In this article, we’ve compared the top 3 highest-rated app monetization platforms and also consulted chatGPT for its recommendations. Read on to find out if our conclusions align. First, we’ll dive into the specific functions of app monetization platforms and the crucial factors to consider when making a decision. Then, we’ll provide a detailed comparison of the top 3 platforms.

What App Monetization Platforms Do

App monetization platforms help app developers and publishers generate revenue from their apps through various strategies such as in-app advertising, in-app purchases, subscriptions, and more. These platforms provide the tools, resources, and support needed to effectively implement and manage monetization strategies.

Here are some specific examples of what mobile app monetization platforms do:

1. In-app advertising
   The platform provides an ad network or ad mediation solution that enables app developers to display ads within their apps. These ads can be in various formats like banners, interstitials, rewarded videos, or native ads. App developers earn revenue based on the number of ad impressions, clicks, or completed views.
   
   Examples: AdMob by Google, MoPub by Twitter, and Facebook Audience Network.
2. In-app purchases (IAP)
   The platform helps developers integrate in-app purchases, allowing users to buy digital goods or services within the app. Developers can offer one-time purchases, consumable items, or non-consumable items.
   
   Examples: Google Play In-app Billing, Apple’s StoreKit for iOS apps.
3. Subscriptions
   The platform provides tools to set up and manage subscription-based pricing models. This allows users to access premium features, content, or services on a recurring basis (e.g., monthly or yearly).
   
   Example: RevenueCat, which simplifies subscription management across different app stores.
4. Offerwalls and surveys
   The platform allows developers to incorporate offerwalls or surveys within their apps. Users can complete tasks, offers, or surveys in exchange for in-app rewards or virtual currency. This creates an additional revenue stream for app developers.
   
   Examples: Tapjoy, Fyber, and ironSource.
5. Data monetization
   The platform helps app developers monetize their user data by providing insights and analytics. This data can be used to create targeted advertising campaigns or improve app features, resulting in increased user engagement and revenue.
   
   Examples: AppsFlyer, Adjust, and Kochava.
6. Affiliate marketing
   The platform enables developers to promote third-party products or services within their apps, earning a commission for each successful refer a friend programs, purchase, or sign-up.
   
   Examples: Amazon Associates, Commission Junction, and Impact Radius.
7. Sponsorships and partnerships
   Some platforms help developers connect with brands or advertisers to create sponsorship deals, sponsored content, or branded in-app experiences. These collaborations can provide additional revenue streams for both parties.
   
   Examples: AppLift, Chartboost, and Vungle.

By leveraging these app monetization platforms and their various strategies, app developers and publishers can maximize their revenue potential while offering a seamless user experience.

But how do you find the right app monetization platforms? We decided to compile the top three platforms using ChatGPT and then compare the received data with the reviews and ratings of real users. However, first, let’s figure out how to compare monetization platforms with each other to evaluate the test results.

How to Compare Mobile App Monetization Platform

To find the best app monetization platform for your product, you need to know what to look for first.

Integration and compatibility

A platform should be compatible with your app’s development framework. Various services have different requirements and limitations when it comes to third-party SDKs.

Ad formats

A good app monetization platforms should offer various ad formats, such as banners, interstitial ads, native ads, and rewarded videos so that you can choose the most effective format for your target audience.

Fill rates and eCPM

High fill rates (the percentage of ad requests successfully filled with an ad) and eCPM (effective cost per thousand impressions) are crucial for maximizing revenue.

Analytics and reporting

A platform should provide detailed reporting and analytics to help you track your app’s performance and optimize your Android and iOS app monetization strategy. Look for a service that offers real-time reporting, user-level analytics, and other useful metrics.

User experience

Monetization instruments should have a minimal impact on your app’s user experience. Intrusive, low-quality, or irrelevant ads can lead to user churn and negatively impact your app’s reputation.

Payment terms

Look for a platform that offers flexible payment terms, such as monthly or bi-weekly payments, and supports multiple payment methods. When examining payment terms, always keep in mind your expenses, e.g., spending on developing new features or the App Store cost.

Support and resources

Look for platforms that provide clear documentation, responsive customer support, dedicated account managers, and guidance on how to integrate them seamlessly.

Reputation and reviews

Consider a platform’s reputation and read reviews from other developers who have already used it. Look for a service with a good track record of delivering high-quality ads, generating solid revenue, and providing excellent support.

Cross-platform support

If you have apps that run on multiple platforms (iOS, Android, etc.), cross-platform support can be an important factor to consider. Such a tool will simplify monetization and help you make the mobile app monetization strategy consistent.

Customization and control

A good platform should offer a high level of customization and control over ad placements, design, targeting, and frequency, allowing you to tailor the ad experience to your app’s specific needs.

Top 3 Best App Monetization Platforms

We researched various rating platforms and selected the top three platforms based on real users’ ratings:

• Google AdMob,
• Meta Audience Network,
• and Unity Ads.

We were curious to see if ChatGPT would suggest the same platforms. Having previously tested ChatGPT for app marketing and ASO tasks for Google Play and the App Store, we asked it to identify the top-rated platforms and provide the three most highly-ranked options.

The ChatGPT results matched our findings! Our experts took many rating platforms and their own experience into account while ChatGPT retrieved information from a massive datastore – and we were on the same page! Here’s what the AI recommended:

Three chosen platforms are worth focusing on for now. While they share similar purposes, they also have their differences. To choose the best one, you need to define your objectives and consider your app’s unique features.

To help you decide, we’ve compiled a comparison of Google AdMob, Meta Audience Network, and Unity Ads based on ten essential features mentioned earlier:

Let’s take a closer look at each platform separately and highlight their main features.

Note: The choice of a platform should align with your overall marketing strategy. To understand what exactly will be effective in your app, discover app market trends using Asolytics’ Store Chart. You can see which apps are popular right now and dig deeper into their monetization models to get valuable insights.

Google AdMob

Let’s start with the definition of “What is Google AdMob?” It is a service by Google that helps monetize mobile apps through in-app ads. You can select from a variety of ad formats, including banners, interstitials, and rewarded videos.

The platform features ad mediation, which automatically chooses the best ad network to display ads based on factors like eCPM and fill rate. Also, it has extensive targeting options, such as location-based and demographic targeting, which help deliver more relevant ads compliant with Apple and Google Play policies and improve engagement rates.

AdMob provides real-time reporting with tables and charts on ad performance, enabling developers to track metrics like impressions, match rates, clicks, and earnings. This data can be utilized to optimize ad placement and boost profits. The platform can also be integrated with other Google services, such as Google Analytics, AdWords, and AdSense, offering further insights into user behavior and helping to enhance app performance.

Key features:

• ad mediation to work with several networks at once;
• lots of options for ad personalization;
• extensive documentation;
• integration with Google services.

Facebook Audience Network

You might wonder “What is Facebook Audience Network?” It is another top-rated service that provides app monetization tools for mobile app developers. Just like AdMob, it offers a range of ad formats, including native, interstitial, and rewarded video ads, which can be customized to match the design of a particular app.

Audience Network has advanced targeting tools based on Facebook’s user data, which helps you deliver more relevant ads to your potential clients. As a good ad platform, it provides real-time reporting on ad performance, e.g., impressions, clicks, and overall revenue, allowing developers to optimize their mobile app monetization plan.

Meta Audience Network has a real-time ad auction system that ensures that the highest-paying ads are displayed to users. It’s based on their own Vickrey-Clarke-Groves approach and significantly varies from Google’s generalized second-price system. Of course, the platform can be integrated with Facebook’s advertising ecosystem, which allows developers to run ads across both Facebook and Audience Network easily.

Key features:

• data is pulled from Facebook;
• extensive targeting options;
• branded ad auction system;
• integration with Facebook.

Unity Ads

Unity Ads is the third top-rated platform for monetizing mobile products, primarily games. It offers all the same tools as its counterparts from Google and Facebook: a vast set of various ad formats, precise targeting, reports in real-time mode, and so on. At the same time, this platform is unique in its own way, as it has features that are especially useful for mobile game developers.

Unity Ads is fully integrated with the Unity game engine. It makes it easy to manage ads within projects and ensure they are inserted seamlessly into the gameplay. While Facebook and Google offer advanced audience targeting, Unity Ads has some unique options specifically designed for mobile games.

For example, you can target a Unity Ads banner based on the type of game being played, the level of a player, or the player’s in-game behavior. Also, it provides a range of monetization tools designed for this category, such as rewarded video ads that give users in-game bonuses.

Key features:

• integration with the Unity engine;
• unique targeting options;
• exclusive mobile game monetization tools.

Choosing the Right App Monetization Platforms

App monetization is an essential stage of app development and promotion, so the choice of an efficient app monetization platforms is of key importance for generating income. The decision about a specific platform directly depends on the goals, needs, app features, and app monetization models. To summarize our overview, we’d like to point out that Google AdMob offers the widest choice of ad formats and provides the most detailed reports and analytics. Meta Audience Network has a more extensive set of targeting options than similar services. In turn, Unity Ads is ideal for monetizing mobile games as it offers unique tools for this segment.

