Ask HN: Are mobile apps profitable?

10 points·niico··6 comments

Can you make a living out of just ONE app without being featured constantly on top tech blogs or mass media?

What are your theories on how to make money with apps?

Can you make a living out of just ONE app without being featured constantly on top tech blogs or mass media?

Sure, some people can. The app obviously needs to be good and fulfill a need. This isn't as easy as it sounds.

What are your theories on how to make money with apps?

Apps are the same as any other business; you need a good product that people want, and you need good distribution. Most developers will fail when it comes to distribution. After that, most apps will be free and offer in-app purchases (unlock or buy items), or use ads to generate revenue.

So basically distribution is the key to the success of the app. How can regular (non YC, 500 startup, etc) people get access to massive distribution channels?

develop relationships with bloggers far in advance, and leverage them when the time comes.

Mobile apps have the same problems to over come as pretty much any other business. You need to get people to use it and figure out some sort of way to make money off people using it. There are many techniques out there for accomplishing these things which would depend greatly on what the app is. But these two things are a lot more difficult to accomplish then people think and apps fail as a business when they fail to do one of these two things.

Is it possible to make a living off of one app? of Course. Is it easy? Not even close.

An interesting presentation on this subject "Thriving in an App Store World" http://jury.me/blog/2013/4/2/thriving-in-an-app-store-world

No, mobile apps aren't profitable, Java apps are.

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