12 ideas for apps that will help you make money

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Have you ever wondered what kind of app should you do next? Which is going to be popular or which one will monetize best? We know this feeling really well; each of us needs inspiration from time to time.

For the sake of developers allies, we have prepared a list of the 10 greatest inspirations for apps. All of them are apps that will constantly be in demand, so this list will be valid for a very long time. The list that we have prepared contains both business apps and those for monetization.

Note that all of these apps you can easily create with our templates, but you can also start from scratches.

If you have a hard time starting an app, read our post about prototyping – the secret weapon of all developers.

1. Small businesses

They are the biggest and the best target for app developers. Until now, most of them, as opposed to large or even medium-sized players, couldn’t afford a personalized app. Now, however, thanks to the reduction of technological barriers for app developers, their prices have dropped significantly. Thus, we have a huge audience, who can afford an application, and in the near future they will have to adapt to the ever-increasing demands of mobile customers.

Some of the small businesses you may want to check out in your neighborhood or city center:

  • Coffee shops and restaurants
  • Bars and clubs
  • Gyms
  • Hairdresser
  • Specialized stores
  • Car dealers
  • Hotels
  • School, kindergarten, sport club
  • Yoga, dance or art studio

2. Religious organizations

Churches and religious organizations always have problems with adjusting to social and technological change. Now, however, many of them are slowly opening themselves up to the mobile world, as a way to get closer to the faithful, and as a way to encourage the youngest. With applications, they can share all kinds of information about upcoming events, and remind you of appointments and fundraising. Basically, just as small businesses.

You will probably make the app for free, but just think about it from a business perspective as a great advertising opportunity. Just imagine how many people will ask who made this app, and will listen to the recommendation from their preacher. As a result, it will be an easy way to convince new customers to consider your services, especially older entrepreneurs who previously might have been skeptical about modern technology.

3. Something for free

People love free things, that’s for sure, especially if they are not free typically. Who wouldn’t want another month of free subscription, or the chance to unlock features without paying? That is why a lot of people look for tips, hints, and even apps that allow these kinds of things. But this does not necessarily mean they are illegal apps. Very often different kinds of promotions, deals or affiliate programs are just not very popular, and demonstrating the value of the product to a number of people can be very rewarding.

Those apps monetize on ads, and they do it insanely well. It seems that if things work out well, people click on ads just to show gratitude.

4. Reducing boundaries

This is similar to previous types of apps, but this time the problem lies not in price, but in technical limitations.

The thing is, even the biggest companies can’t fix all technical bugs. Make sure that you are keeping an eye on forums and users reviews to quickly offer a solution. And again, sometimes it is just a matter of changing the settings or downloading some simple software to solve issues.

It is like building a bridge above limitations.

5. Guides

Guides are one of the best earning apps across all Mobincube users. And it is easy to explain why, smartphones are just super convenient for guides. It is easy to browse, and you always have it with you.

Guides are also an ocean of opportunities, just like business apps. You can make guides for cities, food, museums or some specific issue such as pregnancy or computer programs.

Guides for cities and museums have one more advantage. If your guide is good, reliable and becomes popular, maybe city council or a museum will buy it from you to make it an official guide. In another scenario, they might just recommend it, place it on their website, which will definitely  boost downloads and advertising income. Of course, just like small businesses, you should look for smaller cities and museums, as big and popular ones usually already have their own. Old business rules say, always look for a niche.

6. Game guides

One special kind of guides is game guides. It’s such a big and different market that we decided to separate it.

Guides can help solve riddles, beat levels, offer advice on choosing appropriate strategies and tips on avoiding common mistakes. In the case of historical games, or those embedded in a certain world, a guide can broaden the user’s knowledge, offer trivia or refer to sources. Guides shouldn’t, however, offers cheats or free lives, but just focus on honest and helpful tips. Also, beware not to violate copyrights and third party trademarks.

A good way to create a lucrative guide is to search for trending games and make guides in advance. By the time that game becomes popular, your guide should have already paid off.

7. Sport apps

The popularity of sports and a healthy lifestyle in recent years has caused greater interest in products supporting training, including mobile apps.

Most popular websites are running apps, but there are much more coming. We expect growing interest in workout routines, exercise sets and explanations, diets and fitness apps and stretching exercises.

8. Festivals

Can you imagine a festival without an app? I can’t, it’s almost obligatory those days. But some of them are just horrible, and very hard to use. But that is ok, as long as you make it your business opportunity. If you make a better app, soon you will notice user growth, as people are likely to recommend this kind of app to fellow festival goers.

However, remember that it is a short-term business. Just after the festival is finished, your downloads will drop almost instantly. On the other hand, people always look for the same kind of information when they attend festivals. The smart move might be to create a flexible template (or choose one from existing ones) and simply customize them for upcoming events.

9. Study aids

Although it might look like help to cheat on exams, a study aid is far from that. The point of those apps it to systematize your knowledge and help you repeat that information right before exams. An app is, no doubt, easier to use than a traditional study aid (e.g., during a bus ride it would be easier than a notebook or a bunch of papers).

It is also not hard to do. Just think about it, you are systematizing that material anyway, and most materials are electronic those days, so why don’t you make an app? There is probably another hundred, or maybe even more, students in your own year that might benefit from that kind of information.

Material guidelines, especially at universities, don’t change too often, so once you make this app, it will monetize for a couple of years. As you probably remember, good news spreads quickly on any university campus, and app like that is sure to be one of them, so you can expect many downloads every year. Just post it to some forums or Facebook groups.

10. Daily Inspirations

Who of us doesn’t feel bad, sleepy or resigned from time to time, especially on those grumpy days? But sometimes, things as small as an inspiring quote can be a mood changer. That is why, many people search for daily inspiration apps. But not only quotes counts. Beautiful pictures, inspiring stories, adorable animals, funny videos or jokes are also in demand.

From a business perspective, those apps monetize well because people come back every day. You can also use push notifications to inform them of new content. If you wish, you can also prepare content for a couple of weeks, and put it on autopilot.

11. Ideas on demand

It happens to me every time when I’m going to a cosplay party or inviting friends for dinner. I just have no idea what to do. And there are more situations like that. Romantic evenings with your soulmate, birthday gifts, weekends outdoor, quick breakfast or take to job lunch. People always look for these types of things. If you make an app that helps them once, they will come back for more.

This one is a bit different and may be for more advanced developers, but somehow trending topics will always be in demand. The point is that there will always be a trending topic that people are talking about, usually about celebrities. If some celebrity changes her hair dramatically, you can make an app with a history of her hair, if some have a weird photo session, you can make an app with all those photos. People are generally lazy, they want to know, but don’t want to spend too much time looking for it. If you can give them everything, or at least a lot, on the plate, they will take it with gratitude.

Conclusion

If you want to monetize apps, take some time to research your daily routine. Search forums, blogs, and comments. People love to complain about things and tell others how stuff should work, the good part is that they usually don’t do anything with that information.

You can get ideas easily. You just have to have your eyes and ears open. For the very beginning, make a copy of apps that already earn a lot. By copying masters, you will also learn a lot and may see some business opportunities.

Also, check out our blog post abut design to get more inspiration.

What are your best ideas to make an app?