All three platforms selected by ChatGPT and our experts provide developers with extensive supporting documentation, making the process of using and integrating them convenient and simple. However, we still recommend that you test the capabilities of each of them on your own to choose the one that really suits your monetization needs.

We tested ChatGPT for different ASO and app marketing tasks like ASO competitive research and keyword collection to determine whether you can delegate ASO to ChatGPT and how much you can rely on AI recommendations. In this article, we will overlook in detail how to use AI for different optimization stages, share effective prompts from Asolytics experts, and explain why you still need ASO services to get the best results.

How did we test ChatGPT?

We imagined launching a fitness app to see how ChatGPT can help us do ASO and app marketing. For prompts, we used the “Fitness” app category, but you can put any other category into prompts’ variables, specifically for your app.

App Market Analysis With ChatGPT

Assessing the current market situation is the first step toward making the app more popular. Instead of manually searching for information, ask ChatGPT to conduct a market analysis with the prompt we had engineered. In the output, ChatGPT provided a simple fitness app market analysis with some useful insights about the potential revenue in this niche. Check it out:

The AI predicted earnings in the “Fitness” category by referring to Statista data. Remember to verify all the numbers AI gives in an output — its database ends in 2021, so some information might be hallucinated by AI. The data in the sections “Main Challenges” and “Advice” is rather general, without specific recommendations for fitness app cases.

Pro tip: For a deeper market analysis and future ASO competitive research, ask the AI more precise questions, such as:

• What niches are the most promising in [app category]?
• Who are the biggest representatives/players in [app category]?
• How might the [app category] landscape change in the future?

Semantic Core Collection With ChatGPT

The semantic core collection plays one of the most important roles in optimizing text assets because well-chosen keywords make apps more visible and easier to find. It’s the next step toward app optimization. We asked ChatGPT to collect keywords for a fitness app by using the prompt:

ChatGPT gave us the list of keywords you see above. All of them are related to health and sports, but at the same time, they are pretty general and highly competitive. That is one of the reasons why the use of ASO ChatGPT is not effective.

Does ChatGPT offer effective keywords? How to check it?

ChatGPT has some drawbacks that are critical for ASO. Its algorithms are based on a dataset that includes information up to September 2021. Knowledge about subsequent events, technologies, and trends is inaccurate and fragmented. Also, it doesn’t work as SEO services or search engines – it does not have full access to the internet. Taking into account that ASO services work with real-time app store data, we can’t expect ChatGPT to do the same. It can’t request data from stores – that’s what ASO services algorithms do.

For a successful ASO strategy, it is extremely important to work with up-to-date data taken directly from App Store and Google Play. That is why we recommend ASO services, such as Asolytics, to search for relevant keywords. Still, you can test the relevance of the keywords offered by ChatGPT using ASO platforms. Why not? Some of the keywords might be used to rank your app. Just add your app to the Asolytics Keyword Explorer and start analyzing.

If your goal is to promote an app on the web pages, you can examine the metrics of the offered keywords with SEO services. While, in terms of ASO ChatGPT lacks possibilities of specialized services, it can still be applied to your in-app marketing (i.e., promotion outside the app stores).

Writing Texts for App Marketing

App promotion with ChatGPT, specifically marketing tasks outside the app stores, can be delegated to ChatGPT with more confidence than ASO tasks. This is because ChatGPT has no real-time access to the app stores. OpenAI databases are trained on web data by 2021 (as mentioned before). Thus, it can provide some valuable information about how to promote an app on the web as it was trained on the web data but not the app stores’ one.

To fasten your app marketing tasks, you can ask ChatGPT to give literally any kind of information you need. The request for marketing tasks varies depending on your goals, such as generating an Instagram post or creating a press release. Follow these rules to engineer a prompt for your specific purpose:

1. Clarify what you need: Create a request describing what you want to get.
2. Explain the context: Add as many conditions as you are aware of.
3. Set rules: Limit the number of words, and set the tone of voice.

For example, fitness app marketers want to promote a new app feature on Instagram. The new feature allows synchronizing an app with Apple Watches so that users can get and track data about their heart rate, steps per day, and calories. Also, users can see its dynamics through particular periods. The feature is available for all subscribers throughout all subscription plans.

Based on these conditions, we have compiled the following prompt for ChatGPT, and it offered five options in the result:

Use them exactly as they are, or ask the AI to refine them, making them more witty or funny. It’s a good idea to insert into your promotional texts keywords found by ChatGPT. We don’t recommend using the proposed texts without manual proofreading, as they might be different from the general tone of your campaign.

Pro tip: Write your own texts and ask the AI to improve, rewrite, or shorten them by following your specific conditions. For example, you can request ChatGPT to turn a slogan into a haiku, write the text acting like a kid, or use persuasive language.

App Promotion Tips and Tactics for In-App Features by ChatGPT

We discovered that ChatGPT can be helpful for brainstorming new ideas about in-app features and promotion tactics, in addition to generating and analyzing texts. For example, we wanted to get insights about which features we can add to the fitness app to make it more desirable for users.

Also, we were interested in whether AI can recommend some promotion tactics, specific to fitness apps. We used the following prompt:

Pretty good work! We got a list of real promotion actions that are done by successful apps. We can apply them to the fitness app too. Also, by analyzing the fitness app market and conducting our own ASO competitive research, we can see that many apps implemented similar in-app features that were chosen by AI. Now we can focus on some of them and ask AI to develop the idea. For example, we can ask ChatGPT to describe how to implement virtual coaching (3) into the app step-by-step.

Pro tip: Use ChatGPT to find ways to solve a problem. For instance, if customers delete your fitness app a month after installation, briefly describe the issue and ask the AI to suggest solutions to improve retention.

Writing App Titles and Descriptions With ChatGPT

Now, let’s check how effective AI is in creating ASO texts. Text assets directly impact top app rankings by category algorithms in App Store and Google Play, so they should be written using the most relevant keywords. We already know that ChatGPT fails to collect keywords specifically for app stores as this AI technology lacks such algorithms.

Still, we can get help with ASO from AI and ask it to make up good texts. With efforts made in advance, we can give AI a ready-to-use list of keywords for the texts. That’s how you can skip copywriting. Let’s see.

App title

The name of the app in stores is one of the most significant assets on the page. When making it up, you need to follow App Store and Google Play guidelines, include relevant keywords, and consider trends and competition. To get complete app titles from ChatGPT, we decided to test different prompts. Two of them appeared to be equally good:

In the first case, we asked the AI to take into account the audience’s interests; in the second — market analysis. Respectively, we received two lists that are noticeably different from each other:

Choosing the best title might seem just a matter of taste. However, it’s not. To make an app more visible, keywords should be added to the app title. Considering this, choose the title to which keywords can be added in the most adequate way.

We have previously collected keywords for the fitness app with Metadata Tools in Asolytics:

We can add these keywords to the titles we like. For example, we see that “FitTracker: Monitor Your Progress” (4), the title from the first list, already contains the keyword “tracker.” It’s a good idea to focus on this title and improve it with additional keywords: “FitTracker: Monitor Your Workout.”

Pro tip: To make your own prompt for titles with keywords, you can prepare a list of keywords using Asolytics tools and conduct ASO competitive research and then ask ChatGPT to generate titles including the keywords from that list. Just add that list to the prompt. You can also ask AI to keep this title pattern: [brand/app name] + [keyword].

App description

For this, we’ve collected keywords in Asolytics’ Metadata tool and got the list of keywords based on the chosen fitness app’s competitors.

Then, we used the prompt with those keywords added instead of the variable. In the output, we received two descriptions and chose the one you see on the screenshot:

Although the text contains keywords and generally meets our request, from our experience, we know that they can be improved by replacing some parts of the text with more specific vocabulary or adding some features describing a particular app.

Pro tip: To make your description more specific, ask the AI to use lists and subsections, be “friendly” or “persuasive”, and stick to a specific style (like John Tolkien or Wired Magazine). For example, we asked ChatGPT to rewrite the description we got in the style of John Tolkien. This is what AI made:

This description should be shortened due to the app stores’ requirements. However, for those who decided to create a fitness app in some specific style, it’s a fast way to receive a creative copy that can be edited later.

Writing Answers to Users’ Comments With ChatGPT

Review management is vital in ASO to develop user loyalty and retention and create a good impression. Unlike writing titles and descriptions, it requires more regular follow-up and responses to both negative and positive feedback. To write replies to reviews with ChatGPT, use the prompt below.

We asked the AI to generate a response to the user’s comment left on the fitness app page,
“Good app, but the subscription is too expensive, and the plans are limited.”

ChatGPT offered the following answers:

You can do the same by using the prompt:

The key disadvantages of these AI-generated answers are the lack of personalization and keywords. The latter is especially important for Google Play, as the store’s algorithms rank developer’s responses. Therefore, we recommend you search for suitable keywords using Asolytics Keywords tools and ask the AI to include them in the response texts – in a similar way as we did with titles and descriptions.

Pro tip: You can use ChatGPT to look for patterns in user feedback. Copy several comments and ask the AI to analyze them and find common things, for example, what customers like or dislike. You can use ChatGPT in the app marketing, outside of app stores, to analyze any feedback about your brand or product.

