think.
4) Use different tools for advertising. I used AdMob, it had some success...
Digitally said:
I've just published my game to Google Play Store and was thinking of purchasing some advertising or pay per install ads. Anyone has any experience using Facebook ads, Admob, appbrain or other ad networks? What would you recommend. I do not have a large budget, for a start I am planning to spend around USD100.
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After advertising services you can try some low budget app promotion services too. My personal choice is AppRankPRO . why is because it gives the proof of each and every install of the genuine real user and free keyword analysis services too. I think you can have a look at AppRankPRO