6 ms·

(Android) Developer Income Report #6

87 points by kreci 16y ago

kreci 16y ago
As usual comments are welcome and very desired!
- othello 16y ago
  How many ad impressions does the $1,700 Android revenue correspond to? Thank you again for posting these numbers every month.
  - dpcan 16y ago
    I would REALLY like to know this too. I have a game getting 1.6 Million impressions every 6-8 hours and I only want to put ads on the game if it makes financial sense.
    - illumen 16y ago
      $400 - $1600 - $3200 per 6-8 hours? No one can say without knowing about the specific app, the advert implementation, and the amount of users you loose because of the implementation. I'd guess something around that much though.
- asmosoinio 16y ago
  Thanks for an interesting read. I'd like to repeat the question from "tani" on your blog: "Which ads network do you use, and could you share some experience about getting good earning from free apps with ads."
  - kreci 16y ago
    I will consider making a separate post about it. Thanks for the suggestion.
prs 16y ago
I enjoy reading about your struggles and experiences in earning a online income. Is it safe to assume that those earnings are for December 2010? If yes, I would have assumed that earnings for Android software would have increased quite a lot more as this month is typically the strongest for many developers - See http://taptaptap.com/blog/million-million/ http://taptaptap.com/blog/million-million/ for a good example. As for iPhone programming, feel free to check out http://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/developing-apps-for-ios-hd/id395605774 http://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/developing-apps-for-ios-... if you haven't already - There is plenty of material available from Stanford for free that will allow you to create your first iOS applications easily.
- kreci 16y ago
  Yes - that is for December 2010. I know the link - but still considering cost of starting developing for iPhone (hardware) and time to learn new language vs outsourcing opportunity...
bane 16y ago
I haven't really been following Android dev income trends (other than Angry Birds' incredible ad revenue), anybody care to comment on the general state of Android revenue as compared to a year ago? (I suspect it's greatly increased, but even with similar numbers of phones out, I also suspect iOS devs pull in more money).
- ergo98 16y ago
  I suspect it's greatly increased, but even with similar numbers of phones out, I also suspect iOS devs pull in more money The majority of iOS devs make little to nothing, documented countless times. Of course when you hear the rare success story it is presented as a norm, which paradoxically leads to a gold rush that really ensures that no one gets rich (and quick!). And the same is entirely true for Android. While the user base has grown dramatically, the number of applications have exploded as well so there's significantly more competition.
  - wallflower 16y ago
    The overwhelming majority of iOS devs make little to nothing, documented countless times Not true. The majority of iOS devs I know make a decent revenue stream that involves making apps for the like of Fortune 500 companies and startups. Since they walk the company through the whole process of becoming a registered Apple iOS developer, you would never know the app was ghost-coded.
    - amackera 16y ago
      Except for a few edge cases this is the best way to make money on the App Store that I'm aware of (contracting to other companies).
    - ergo98 16y ago
      Sorry I should have been clearer. I'm talking about people selling their own products here. Yes, there is lots of money to be made in, essentially, consulting. That is true pretty much universally.
Tichy 16y ago
What is the niche blog?
- kreci 16y ago
  My Mini-ITX blog - http://www.minimotherboard.com http://www.minimotherboard.com
revorad 16y ago
Regarding Amazon affiliate earnings, what are the ToS requirements regarding promoting affiliate links directly? Presumably, every affiliate sale makes Amazon money, but if one were doing a lot of sales, would Amazon accuse you of stealing money from them?
- prs 16y ago
  As long as we are talking about legitimate sales originating from real people, the 24-hour duration of the affiliate cookie puts Amazon into a very favorable position. I cannot see why AMZN should accuse you of stealing money. https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/agreement/ https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/agreement...
  - revorad 16y ago
    I'm thinking of this - http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2049808 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2049808
    - prs 16y ago
      The case you are referring to looks like a "cashback deal". The purchasing party receives something (money,extension of subscription,...) in return for finalizing the transaction through your affiliate link. As far as I know, this kind of deals is not possible through the Amazon Affiliate Program.
danielh 16y ago
Regarding iOS development, keep in mind that even if you outsource, you still need an iPhone to verify the work. Maybe you can borrow a phone from a friend. If you want to develop yourself, you don't need the latest hardware. A used Mac Mini is enough and should cost around 300€.
grantheaslip 16y ago
> Moreover I have hired a talented writer via Freelancer.com to keep my niche blog updated to gain more search engine traffic (he takes $1 per article!). $1 per acticle? I know the articles on the site (http://www.minimotherboard.com/ http://www.minimotherboard.com/, via a comment) are short and not really original content, but assuming he's spending even 10 minutes per post, he could be earning more working the drive-thru at McDonald's. I suppose he's agreed to it, and it's not your fault he's undervaluing his work, but that strikes me as insultingly low. I really feel for the guy if he's been forced into writing for what is essentially table scraps.
- zacharycohn 16y ago
  Often the people articles like this are outsourced to live in places where $1 is a fairly large amount of money (for the amount of time they spent writing the article).
- muhfuhkuh 16y ago
  Just taking the latest artcile on the jetway mini-itx mobo, it's only 200 words. Your comment on the writer (quote not included) is 81. How long did it take you to write? If she can bust out one article in 5 minutes, even with breaks of a few minutes in between to stretch or just clear her head, the writer can do 15 of them in an hour. And that's assuming kreci is her only client. I can see her making over US$100/day quite easily, and depending on where the writer is situated (and it seems that she is not a native English speaker/writer based just from her word usage alone), making between 25-30k year could possibly be no small potatoes. FYI, I just wrote the preceding in 5 minutes and it's 118 words.
  - grantheaslip 16y ago
    Maybe I'm just a slower writer, but 15 articles an hour seems impossibly fast, especially considering that the articles require some degree of research. Do you honestly believe someone could write 100 of those articles every day? Even if it were possible (and I'm not really sold on that), that sounds absolutely soul-crushing. And yes, you (and other commenters) do bring up a good point in that $1 has a lot more value in many parts of the world. And while it still strikes me as a bit exploitative, I fully understand how untenable my complaining about this is considering basically every piece of electronic equipment on my desk was probably made by someone earning the around the same, if not less. The same is probably true of the clothes I'm wearing.
mrlebowski 16y ago
Can you share your experiences -- how you promoted your previous apps?
brianobush 16y ago
One commenter makes a comment that the developer "has no passion", to which kreci responds it is "just business". I have to agree with the commenter, that it is sad the apps are made for the sole purpose of ad impressions and the niche blog content is outsourced (and not very good content on top of that). All of it seems a bit shallow, but that is my opinion. In my own app development, I want my apps to empower people and enrich their lives. If I succeed in that endeavor, I will be rewarded.
kenjackson 16y ago
What is the conversion rate on Android ads? I ask because I have trouble believing that people click on the ads out of intention. I think I clicked on one by mistake before (although, honestly can't remember for sure). I just find it hard to believe that Angry Birds makes $1M in ad revenue per month. I don't get why you'd click an ad when you're about to play a game.
- aaw 16y ago
  I get anywhere from 1%-3% clickthrough, depending on the app, with AdMob. Whether your ads blend in with your app and where you place your ads affects this rate. AdMob recommends that you place your ads at the end of a user action, as in, once they've played a few rounds of a game, present them with their score and an ad. I think that's exactly what Angry Birds does.
  - deleted 16y ago
    [deleted]
csomar 16y ago
Moreover I have hired a talented writer via Freelancer.com to keep my niche blog updated to gain more search engine traffic (he takes $1 per article!). You can't know if the guy is a talent or not, if you are not more talented than him. That being said, and with ridiculously low rate, I highly doubt if he is talented.