ChatGPT vs Asolytics: Which Service Perform ASO Tasks Better

Now you know the main use cases of ChatGPT for app promotion and ASO. This language model can automate many steps and speed things up in terms of app marketing. However, its use specifically for ASO is currently limited, which is essential due to OpenAI algorithms. The main challenges (in terms of ASO) are the following:

• outdated knowledge base (September 2021);
• data based on the Internet, not app stores data;
• errors in facts and “hallucinations”.

With knowledge of programming languages and the use of plug-ins and extensions, ChatGPT capabilities can be expanded, thereby reducing the impact of disadvantages. This chatbot was not developed as an app optimization solution, so it’s not recommended to do ASO with ChatGPT only. For ASO, it is best to use specialized services. For example, free ASO tools:

• pull information directly from app stores;
• work in real-time;
• help select the most relevant keywords;
• show keyword statistics and changes in popularity, ASO ranking factors, and impressions;
• allow you to monitor changes in the parameters with the Tracking Keywords tool, and more.

You can mix both AI and ASO services’ approaches. Build a semantic core with Asolytics’ keyword search tools and ask ChatGPT to compile the text assets you want with them.

Tips for ASO Competitive Research with ChatGPT

Based on our experiments with ChatGPT, we have come up with a few rules to follow to get the most relevant responses from AI:

• Be brief. Your prompts should be clear and to the point. Avoid vague phrases, as ChatGPT might have trouble interpreting them. If you have several questions, divide them into parts and ask them one by one.
• Give context. For ASO, it is critical to consider the characteristics of the target audience, market, and competitors. For the AI responses to be relevant, give it more information to understand the context.
• Test ChatGPT knowledge. If you want a short app description that can be published on Google Play, ask first if ChatGPT knows what it is and then request a text.
• Keep your language simple. We do not recommend using professional jargon and slang when writing prompts. Your requests should be easy to read and understand.

The last and most important rule: ChatGPT cannot replace the work and creativity of ASO professionals and specialized tools. When optimizing app page assets, we recommend using AI as an assistant that can come up with good ideas for app marketing. But do not completely rely on it when making ASO.

With the continued demand for mobile products, you’ll probably want your piece of the pie. Dealing with competition is not easy, so you need to be aware of the current app industry trends to offer your audience what they really need. Our experts have analyzed and picked out ten directions that will be relevant in mobile development this year. This article explains how these trends affect the industry as a whole and what problems you can solve using them.

According to statistics, modern users spend about 5 hours a day on smartphones. Knowing which trends are in demand right now, you can offer them what they want to spend most of their time on. It will increase your popularity, installs, and income.

1. Rise of Augmented Reality Apps

Considering the constant growth of competition in the virtual space, you should be able to build a business that can reach the maximum number of customers. Augmented reality technology solves this problem by taking the user experience to a new level.

Thanks to AR, you can try on clothes before you buy stuff, edit photos and videos (like on iOS 16), apply fantasy filters on TikTok, and even plan furniture arrangements with the IKEA app. Among the latest app trends, AR occupies one of the first places.

Developers have managed to make this technology easier and more accessible; although, nowadays, the mobile device possibilities for the application of AR are still somewhat limited. Still, many people expect the best applications to have this feature.

• AR makes shopping more accessible and convenient.
• It opens up new possibilities in photo and video editing.
• The AR mobile app market size will reach $36 billion by 2026.

2. Increased Use of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is the future of mobile apps because:

• It solves the problem of analyzing large amounts of data, identifying patterns, and finding errors where human capabilities are limited.
• It improves the overall efficiency of development and production.

These features are actively used in various areas: from the restaurant business to healthcare and IoT ecosystems. For example, McDonald’s uses AI to analyze demand and personalize customer menus. In the healthcare industry, AI is being used for big data analysis. At the same time, the main problem of AI is the lack of emotional intelligence and the need to consume large amounts of information for learning and work, which might go against data safety regulations.

• AI allows you to process large amounts of data faster.
• It helps to personalize the user experience.
• It makes it easier to spot errors and patterns.

3. Emergence of Blockchain Apps

The need to protect personal data is now more acute than ever since a huge amount of information is stored electronically. Because of it, there is a high risk of hacking and theft. Blockchain technologies in mobile apps provide users with the highest level of application security management.

While they are most prevalent in finance and banking, these app market trends have now made their way into retail, real estate, energy, and entertainment spheres. For example, the Sony Music department in Japan uses this technology to protect copyrights.

Among the trend limitations, we’d like to note its novelty and some “immaturity.” It leads to some issues, for instance, with scalability. For comparison, Ethereum (based on this technology) processes 20 transactions per second, while the more common Visa — about 24000 tps.

• Blockchain technology makes any mobile business more secure.
• It enhances information protection while maintaining transparency.
• It minimizes the possibility of hacking and theft of sensitive data.

4. Integration of Virtual Assistants

While virtual assistants can be useful for everyone, they are vital for vulnerable groups of users. By incorporating these features into your mobile products, you can make them more accessible to people with disabilities of different levels, which allows you to expand your target audience in the mobile application market.

Virtual assistants (such as Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa) help individuals and businesses streamline their daily and work tasks. They can find relevant information, answer complex queries, and make recommendations about complex problems. This technology is developing along with AI and ML, so its capabilities are highly dependent on these two areas.

• Improved customer service and user experience.
• Virtual assistants make mobile apps accessible.
• Such technologies increase the profitability of production.

5. Increased Use of Chatbots

How to make customer service 24/7 without hiring additional staff? The answer is chatbots. Although virtual assistants remain in demand and are urgently needed in some situations, last year’s statistics show that about 40% of users prefer chatbots.

The development of AI and ML technologies makes interaction with them more natural. Chatbots improve the quality of customer service and reduce costs by automating routine processes. Although interaction with these “virtual assistants” becomes more natural every year, they can still make mistakes, which can be critical in certain areas.

• AI-enabled chatbots contribute to the automation of business processes.
• They improve customer support and provide a better user experience.
• The chatbot app market share is showing steady growth, with a projected value of over $1.2 billion by 2025.

6. Growth of Mobile Commerce

Today’s consumers prefer shopping through mobile apps instead of wandering in malls. If you have a retail business and have not created your app yet, you should do it now so as not to lose most of the audience. Sales of goods and services using mobile devices by 2025 will likely be about 44% of eCommerce transactions. People use apps not only for direct purchases but also for finding the best deals, comparing prices and reviews, etc.

This format makes the buying process available anywhere and, in combination with AR, even more convenient. Read about other popular categories in our article “What Types of Apps Are Most Popular Right Now”. Purchasing through mobile apps might come with some risks such as banking data theft, so you should also keep an eye on current trends in protecting customer information.

• Retail stores engage mobile shoppers as their percentage is steadily increasing.
• Compared to traditional shopping, mCommerce offers an advanced customer experience.

7. Continued Expansion of Gaming Apps

Games are the most popular category in digital stores. The main task of such products is to entertain users. For developers, gamers are a fertile audience always open to something new. The popularity of mobile games has led to a trend toward the gamification of non-gaming apps. The most notable examples of such products are Duolingo, Habitika, and Yousician. Gamification has proven to be effective in increasing revenues (up to 95% in some cases) and retention rates (around 5%).

Game elements are found in learning, shopping, fitness, reading, task managing, and other apps. See our “Mobile Gaming Industry Trends & Growth Prospects” article for more gaming trends and mechanics. The main problem in mobile game development is incredibly high competition, which can be overcome only by building a winning ASO and offering customers something unique.

• Games gained popularity in the wake of the pandemic but continue to maintain it to this day.
• Elements of gamification appear in non-gaming apps of different categories.

8. Increased Focus on User Privacy

The proliferation of real-time transactions leads to increased fraud through mobile apps. According to Gartner’s mobile app industry analysis, by 2024, about 75% of the entire population will have their data protected by various privacy regulations.

This trend forces businesses to improve their systems for collecting, processing, and storing user information. Besides, mobile users want more control over their data. The difficulty in using data-driven services is related to this trend, which is why limited developers are forced to adjust their audience analysis tools.

• Mobile apps have become more reliable in terms of information storage.
• Users get more control over their data.
• Data-driven app developers have to be more creative.

9. Continued Development of Health and Fitness Apps

The pandemic and lockdowns have given impetus to the development of healthcare and fitness products. Back then, users were deprived of the usual format of sports activity, though by now, these assistant apps have firmly entered everyday life.

A good example is the app stats about Fitbit’s growing revenue, which passed the $2 million mark on Google Play alone in September 2022. Other top products include Strava, MyFitnessPal, and Calm. The functionality of healthcare and fitness applications is limited by the capabilities of users’ mobile and wearable devices. To capture the audience’s attention, you have to revise the usual experience.

• Fitness apps offer a unique user experience with gamification.
• They use the capabilities of smartphones and wearable devices.
• They help monitor a variety of health indicators.

10. Greater Use of Cloud-Based Apps

Cloud services solve the problem of storing and exchanging large amounts of data, documents, and media files for businesses and private users. They cannot be called the fastest-growing mobile apps, as they are highly specialized and not for entertainment. However, such technologies have become integral to many industries and businesses. Not only will their distribution continue but also their improvement.

