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I have an android app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.algeo.algeo https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.algeo.alge...). It bring

by vegesm 5y ago

I have an android app (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.algeo.algeo https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.algeo.alge...). It brings in right around $500 a month. It is fun to develop, especially that I can dabble into frontend and UI design which is quite far away from what I'm doing daily. Interestingly, it used to bring in much more but the heydays of apps are over.

binwiederhier 5y ago
This is really cool. Thank you for sharing. It's kind of shocking though that 1 million downloads equals "only" $500 in ad revenue. I would have expected a much higher value. May I ask what the install base is?
- waynesonfire 5y ago
  Right.. only. I'd be happy with 50 bucks. I can scale that. Zero doesnt.
- exikyut 5y ago
  TIL the number represents how many times an app has been (re)downloaded, not how many active users it has! Makes perfect sense really... especially considering it's so easy to assume "downloads" = "users"...
  - binwiederhier 5y ago
    Yeah I didn't know that until I had my own app in the Play store. It is quite surprising even though it says Downloads.
  - jonwinstanley 5y ago
    Does that include updated versions too? So 10 updates would count as 10 downloads for a single user?
- vegesm 5y ago
  As others said, the active number of downloads is way lower (50k). Even then, I'm pretty bad at marketing and have no idea how to grow it or optimize the monetization. It seems from 10 ideas 9 doesn't work and even the 10th brings only modest results.
  - jack_pp 5y ago
    Probably because the user base is by definition pretty small. I never used a graphing calculator and neither see any use for it but those who do use it and know what it is have probably found it already. Seems to me marketing for such a niche product has very fast diminishing returns.
TheJoeMan 5y ago
I also have an app. It’s interesting I read here on HN about how it would be nice for companies to not sell private data to 3rd parties. I don’t collect data, yet it seems most people aren’t willing to pay even a few $ for software. On the other hand, the Ti-89 still selling for >$100.
- eloisius 5y ago
  In my experience, a lot of these paid apps are gold, but discovery is tough. The mainstream, ad supported alternative gets all the eyeballs. Maybe there should be an index of tracking-free software, if there isn’t already.
- iimblack 5y ago
  Calculator is allowed and almost required in school. Phones aren’t.
nabakin 5y ago
Oh that's so cool, I used this app a few years ago! Amazing work!
ARandomerDude 5y ago
I love Algeo! I've been using it for years. Well worth the money. Neat to bump into you on HN!

by vegesm 5y ago

binwiederhier 5y ago

This is really cool. Thank you for sharing. It's kind of shocking though that 1 million downloads equals "only" $500 in ad revenue. I would have expected a much higher value. May I ask what the install base is?

waynesonfire 5y ago
Right.. only. I'd be happy with 50 bucks. I can scale that. Zero doesnt.
exikyut 5y ago
TIL the number represents how many times an app has been (re)downloaded, not how many active users it has! Makes perfect sense really... especially considering it's so easy to assume "downloads" = "users"...
- binwiederhier 5y ago
  Yeah I didn't know that until I had my own app in the Play store. It is quite surprising even though it says Downloads.
- jonwinstanley 5y ago
  Does that include updated versions too? So 10 updates would count as 10 downloads for a single user?
vegesm 5y ago
As others said, the active number of downloads is way lower (50k). Even then, I'm pretty bad at marketing and have no idea how to grow it or optimize the monetization. It seems from 10 ideas 9 doesn't work and even the 10th brings only modest results.
- jack_pp 5y ago
  Probably because the user base is by definition pretty small. I never used a graphing calculator and neither see any use for it but those who do use it and know what it is have probably found it already. Seems to me marketing for such a niche product has very fast diminishing returns.

TheJoeMan 5y ago

I also have an app. It’s interesting I read here on HN about how it would be nice for companies to not sell private data to 3rd parties. I don’t collect data, yet it seems most people aren’t willing to pay even a few $ for software. On the other hand, the Ti-89 still selling for >$100.

eloisius 5y ago
In my experience, a lot of these paid apps are gold, but discovery is tough. The mainstream, ad supported alternative gets all the eyeballs. Maybe there should be an index of tracking-free software, if there isn’t already.
iimblack 5y ago
Calculator is allowed and almost required in school. Phones aren’t.

nabakin 5y ago

Oh that's so cool, I used this app a few years ago! Amazing work!

ARandomerDude 5y ago

I love Algeo! I've been using it for years. Well worth the money. Neat to bump into you on HN!