87 points by kreci 16y ago

kreci 16y ago

As usual comments are welcome and very desired!

othello 16y ago
How many ad impressions does the $1,700 Android revenue correspond to? Thank you again for posting these numbers every month.
- dpcan 16y ago
  I would REALLY like to know this too. I have a game getting 1.6 Million impressions every 6-8 hours and I only want to put ads on the game if it makes financial sense.
  - illumen 16y ago
    $400 - $1600 - $3200 per 6-8 hours? No one can say without knowing about the specific app, the advert implementation, and the amount of users you loose because of the implementation. I'd guess something around that much though.
asmosoinio 16y ago
Thanks for an interesting read. I'd like to repeat the question from "tani" on your blog: "Which ads network do you use, and could you share some experience about getting good earning from free apps with ads."
- kreci 16y ago
  I will consider making a separate post about it. Thanks for the suggestion.

prs 16y ago

I enjoy reading about your struggles and experiences in earning a online income. Is it safe to assume that those earnings are for December 2010? If yes, I would have assumed that earnings for Android software would have increased quite a lot more as this month is typically the strongest for many developers - See http://taptaptap.com/blog/million-million/ http://taptaptap.com/blog/million-million/ for a good example. As for iPhone programming, feel free to check out http://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/developing-apps-for-ios-hd/id395605774 http://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/developing-apps-for-ios-... if you haven't already - There is plenty of material available from Stanford for free that will allow you to create your first iOS applications easily.

kreci 16y ago
Yes - that is for December 2010. I know the link - but still considering cost of starting developing for iPhone (hardware) and time to learn new language vs outsourcing opportunity...

bane 16y ago

I haven't really been following Android dev income trends (other than Angry Birds' incredible ad revenue), anybody care to comment on the general state of Android revenue as compared to a year ago? (I suspect it's greatly increased, but even with similar numbers of phones out, I also suspect iOS devs pull in more money).

ergo98 16y ago
I suspect it's greatly increased, but even with similar numbers of phones out, I also suspect iOS devs pull in more money The majority of iOS devs make little to nothing, documented countless times. Of course when you hear the rare success story it is presented as a norm, which paradoxically leads to a gold rush that really ensures that no one gets rich (and quick!). And the same is entirely true for Android. While the user base has grown dramatically, the number of applications have exploded as well so there's significantly more competition.
- wallflower 16y ago
  The overwhelming majority of iOS devs make little to nothing, documented countless times Not true. The majority of iOS devs I know make a decent revenue stream that involves making apps for the like of Fortune 500 companies and startups. Since they walk the company through the whole process of becoming a registered Apple iOS developer, you would never know the app was ghost-coded.
  - amackera 16y ago
    Except for a few edge cases this is the best way to make money on the App Store that I'm aware of (contracting to other companies).
  - ergo98 16y ago
    Sorry I should have been clearer. I'm talking about people selling their own products here. Yes, there is lots of money to be made in, essentially, consulting. That is true pretty much universally.