Edge computing is considered to be an advanced stage of clouds. It significantly speeds up data exchange. With the development of 5G technology, it has become even more in demand, for example, in the IoT and autonomous car industries. However, cloud technologies are associated with the risk of theft of stored data and local restrictions that governments can impose on the use of such services.

• Cloud apps provide remote data storage and access to them from anywhere.
• Advanced edge computing technologies reduce network response latency and use bandwidth efficiently.

Keep Up With Mobile App Trends

The main worldwide trend now is the transition from desktop versions of services to mobile ones. It was affected both by the pandemic and the global development of technology. They have changed the way we think about and interact with mobile apps and made consumers more dependent on them. That is why developers introduce new tools and features into their products to bring the user experience to a whole new level.

Artificial intelligence, machine learning, augmented reality, a high degree of data protection, cloud and edge computing, and much more make mobile apps indispensable assistants for both everyday and business tasks. Given the constantly growing competition and high user demand, lagging behind modern trends can have an extremely negative impact on your app promotion. Use this article to understand how to improve your development to keep up with the times and sustain your audience’s interest.

Engines and platforms have different libraries, tools, guides, samples, and APIs. You should know each of them to understand which one will empower you to perform your tasks. This article will briefly discuss what an game SDK is as well as focus on describing the ten most popular tools. After reading the material, you will be able to choose the ideal base for your own game.

What Is a Game SDK?

Before moving on to SDKs, let’s understand what they are. What does SDK stand for? It is a Software Development Kit that contains the tools necessary for app and game development. You can use SDKs not only to create products from scratch but also to improve existing ones. For example, there are advertisement kits with which you can monetize your app. If you are interested in monetization, we recommend reading more about mobile game monetization after reading this material.

Using SDKs for your development has many undeniable advantages:

• faster integration of the new necessary elements;
• acceleration of the development process from scratch;
• efficient app scaling;
• saving money and labor costs;
• protection against unauthorized access;
• convenient performance monitoring.

In general, such tools help optimize workflow, which is beneficial in developing any project.

Top 10 App Game SDK

The SDK can be called the foundation for mobile games and apps. However, before starting development, you should get deep market intelligence analytics with an overview of competitors and target audiences. It’s the only way to create a great game based on the best game SDK. Now let’s go from mobile SDK definition to the overview of engines and platforms.

1. Unity
   Unity is one of the most commonly used engines for creating various games. According to the company’s 2022 report, its use has grown by more than 30% compared to the last year. Thanks to tons of educational materials and a big community, novice developers can use Unity for mobile games without issues. Pokemon GO, Hexagonium, Monument Valley 2, COD: Mobile, and Alto’s Adventure were built on it.
   
   Unity is good at game improvement because it adheres to the component-oriented approach to development, supports complex latest platforms, effects, and technologies such as ray trace, and has a huge library of ready-made assets and plugins.
   
2. Unreal engine
   Games built on this mobile game engine, such as The Callisto Protocol, Stray, and Ark 2, have received honorary awards, hence users’ attention. It supports more platforms than Unity and allows you to create 3D projects using Blueprint visual scripting. Mobile games written on this platform include Fortnite, Hello Neighbor, Life Is Strange, and Mortal Kombat.
   
   Unreal Engine offers the broadest opportunities for creating unique game worlds. It provides a BluePrint visual programming system, allows you to quickly create game prototypes (with post-processing), and is distributed for free.
   
3. Corona SDK
   If you’re looking for how to make game apps in a 2D format easily, pay attention to the completely free Corona SDK. It allows you to build cross-platform projects with excellent performance using the Lua language. It lets you create full-scale commercial projects and learn the basics of game programming. Game of Sultans, I Love Hue, Rider, and Day R are based on this engine.
   
   Corona SDK is designed to create 2D games and mobile apps. Its main advantage among better-known analogs is the simplicity of use due to work in an easy-to-master Lua language.
   
4. Cocos2d
   Cocos2d is another open-source engine for game app development. It has several branches targeting different platforms. For mobile games, Cocos2d-x is the most commonly used. Released in 2021, Cocos Creator allows you to create not only 2D but also 3D projects. Regular updates give developers more options for working with lighting, reflections, marionettes, and more. Badland, Plague Inc., FarmVille, and Geometry Dash are based on it.
   
   The open-source Cocos2D allows you to create 2D games and interactive applications (for example, for training). The framework has high performance, is completely cross-platform, and provides excellent architecture.
   
5. Phaser
   Phaser is a handy HTML5 framework for creating 2D games. It has WebGL and Canvas for rendering, three physics systems, a visual editor and sandbox, classic sprite animations, a scaling tool, an Arcade particle system, and more. It’s lightweight, fast, and suitable for beginners who want to figure out how to make a game app from scratch. Idle Zoo, Jungle Runner, and Fishing.io were written on this engine.
   
   The HTML5 Phaser engine offers high speed and simple scaling for different devices and is easy to use. It was intended to make HTML5 games but also allows you to create projects for mobile devices.
   
6. Game Maker Studio
   GameMaker Studio is another cross-platform 2D project creation tool we can recommend to beginner developers as you can work with it without codes or scripts. You get access to an internal store with ready-made sprites, graphics cards, soundtracks, objects, etc. Super Chicken Jumper, Katana Zero, and Forager were made with it.
   
   GameMaker Studio offers a customized graphic interface, cross-platform features, and a low price. A huge plus for beginners is an extensive community and detailed documentation, which is regularly updated.
   
   
7. Godot
   With this cross-platform open-source game engine for app development, you can create both 2D and 3D projects. It supports realistic graphics, AR/VR, and procedural generation, allows you to work with animation and a navigation grid, provides its own GDScript language, and much more. Thanks to the pixel-based measurement system, it’s ideal for creating 2D animations. Haiki, Rings of Saturn, Resolution, and Endoparasitic were built with it.
   
   Godot is suitable for creating and improving 2D and 3D games for mobile devices, PCs, and web platforms. With its help, you can introduce VR and AR Elements into the project and use realistic physics engines and procedural-level generation.
   
   
8. AppGameKit
   Based on AppGameKit, you can create both apps and 2D games with 3D elements. It uses AGK BASIC, a language similar to C++, so you don’t need to study the engine deeply to learn how to code an app game. The advantage of this engine is cross-platform and the opportunity to first create a project and then choose a platform. It is used for games such as Repton 2, Slaughter School, Na4, and Bouncing Brendan.
   
   AppGameKit does not require extra programming skills from you. With its help, amateurs and beginners can create and deploy 2D games that include 3D, AR, and VR elements.
   
9. LibGDX
   Building a game for Android using LibGDX is a pretty straightforward process. This free engine has a low entry threshold thanks to its own extensive Wiki, but it requires coding and Java skills from users. Paperama, A Stone Pillar, Slay the Spire, and Disney Heroes: Battle Mode are created using LibGDX.
   
   The free LibgDX platform works in Java and has a huge user community. It is quite flexible and well-optimized for creating fast-working 2D games.
   
10. Construct
    Construct is what beginners need to get their heads around building a mobile game. This platform is designed to create 2D projects even if you don’t have programming skills. Thanks to the virtual scripting system, block system, and sprite animation, you can quickly make a simple puzzle or pixel art platformer. It is based on Beast Attack, Lunar Mission, and Artillerists Needs Your Help.
    
    Using Construct, you can create a 2D game without writing a single line of code. Thanks to it, you can quickly implement any idea and publish a finished product in digital stores in a few clicks.

Technical Aspects You Should Know Before Creating a Mobile Game

Our list includes multi-platform SDKs. Some of them are more popular, some less. You will find projects created using different engines in any list of the best app games. To understand what is right for you, consider the following nuances:

• personal skills and professionalism;
• programming language and platform;
• the size of the team that will work on the game;
• time frame and deadlines;
• budget;
• genre, and so on.

Also, when choosing an engine or platform, it is extremely important to pay attention to data security. To avoid endangering clients, follow the standard requirements for using SDKs. For example, the Play Store has clear guidelines for this matter.

Finding a universal solution that suits every developer is tricky, so you need to consider the above features. The choice of platform largely affects the product’s quality, which in turn affects users’ interest and involvement. Use game SDK not only for development but also for monitoring app performance. In our ASO blog, you can read more about mobile gaming metrics.

Final Thoughts on Choosing SDK for Your Game

We have not described all the existing SKDs, but the mentioned engines allow you to create games from scratch. However, there is also software with which you can improve a current project. For example, you can use Unity Ads, IronSource, or Applovin for monetization and ads, and MOAT Analytics, AppsFlyer, and Crashlytics for getting usage data.

There are free and paid game SDKs. When choosing the right option for you, do not rush to conclusions and do not refuse paid ones if you are on a budget. We recommend that you take advantage of the trial versions of the platforms that suit you and see what works well for you. While free solutions save money in the first place, paid ones tend to be better optimized and offer out-of-the-box tools for scaling and porting apps, so they can be more profitable in the long run. It all depends on the complexity of your project and plans for further development.

Modern realities are such that creators are forced to release new tools as quickly as possible to avoid losing the audience’s interest and use open-source components. With insufficient care, this approach can make an app more vulnerable to various attacks and threats.

