As of January 2015, the number of apps available in the Google Play Store surpassed the number of Apple’s apps, according to a report by Mashable. Today the situation is similar, with the Play Store offering about 1.6 million apps and the App Store users being offered about 1.5 million apps [source]. These figures only illustrate how popular apps are nowadays. And when there is a need for apps, there is also a growing demand for app developers. So, how can you make some real money as a developer?
Working for others
It goes without saying that the best way to start your career as an app developer is to find a job in a startup. When you are surrounded by people who are at the beginning of their business quest, your knowledge and experience will grow together with the company. Also, all the business risks are taken by others, so that you can focus on your work. Finally, you can also count on a fair salary as a junior app developer; here you can check how much app developers earn.
Trying your luck on app markets
As you keep gaining experience, there will come a moment when you will feel that you can do much more. This is the most natural thing, but do not make any hasty decisions. Play it smart and continue working for your employer, while trying to develop an app of your own – or a few of them – and submit them to one of the app markets. Now you should only wait to see what will happen. If your app gains recognition from smartphone users, it could become a lucrative business tool. For instance, you can draw the inspiration from some great business apps, so as to make sure that your product is both trendy and practical.
Give it or sell it?
What most developers do at the beginning of their app business is offer an app for free on an app market. In this case you make money by selling users’ data to advertisers. As the users keep downloading the app, you keep collecting the information about them. Online advertisers are always happy to buy such data. For instance, this is one of the ways Facebook makes money, too. However, there are different concerns about this business policy; read more about it on CNN.com.
On the other side, you can apply a different money-making tactic to your app business. Instead of selling any data to anyone, you can rely solely on your app and its quality. Therefore, offer a few options for free and charge the further, advanced levels of the app. If the users like the free, teaser offer, they will go for the premium option, as well.
Personalized future
Although smartphone apps will remain among the best-selling software solutions, the future of applications lies in personalized items. For instance, today an average Internet user can make their own mojis, as well as their own apps. Since the face of the Internet is changing so rapidly, app developers should pursue their careers in accordance with those changes. Therefore, think about specializing for such special content features, instead of spending your time doing basic app tasks. Clients with such customized needs will have bigger budgets and it will give you better opportunities to make some real money as an app developer.
Since the potential of this market is huge, app developers should work on their skills and continue their development simultaneously with the market. The more things you try, the more experience you will gain. Finally, your end goals should be working on special projects that will bring you a better salary and more professional challenges.