Tichy 16y ago

What is the niche blog?

kreci 16y ago
My Mini-ITX blog - http://www.minimotherboard.com http://www.minimotherboard.com

revorad 16y ago

Regarding Amazon affiliate earnings, what are the ToS requirements regarding promoting affiliate links directly? Presumably, every affiliate sale makes Amazon money, but if one were doing a lot of sales, would Amazon accuse you of stealing money from them?

prs 16y ago
As long as we are talking about legitimate sales originating from real people, the 24-hour duration of the affiliate cookie puts Amazon into a very favorable position. I cannot see why AMZN should accuse you of stealing money. https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/agreement/ https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/agreement...
- revorad 16y ago
  I'm thinking of this - http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2049808 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2049808
  - prs 16y ago
    The case you are referring to looks like a "cashback deal". The purchasing party receives something (money,extension of subscription,...) in return for finalizing the transaction through your affiliate link. As far as I know, this kind of deals is not possible through the Amazon Affiliate Program.

danielh 16y ago

Regarding iOS development, keep in mind that even if you outsource, you still need an iPhone to verify the work. Maybe you can borrow a phone from a friend. If you want to develop yourself, you don't need the latest hardware. A used Mac Mini is enough and should cost around 300€.

grantheaslip 16y ago

> Moreover I have hired a talented writer via Freelancer.com to keep my niche blog updated to gain more search engine traffic (he takes $1 per article!). $1 per acticle? I know the articles on the site (http://www.minimotherboard.com/ http://www.minimotherboard.com/, via a comment) are short and not really original content, but assuming he's spending even 10 minutes per post, he could be earning more working the drive-thru at McDonald's. I suppose he's agreed to it, and it's not your fault he's undervaluing his work, but that strikes me as insultingly low. I really feel for the guy if he's been forced into writing for what is essentially table scraps.

zacharycohn 16y ago
Often the people articles like this are outsourced to live in places where $1 is a fairly large amount of money (for the amount of time they spent writing the article).
muhfuhkuh 16y ago
Just taking the latest artcile on the jetway mini-itx mobo, it's only 200 words. Your comment on the writer (quote not included) is 81. How long did it take you to write? If she can bust out one article in 5 minutes, even with breaks of a few minutes in between to stretch or just clear her head, the writer can do 15 of them in an hour. And that's assuming kreci is her only client. I can see her making over US$100/day quite easily, and depending on where the writer is situated (and it seems that she is not a native English speaker/writer based just from her word usage alone), making between 25-30k year could possibly be no small potatoes. FYI, I just wrote the preceding in 5 minutes and it's 118 words.
- grantheaslip 16y ago
  Maybe I'm just a slower writer, but 15 articles an hour seems impossibly fast, especially considering that the articles require some degree of research. Do you honestly believe someone could write 100 of those articles every day? Even if it were possible (and I'm not really sold on that), that sounds absolutely soul-crushing. And yes, you (and other commenters) do bring up a good point in that $1 has a lot more value in many parts of the world. And while it still strikes me as a bit exploitative, I fully understand how untenable my complaining about this is considering basically every piece of electronic equipment on my desk was probably made by someone earning the around the same, if not less. The same is probably true of the clothes I'm wearing.

mrlebowski 16y ago

Can you share your experiences -- how you promoted your previous apps?

brianobush 16y ago

One commenter makes a comment that the developer "has no passion", to which kreci responds it is "just business". I have to agree with the commenter, that it is sad the apps are made for the sole purpose of ad impressions and the niche blog content is outsourced (and not very good content on top of that). All of it seems a bit shallow, but that is my opinion. In my own app development, I want my apps to empower people and enrich their lives. If I succeed in that endeavor, I will be rewarded.

kenjackson 16y ago

What is the conversion rate on Android ads? I ask because I have trouble believing that people click on the ads out of intention. I think I clicked on one by mistake before (although, honestly can't remember for sure). I just find it hard to believe that Angry Birds makes $1M in ad revenue per month. I don't get why you'd click an ad when you're about to play a game.

aaw 16y ago
I get anywhere from 1%-3% clickthrough, depending on the app, with AdMob. Whether your ads blend in with your app and where you place your ads affects this rate. AdMob recommends that you place your ads at the end of a user action, as in, once they've played a few rounds of a game, present them with their score and an ad. I think that's exactly what Angry Birds does.
- deleted 16y ago
  [deleted]

csomar 16y ago

Moreover I have hired a talented writer via Freelancer.com to keep my niche blog updated to gain more search engine traffic (he takes $1 per article!). You can't know if the guy is a talent or not, if you are not more talented than him. That being said, and with ridiculously low rate, I highly doubt if he is talented.