Striving to update your product regularly, you shouldn’t forget about the importance of keeping it secure. In this article, we will tell you about modern requirements for protecting mobile apps, generally accepted standards, and ways to detect vulnerabilities.

Why Is Application Security Important?

Often, creators focus on solving market problems. They need to build the best interface, ensure the product’s stability, and market it correctly. Our article “How to Market an App Like a Pro” is devoted to building marketing strategy, so check it out if you have questions about it.

Behind all these complex tasks, there is a risk to overlook the possible vulnerabilities. According to Acronis forecasts, this year, the cost of one data breach might reach $5 million. Such horrific results force developers to look closely at application security management and follow new technologies and standards in this direction.

Here is a list of reasons why application data security is critical:

• Identifying and fixing weaknesses makes it impossible for attackers to combine non-critical vulnerabilities to deal more damage.
• Regular vulnerability monitoring reduces risks and the amount of possible harm.
• Preventive measures are cheaper than a reactive approach and remediation.
• As the popularity of your product grows, so does the risk of possible attacks.

Neglecting application intelligence and mobile product security standards threatens to lose money, reputation, and the business as a whole.

Mobile App Security Standards

The acts governing the prevention and resolution of mobile app security issues you must comply with differ depending on your industry. The main standards are:

• ASVS by OWASP. It contains a list of 14 requirements for secure application development and provides a framework for technical security verification.
• NIST 800-218. This document contains 19 requirements for forming the so-called Secure Software Development Framework.
• ISO 27034. It describes methods and tools for ensuring secure development and, in particular, the formation of the Application Normative Framework.
• CIS Control 16. Its 14 controls govern application software security throughout the whole product life cycle.
• PCI DSS. It’s a mandatory standard of 14 requirements that apps that work with user banking data must adhere to.

Moreover, you should also stick to the application policy recommendations in your particular sector. Here are just a few examples:

• marketing: GDPR and CCPA regulations;
• fintech: PSD2, ePrivacy, and Cybersecurity regulations;
• hr: EEOC, Fair Labor Standards Act, and FMLA;
• healthcare: HIPPA, EU Regulation 2017/746 (IVDR), etc.

Typically, the most intense application security monitoring is carried out in healthcare and life insurance, but many other industries also have unique controls.

Application Security Requirements

To comply with the standards described above, you need to follow their requirements regarding securing mobile apps. Here are just a few of them:

Some of these database security best practices interact and refer to each other. For example, PCI DSS requires developers to implement the threat protection methods described in OWASP Top 10 (web or mobile).

How to Detect Mobile App Vulnerabilities?

You should secure application development at the start since it’s better to prevent attacks rather than deal with their consequences. To identify vulnerabilities, you can implement the following mobile app security best practices:

• Vulnerability scanning. Various scanners automatically analyze the product and find weaknesses by comparing them with lists of common vulnerabilities.
• Penetration testing. This technique mimics the attacks carried out by ethical hackers and looks for possible penetration routes through loopholes.
• Posture assessment. With its help, you evaluate the current state of protection and identify data that could potentially be compromised.
• Risk assessment. It considers all the components and even the people involved in the process to determine the risks.

You can use supply chain tests and static or dynamic application security testing instruments when looking for problem areas. Test authentication and encryption to understand users’ privileges and access and understand fundamental questions like, “How is data encrypted while using mobile applications?”

Application Security Best Practices Checklist

The standards mentioned above are aimed at securing mobile applications from all sides. Here are some more of our expert recommendations to help you protect your users:

• Know your assets

To quickly find and fix a breach, you need to know what software is used in your app, which ones are open source, which dependencies they have, etc.

• Assess threats

Determine which attacks are most likely to happen, how hackers can get into your product, and what is the probability of a bad outcome.

• Update software

Everything you use to develop your products should be regularly updated, whether purchased tools for, for instance, ASO keyword ranking or open community development.

• Prioritize operations

The list of threats and vulnerabilities is huge. Assess and prioritize them to eliminate the most extensive or likely problems first.

• Encrypt traffic

If you cannot securely encrypt all traffic, you will easily become a target for hackers. Use hashing, SSL certificates, HTTPS, and other tools.

• Restrict access

Each employee should have access only to the segments they need; for it, you can implement mobile app authentication best practices in your production. If attackers can take over their accounts, it will avoid leaking critical data.

The above standards should be followed when developing products for different operating systems and devices. The article “How to Sync Apps On iPhone And iPad?” will teach you about working with apps for various Apple devices.

Bring Your App Security to Perfection

When developing an app security strategy, keep in mind that nothing is unhackable. Over time, methods have weakened and become obsolete, so attackers can find the key to everything. Therefore, your work on protection must be comprehensive and ongoing.

You can use automated vulnerability-finding systems to have time to focus on your core business and marketing tasks. However, you should not stop at a single approach as it makes even the best technique less effective. Use several methods at once to eliminate the possibility of hacking to the maximum.

Never stop there: Your system should be checked regularly and receive the necessary updates. Do vulnerability scans as often as possible. New threats appear literally every week, so you should often look for weaknesses. The requirements for performing a scan can vary depending on the standard, framework, and auditor you choose. Most often, you need to do scanning monthly or quarterly; less often — every week.

Finding the one that suits your needs might be challenging among dozens of different products. We understand the difficulties that developers, especially beginners, face. In this article, we’ll look at the Android system’s top IDEs, briefly describe each, and compare the three most requested ones in detail. After reading the post, you will be able to determine which product suits your tasks best.

What Is an IDE?

The abbreviation stands for Integrated Development Environment. It is a complex set of specialized tools designed for software development. The base set includes a text editor, a compiler/interpreter, build automation tools, and a debugger.

Additionally, you can use other components useful in development to create the perfect product to blow your app download analytics. That is, everything developers had to do manually before can be done using the IDE. Such environments exist for almost all programming languages and different platforms. In this article, we focus only on mobile best IDE for Android.

Best IDE for Android App Development List for 2023

An IDE for Android development is more than just a code editing tool. It greatly improves developer productivity with a large number of built-in tools. Choosing a specific environment is an essential step in app planning. You can read more about it in our article “How to Plan App Development?” In the meantime, here is a list of IDEs that will help you get the best results.

1. Android Studio
   Google’s official development environment is the first on our list. It was built on the base of IntelliJ IDEA; supports Java, Kotlin, and C++. The free online Android Studio IDE has an intelligent code editor, code template and plugin support, an emulator for a variety of devices, automated APK building, and much more. It’s also great for beginners as it offers tutorials to walk you through building mobile products in detail. Besides, many top Android apps are written with it, which proves that it is the best IDE to create Android apps.
2. Visual Studio
   Visual Studio is a popular multilingual IDE for mobile app development. Depending on the configuration, it can support about a dozen different languages. Even though its manufacturer is Microsoft, it can also be used to work with Android. It has a source code editor, a UI builder with ready-made “blocks,” some of the best debugging tools, cross-platform support, and more. Relatively recent integration with the Xamarin platform has made using VS even more convenient.
3. DroidScript
   Initially, DroidScript was conceived by the creators as a tool for learning the basics of programming. With it, the pros and cons of this IDE are connected. On the one hand, it is fairly easy to understand IDE, which requires knowledge of JavaScript to work with and allows you to create native and hybrid apps. On the other hand, it has a fairly simple (basic) functionality, which is inferior to analogs, and a small set of libraries and add-ons.
4. AIDE
   AIDE is a mobile app for developing other applications you can download from the Play Market. It allows you to work directly from portable devices. It has a code editor, real-time error checking, fast prototyping, refactoring, a debugger, and more. The user-friendly user interface and scalable window make this Android C++ IDE ideal for small smartphone screens.
5. CppDroid
   It is important to test prototypes even in the early stages of development to create the best user experience apps. As you move forward, you should add new features and tools to make sure it all runs smoothly enough. Fill your product and gradually create more complex, multi-layered interactivity.
6. Eclipse
   It is one of the best IDE for Android app development is Java, supporting almost all programming languages and platforms. Thanks to a large number of plugins, you can supplement it with the necessary functions and customize it as finely as possible. Unfortunately, it has some drawbacks; in particular, the IDE uses a lot of resources, loads the processor, and sometimes takes up a lot of memory. The wide variety of add-ons and plugins will take time to learn as well.
7. NetBeans
   This IDE supports many programming languages, including C++, Python, and Java. It contains all the standard tools for development, including in a team. Installation is simple and requires minimal manual actions from users; you just need to pick the packages you need based on your preferred language when installing it. Unfortunately, like other popular IDEs that run via the JDK/SDK, it consumes a lot of resources.
8. Java Suite
   “Java Suite” refers to environments that run on the Java programming language. Their distinguishing feature is the presence of compilers, which are needed to develop the code before testing. There are dozens of such products. The already mentioned NetBeans and Eclipse, as well as IntelliJ IDE, are among the most popular IDEs. In addition to them, we’d like to mention AWS Cloud9, Codeanywhere, and SlickEdit, which we will not cover in this article.
9. Arduino
   Arduino is a multi-platform open-source Java framework. It can be considered the best Android code editor for beginners as it has basic functionality and allows you to create simple software using standard libraries. At the same time, experienced programmers note that the code editor is not the most convenient here, and there are several other significant issues. Although the company introduced early access to the Pro version in 2019, it did not completely eliminate the shortcomings.
10. PhoneGap
    PhoneGap is another cross-platform open-source IDE with support for a large number of languages. It became popular precisely because it allowed you to create apps using standard programming languages and simultaneously for different platforms without installing SDK tools. You can use many plugins to extend the capabilities of this Android development IDE, but many of them are a bit outdated, so you’d better write your own.
11. IntelliJ IDEA
    Many professionals recognize it as the best IDE for Android app development. Other IDEs are created on its basis, for example, the Android Studio described above. It features deep code understanding (smart auto-completion), ergonomics, a set of hotkeys for all actions, and an extensive list of tools, supports, and integrations with which you can extend the functionality and fine-tune your environment.

We have described the most popular and commonly used frameworks. Below, you will find a comparison table of the top 3 Android development IDEs to help you make your final choice. If you also need some help with choosing platforms or engines, check out our feature post, “Game Apps Development Platforms and Engines.”

Choose the Best Android Code Editor for Your Task

There are a huge number of best IDE for Android app development. In this article, we’ve highlighted just a few of the most popular options. But even among these, how to determine what is right for you? There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and we recommend that you pay attention to the following criteria:

• basic features and tools included;
• existing plugins and add-ons;
• developer’s name;
• supported languages and platforms;
• platforms on which you can run the IDE;
• target audience/level of complexity;
• latest updates;
• license and price;
• educational materials and community.

Many other aspects might be vital for your particular case. These are just the main factors that should influence your choice. Approach the search for IDEs taking into account the features of your future app and your skills because some of them are beginner-friendly, while others are designed for professionals and experienced coders.

Developing mobile apps from scratch is challenging. Luckily, you can buy a finished product and earn money with it. But how to buy a profitable app that will really become successful? It is difficult to say unequivocally that this or that product has good potential from the start and will definitely bring profit. There are many things to consider and pay attention to when buying one. That is what our article today is about. Keep on reading if you plan to enter the mobile app market.

How To Buy a Profitable App: Main Options

There are many reasons why someone wants to how to sell an app idea. For example, the developers could not cope with the load, the product stopped generating income due to poor-quality marketing and monetization, or there was a conflict within the team. If you decide to buy apps from developers, these reasons shouldn’t affect your work. That is why you should pay attention to the following factors.

Brand reputation

Before you start an app business, you should research the developers’ history in detail. The quality and potential of a product should not matter if the people behind it did questionable things in the past. It is important even if their actions weren’t all directly related to the app. Study the developers’ past, ask around on thematic forums, and read user reviews on other company products (if any).

Developer accounts’ reputation

The previous point was about the devs’ reputation in general in the digital space. Now you need to check their reputation directly on the app stores. Stores rank products in many ways, and developer trust is one of them. Even if the app is transferred to your account after purchase, you can encounter difficulties if its previous owners committed some illegal activity. In addition to minor problems, it can also lead to blocking the app.

Following guidelines

Each marketplace has its own rules, guidelines, and restrictions that must be followed so that the product is not blocked. If the app didn’t pass the review and moderation, the developers are required to either fix the flaws or remove the item from the store. Until then, they won’t be able to post updates, so if the app you’re considering hasn’t been updated in a while, see it as a red flag. You will get a frozen asset if you ignore it.

Legal stand

There are specialized platforms for buying and selling mobile apps, and you can also negotiate directly with developers. Regardless of which option you choose, be sure to check who owns the product you’re interested in. There is always the possibility that the platform or person acquired the item illegally. It is not superfluous to consult with a lawyer specializing in the digital sphere and check the domains and creators’ social media accounts.

Copyright

If you compare a website vs an app for business, you will notice a significant similarity. Both can be patented as a trademark (or undergo this procedure at the time of purchase). When you buy an app, all rights to the brand and trademarks are transferred to you. Make sure you get all the relevant documents so as not to get in trouble with past owners or copyright infringers in the future.

App metrics

Tracking the product’s performance when buying it and conducting market intelligence tools might not be the best idea. After all, success depends on the marketing campaign and App Store Optimization. Even excellent and high-quality apps can have low download and retention rates.

It is quite possible that you understand marketing better than the developers, and you can take the title to a whole new level. However, getting to know what the creators have been able to achieve is useful for understanding their mistakes.

How to Buy a Profitable App?

For making money from mobile apps that you buy directly from other developers, the deal should follow the laws. With the help of a specialist, draw up an agreement that transfers the rights to the app to your full disposal, regulates other related issues, and satisfies the requirements and wishes of all parties. If you decide to use the services of specialized platforms, the service provider usually deals with all legal issues. Intermediaries charge a certain percentage of the transaction, which is about 10% on average.

Once the legal issues are resolved, the app can be transferred to your accounts on the app stores, or the developer can completely assign their account and the app they manage to you. In the first case, it is important that your account complies with the terms of digital stores. In the second case, the seller should make sure there are no assets in their account that were not included in the transaction. After transferring an app or account and entering up-to-date billing information, all app profits will go to you.

Where to Buy App: Popular Platforms

If you are wondering, “How do I buy an app?” then know that you have two options. You can negotiate with developers directly if you have contacts. Alternatively, you can go to marketplaces that collect offers from different creators. Some platforms specialize in reselling high-potential products. They usually refine undervalued items and find buyers for them.

The most popular sites where you can purchase finished apps are AppBusinessBrokers and Flippa. If you’re interested in templates or products that haven’t been completed yet, check out Codester, SellMyApp, CodeGrape, and CodeCanyon. You can select the categories and filters you are interested in to find what you need faster. If you don’t know what you want yet, read our article “What is the Most Popular App Right Now” to choose the most promising title.

Most Profitable Apps at the Beginning of 2025

You might ask, “Are apps profitable for real?” The correct answer is “Some of them.” Many do have great potential, but success depends on tons of factors and a little on luck. The list of top paid apps and free titles changes regularly, but certain categories more likely to be successful have remained the same for a long time. Here are the most in-demand groups and products that have the highest revenues:

• Games: Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile, Candy Crush Saga, and Roblox;
• Entertainment: Netflix, Spotify, TikTok, and YouTube;
• Social media: Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Snapchat;
• Dating: Bumble, Tinder, Hinge, and Badoo;
• Health: FitBit, MyFitnessPal, Strava, and Calm.

It is not easy to achieve the success of these tech giants, but everyone has a chance. For the purchased product to bring you the desired profit, you need to think about a monetization strategy. In our ASO blog, you can read more about Android app monetization strategies. You can make your product completely free with ads like Duolingo, go freemium like the Whats App business model, or make access to features completely paid like Netflix.

Final Recommendations on Buying Apps

As you might have already understood, buying apps still requires a careful approach from you, although it is a simpler task than developing them from scratch. It is crucial not to run into scammers or unreliable developers, so you should study all the information about the creators and the product itself in detail. Here are our final recommendations on how to buy a profitable app:

• Avoid new products. A newly launched app can hide many flaws. At the start, many metrics can be impressive and high, but you shouldn’t trust them fully.
• Don’t buy the #1 title. There is a possibility that the developers manipulated the traffic and used bots. Pick #2 and #3 items as they tend to be more reliable in terms of reputation.
• Don’t rely on lists of the best new products. Such fame is extremely short-lived; it is better that the app becomes the best in what it was designed for.
• Do not trust paid traffic. Analytics still give approximate numbers, so you can’t say for sure how much of the traffic was paid and how much the creators had to invest in it.

Buying an app can become a profitable business with a good deal and a competent approach. The main thing is not to lose sight of all the points we have described in the article.

Irrelevant ads, annoying notifications, and untimely offers can significantly ruin the user experience. In the end, people simply delete the app from their devices. That is why it is important not only to find your target audience but also to understand which subgroups it can be divided into to offer the most personalized experience. In this article, our experts will tell you how and why to segment the mobile audience, as well as describe typical groups and features of interaction with them.

What Is Mobile User Segmentation?

Mobile app user segmentation is the process of dividing the target audience into subgroups based on common characteristics that affect their interaction with your product. That is, the entire audience might be interested in your product. However, if you dig deeper, it turns out that they are interested in different features. When developing an app’s marketing strategy, it is important to know how the division within your target group occurs to reach interested people.

What is a segmentation strategy? This strategy determines your action plan based on the found segments. For example, you can offer your product to only one narrow group of users, create different offers for different parts, or choose the largest category and work only with it. Each approach has its advantages but also comes with certain risks.

At first glance, the mobile user segmentation process is not complicated. However, in reality, it means a very deep analysis of your target audience. It is not enough to simply group some clients into the first group and others into the second. As a result of the analysis, you should get accurate data for various categories, from age and gender to interests and types of purchases.

Why Is Mobile User Segmentation Important?

No people in the world have absolutely identical sets of habits, tastes, behaviors, and so on. The same applies to the use of mobile apps. Segmenting your mobile audience helps you understand and use users’ features to your advantage. Here’s why you need a thorough app analysis:

• you better understand your users;
• it allows you to adapt to new trends more quickly;
• you can develop personalized campaigns that reach the right customers;
• segmentation helps to build more trusting relationships with users;
• you can identify “unsuitable” groups and exclude them from the advertising campaign;
• all this increases the effectiveness of your marketing efforts;
• the cost of attracting users is reduced;
• you can identify the categories with the greatest potential;
• it increases your competitiveness;
• knowing customers’ social and financial situation, you can optimize the pricing policy.

Mobile user segmentation is an essential step in developing a marketing strategy. You should understand what and how to offer your users to get the maximum benefit.

What Are the Types of App User Segmentation?

Each developer and publisher can determine the criteria for marketing audience segmentation on their own. Your goals, objectives, category or market features, and many other factors influence it. We will describe the most common types that are used in mobile development.

Demography

The category includes gender, age, marital status, having children, and so on. These criteria are the simplest and most obvious. They are fundamental for market intelligence tools of any kind. They determine exactly how you will advertise your app. Typically, groups created on a demographic basis are pretty extensive, so other criteria should definitely be added to them.

Geography

It includes country, state, city, district, population density, climate, etc. All this primarily determines the language and dialect in which you will communicate with your users. Moreover, you can customize geographic segmentation ads according to the unique characteristics of each region.

Location

It includes the location of users at a particular moment. The segments are built based on the GPS data of the devices. It allows you to understand the behavior of your customers better.

Psychography

It includes personal qualities, characters, values, etc. It might be tricky to accurately measure the groups created based on these criteria, so they should be combined with other more precise indicators. With their help, you can find the most loyal customers who should be given special attention and those who do not show commitment to your product.

Behavior

It includes actions (or inactions), spending habits, session frequency, search history, etc. This user segmentation model provides different methods for dealing with new, current, departed, active, and other users. Sometimes, this type is called “user status segmentation.”

Motivation

It includes reasons why people might be interested in using your product. By knowing what drives your users, you can create a need for your brand and app through ads.

Technology

It includes platforms, models, brands of portable devices, and so on. Technographic segmentation allows you, for example, to determine the conversion rate in installs (or other targeted action) for different groups and understand which difficulties each of them faces. In many ways, platforms and related factors determine the characteristics of customer behavior. You can read more about it in the article “Android vs. iOS User Behavior.”

Based on the above criteria, you can create homogeneous groups in which users have similar habits, geographic locations, cultural values, and so on.

How to Segment App Users?

Mobile user segmentation best practices involve dividing the entire process into several key steps:

1. Collection of information. Gather the most extensive database of your customers. You need to know where they are, what their needs are, how they use services similar to yours, how your product can improve their lives, and so on. To do it, you can use Google data, third-party market research, app download analytics you have, competitor data, and more.
2. Choice of criteria. As we have said, there is no single list; it all depends on your goals and product features. Demographics of mobile app users and geography are the most commonly used; the rest is up to you.
3. Segmentation. Based on the collected information and the selected criteria, you should form groups into which users with similar characteristics will fall. Such segments should be more or less homogeneous, stable (keep their composition for some time), and accessible to you.
   
   Note:
   Do not divide the target audience into too narrow groups. You won’t manage to use it effectively in your marketing. Ideally, one segment can be described with three adjectives.
4. Strategy formation. Assess the potential of each segment (profitability, competition, audience size, etc.) and pick the few most promising for your business.
5. Fine-tuning. Test and validate the results of your chosen mobile user segmentation and optimize your strategy if things don’t work out the way you planned. Work on mobile audience targeting should be continuous. You can change and adjust segments depending on your updated goals and current trends.

All these stages and testing aim to understand how to app redesign UX and UI and prepare the final version that can be rolled out for common use.

How to Communicate With Different User Segments?

During the target audience analysis and the selection of segments, you should determine which communication channels are more in demand among certain consumers. You can focus your marketing activity on social networks, forums, and instant messengers.

However, the best option is your app itself. Instead of using third-party resources, you can create in-app stories to reach out to your target group. With the help of such a tool and notifications, you can increase customer engagement.

This format of personalized offers will allow you to convey your message to the right category of users. You should not limit yourself to only one communication channel; use an integrated approach that involves all popular resources. Read more about it in our post “How to Promote Apps on Social Media.”

Increase User Engagement With Clever App User Segmentation

Segmenting your customer base is important in developing an effective marketing strategy. It helps boost your profitability, save money and time, and increase mobile app engagement. Collecting data about your target audience according to the selected criteria allows you to identify the most promising groups and build personalized communication with them. So you can make offers to really interested users.

User segments can be created based on demographic, geographic, cultural, motivational, technological, and other criteria. You should choose these criteria yourself because audience characteristics can greatly vary for different mobile games and apps. Although there might be many groups, in the end, it is better to choose a few of the most promising ones so as not to scatter your resources.

When collecting information about your consumers, always keep in mind the need for data protection, the importance of using trusted intermediaries, and compliance with international security standards (such as the General Data Protection Regulation). All data should be anonymous, and exact details can only be taken after the clients’ consent.

There are currently over 5 million apps published on the Apple Store and Google Play combined. Creating something truly unique is getting harder every day. While brainstorming, in addition to being inspired by the success stories of big brands like Google or Evernote, you should also stick to conventional strategies like keyword and market research and professional tips.

While there are examples of successful rebrandings, such as Facebook becoming Meta, it might not go smoothly for everyone. Therefore, you should choose the name appropriately from the very beginning.

Why Does Your App Name Really Matter?

The name is the core of any app. A careful approach to how to name apps is essential for several reasons:

• Along with the icon, this element is shown wherever your product can be mentioned: tops, lists, search results, news of the week, and so on.
• Since the maximum number of users can see it, it should be attractive enough for people to download your product. Don’t expect that at least half of them will want to read the full description of your game or app.
• For ranking algorithms, the title has the highest weight, so in addition to the app name itself, it should also include a relevant keyword.
• The best names for apps convey the essence of the product. After reading them, users immediately understand what they will receive after downloading. Therefore, it is important to come up with not only a catchy but also a meaningful name.

The importance of the title cannot be overestimated. It has the highest weight both for app stores’ algorithms and for users. A perfect name paired with a cool icon can entice people to download your product without even visiting your page.

For iOS developers, mastering app naming is especially crucial because, on the Apple Store, you can publish multiple IAPs with unique names that are ranked separately from the main item. To learn more about optimizing IAPs, read our article on “How Do Apps Get Popular.”

How to Come Up With Cool App Names?

We have come to perhaps the most challenging part of the naming applications process. Fortunately, in addition to being creative, dry mobile app analytics will help you with this task, giving you an accurate and in-depth look at the most popular titles. You can identify patterns and trends that brought a particular product to the top.

Keyword research

Creating cool app names should be based on deep keyword research. At this stage, you should find out what words, phrases, and terms your potential clients use to search for similar products. Be sure to check out the iOS and Android app name suggestions to find “related” keywords. It is important to get a list of terms from different categories.

The thing is, the phrases that most accurately describe or associate with your app (for example, dating apps are directly related to “dating”) are very popular. They are high-frequency and extremely competitive, which means you need to use other words that are not as competitive but can also be related to your product. For example, in dating app titles, you can also include the words “love,” “relationship,” or “chat.”

Market research

Market research involves collecting information about competitors: what they call their products, what trends exist in your category, how they “play” with words, and so on. It will give you fantastic app name ideas, as well as help to identify patterns that are most common for similar services to yours. You don’t want to stand out too much from the competition, which can alienate customers.

Market research is also important to avoid name overlap. Some developers wonder, “Can two apps have the same name?” If your product ID is unique, Google Play will have no problem with this. App Store moderators remove apps with the same name, even from different categories. However, naming your application by an already existing name is a bad idea.

Users are unlikely to want to figure out which of two applications with similar titles is better; they just prefer to find something else. So be sure to check if the selected app names are available or if someone already has such titles.

Determine your key features

As we have said, you need to consider your product’s essence when choosing an app name, meaning that it should reflect its main idea, goal, mission, or feature. Take Snapchat, for example. By its name, you can guess that with it, you can take pictures and send them to your friends.

The SoundCloud title features a combination of music and cloud service. It is essential to come up with such a headline, hearing or reading that users will immediately understand what it is for. Given a huge selection of a wide variety of apps, potential customers are unlikely to puzzle over what the name means and read the description; most likely, they will simply opt for a more understandable product.

Play with words or use generators

Usually, a play on words is better remembered. To search for catchy names for apps, you can make a list of the main functions of your application, underline in sentences those words that most accurately and concisely reflect the essence, look for synonyms and even slang words, add suffixes or prefixes to them, etc. This way, you can find words that you can put together to get a new, deeper meaning.

You can also use generators to find the perfect name. Use the collected keywords and paste them into one of these programs. You will receive several options that you can use exactly as they are made or as the basis for your own idea.

Ideas for App Names

Building a name that can compete with the big players in the long run is no easy task. You will need to use it not only for publishing in app stores but also for further promotion. If you want to learn more about the latter, read the article from our experts, “How to Market an App.” Here are a few useful app name ideas and tips that you should keep in mind while working on the name:

• Be short and concise. Although app stores give you 30 characters per title, don’t try to use them all. Short names are easy to remember, can be typed quickly, and can be shared with friends.
• Connect with people’s emotions. Imagine a typical situation where consumers will use your app and think about what emotions they might experience.
• If you already have a website or blog, you’ll want to align it with the name of your mobile product.
• Make a choice in favor of action words. This way, you can tell what your app can be used for.
• Obvious options are not always bad. You will be surprised how many simple words are available.
• Make intentional typos in words or skip vowels.
• Look for options in other languages, such as Latin or Chinese.

You need a fair amount of creativity to use all these tips to the maximum. Have a brainstorming session and ask the whole team to join and “throw in” the ideas that come to their minds.

Best Names for Apps: Examples

The list of catchy app names includes products that have already achieved success. Their progress depends not only on the title but also on other app page elements, as well as competent SEO and ASO strategies and, of course, the app’s quality. However, a fantastic title can really attract a huge number of users. Here are just a few examples of trending apps that are worthy of your attention:

• Duolingo. Its name combines the Latin words “two” and “language,” which perfectly reflects the product’s essence. Based on this idea, Instagram and Pinterest were also invented.
• MyFitnessPal. The developers aimed to create not just a fitness app but a pocket coach who can be perceived as a friend, “pal.” PayPal and GreenPal pursued the same idea.
• YouTube. Marketers have used a capital letter within a word to separate the two semantic elements. Similar examples are WhatsApp and ooVoo.
• Foodies. Adding melodic sounds to a familiar word makes it more memorable. The same idea underlies such catchy titles as Smarty and Phonto.
• Uber. This short, capacious word is taken from German. It contains sounds found in most languages, while in itself, it is pretty showy. Similar examples are Tinder and Tor.

These examples follow the best naming requirements: They are short, catchy, and unique.

How To Name An App: Pro Tips for Creating a Top-Notch Name

With the name, first of all, but also other essential app page elements, you sell your product. The brand name is what users will see and use most often in the app stores, so you should use all methods and techniques that work when choosing it.

Firstly, good brand strategy development cannot be done without market research. You need to know why your main competitors are so attractive to the target audience, what titles and keywords they use, and which trends are hot right now. You need to know who you are competing with and who you want to attract to be able to create the perfect name.

Secondly, you should write down all effective approaches on how to name an app. Describe the core features of your product, pick up synonyms, look into foreign dictionaries, play with words, use associations and consonances, and so on. Create a few good options and try them out with a focus group to find the best one.

Now, the most important thing. Whatever cool name you choose and no matter how carefully thought out your marketing strategy is, everything will be useless if the quality of your product is not at the highest level.

Mobile game app development has a high potential for making money. You should consider all aspects to use this opportunity to the maximum. From this article, you will learn more about which steps your plan should include, which things to consider when developing an app and promoting it, which critical mistakes to avoid, and how to best use modern marketing tools. Keep in mind that each project is unique, and the detailed list of stages might vary depending on the app specifics, the target audience, and the overall market situation. However, the basic elements of planning might be common to all.

How To Plan An App: Where to Start?

The first thing you should start with when planning a mobile app is defining the purpose of your product. To do it, try to answer the question of how exactly your app will help customers and what main task it should perform. It is believed that the “goal” should be short and fit into one brief sentence.

Take Candy Crush’s example, whose developers have set themselves the task of “entertaining” their users. While it is a fairly general idea, keeping this concept in mind will help you stay on track for the whole project.

Determine the Specifics of Your App

Now that you know the product’s main goal, you can move on to the next step of your business plan for the mobile app concept, which is thinking about the technical details and choosing a platform.

Identify key technical aspects

App features, functionality, design, and other details are essential parts of the tech specifications that the development team will adhere to.

Usually, this item of the app development plan includes writing user stories (description of user behavior), a customer journey map, a detailed description of the app’s technical capabilities, a list of requirements for the interface, performance, security, notifications, and so on. That is, you should establish what your app will be, which user problems it will solve, and how exactly it will do it.

Choose the best platform for ASO strategy development

Developing a native or universal app has its pros and cons. You have to understand which mobile platform will reveal your app’s full potential. We are not talking about app stores’ specific pros and cons but rather about their capabilities and user group features.

When choosing a marketplace, you should familiarize yourself with the App Store fee, as well as their guidelines and requirements.

Android

Android is a more open platform than iOS. Unfortunately, sometimes more freedom leads to some security issues. To meet this app store’s requirements, check out our article “How to Publish an App on Google Play.”

Devices based on this operating system make up the majority (over 80%) of the mobile gadget market, giving you access to a wide Android target audience. At the same time, a huge range of Android devices, versions, and models somewhat complicates the ASO strategy development process.

Market research & competitor analysis

A detailed study of the target market, the local consumers’ needs, and the competitive environment are essential steps in making an app. Since you build a product for users, you need to understand how it can improve their lives. Find out what your target group is interested in, people’s needs, communication channels they prefer to use, and so on.

You’ll be competing with other publishers and developers for customer attention, so find out what apps they offer, their strengths and weaknesses, how they describe themselves, and more. Approach mobile apps market analysis with the utmost care. With this information, you can evaluate your product’s potential and understand which parts require more careful preparation.

Estimate the Cost of Developing Application

When planning an application, it is worth remembering that any work costs money. You need to understand right away how much budget you are ready to allocate for the tasks. Many factors affect the final App Store cost of a product. Among them are the following:

• Operating system. The number of Apple devices is limited, which simplifies the development of apps for them. The Android OS is used by many manufacturers, making it tricky to create a uniformly good mobile app user experience.
• Functionality. The more features and tools, the more pricey the app. Integrations with third-party services, GPS functions, contactless payment, chatbot, and more make a project plan for app development more expensive. Building an MVP with minimal features will help you figure out what’s really important.
• Force majeure. It is something that is difficult to foresee, but it is the reason to have an emergency fund. Any delays and complications due to inexperienced devs, sudden changes in terms of reference, outdated development tools, etc., can increase costs.

At the planning stage, you need to analyze your idea for future expenses. Based on an accurate estimate, you will be able to create a realistic budget.

Plan to Promote Your Mobile App

How to plan an app development to be effective? We recommend developing a description of your promotion activities. It is essential that you take into account the mobile app target audience characteristics and, depending on the market, use suitable advertising tools.

The better you assess the situation, the more potential users you can reach. A good promotion plan positively affects brand awareness and boosts your income.

Brand strategy

The branding strategy is just one of many steps in developing an app. However, when building it, it is worth remembering that product advertising does not end with its launch. That is, you have to continue to work on promoting the project, make efforts to expand the client base, and possibly, enter new markets.

Your brand strategy should be designed for the long term. Think about how to communicate with customers about the app’s intangible qualities and your mission or position in the world. That is, form the “identity” of your brand. It will help you connect with users on an emotional level and maintain it throughout the life cycle.

ASO strategy

If the previous point is about managing the target group, App Store Optimization is about managing app stores’ algorithms. It is carried out through the competent creation of metadata, that is, the elements of your app page, taking into account complex application analytics.

You need to build text listings and graphic assets that can increase the app’s visibility and discoverability, boosting your rankings and making the page attractive to users. Relevant keywords should be added to those text listings with the most weight, and the icon, screenshots, and video should be made catchy and unique.

For the best results, be sure to do split testing. You need to take into account not only the target audience’s characteristics but also the digital stores’ requirements.

Content creation

You might keep asking yourself, “What do I need to make an app popular?” For that, you need engaging content for sure. You have analyzed the target audience, which means you know their needs.

Create videos and post them on streaming services if your users like this format. Write or commission articles about what a great app you’ve made. Generate professional press kits that can be posted on forums and blogs. Indeed, your potential users have favorite influencers and creators with whom you can arrange a fantastic collaboration.

The purpose of such materials is to expand your presence on the Internet and, accordingly, increase brand awareness. It stirs up the interest of customers, and they come to your app page already engaged with your product.

Communication channels

The choice of communication channels that are most in demand in the target group is another step toward understanding how to start building an app. Find out which messengers, social networks, and services people use most often and create accounts in each of them.

This point is partially related to the previous one because modern platforms allow both creating new content and communicating directly with consumers. The choice of specific tools depends not only on the audience but also on the features of your product.

TikTok and Instagram are more commonly used for entertainment content, but if you tend to stick to more business/formal communication, opt for Facebook, WhatsApp Business, and emails. You should not be limited to a single channel; it is essential to offer several options so that users choose the one that is most convenient for them.

Perfect App Development Plan for Your Success

You probably understand that without clear planning, any business runs the risk of becoming unprofitable. Building mobile apps needs it no less, especially since many different factors need to be taken into account. Here is how to plan an application development in basic steps:

1. Define your product’s purpose as briefly as possible.
2. Pay attention to the technical side: choose the platform, describe technical features, and plan the design.
3. Conduct a deep market analysis to understand competitors and target audiences.
4. Form a budget, considering possible emergencies and unforeseen situations.
5. Think over an advertising strategy: form a brand identity, select communication channels, and content placement, and build an ASO plan for promotion in app stores.

All this will help you create an app that will benefit your users. In an ever-increasing competition, avoid creating meaningless products that don’t solve people’s problems. Also, there is no need to try to cram many tools from different areas into one app. It is better to offer customers a few really worthwhile features at the start. Knowing the market and the target group’s wishes, as well as mastering mobile game marketing strategy and ASO technologies, is the way to success.