Game Apps You Can Make Money On
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- Game Apps You Can Make Money On Spotify
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- Game Apps You Can Make Money On Twitch
- Game Apps You Can Make Money On Money
For example, if you’re using Uber to make money, you’ll need to go through an approval process that can take 5-7 days. They’ll verify your license, car details, and run a background check. Other apps allow you to start making money within seconds of signing up without any lengthy process.
- Now you’ll see the offerwall which leads to download the apps and games to earn money. Some great new apps that we think you'll love. Download and try out the apps, and we'll reward you with free cash/money. It's that simple! And if you like Incentive App: Download App & Earn Money, you can.
- ◉ PlaySpot allows you to earn cash for playing games ◉ Do what you do anyways, but make money at the same time! ◉ With PlaySpot you can make money playing games and watching videos.
- The amount of money you can make depends upon the type of game and the item you are farming. However, time required to farm gold can be too much. To give you an idea for earning $1, you have to farm around 1000 gold. For $100 you need to farm around 300,000 gold. Similarly, you can actively play games and buy & sell items making around $5 – $20.
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- Swagbucks: Make money watching videos, taking surveys, shopping online and more. Join Swagbucks Now & Get a $5 Bonus
- Mistplay: Earn free cash by playing games online with friends from your mobile phone. Join Mistplay Now For a 50 Unit Bonus
- MobileXpression: Earn free money (passive income) just by leaving an app installed on your phone. Join MobileXpression Now & Get a Free Gift Card in One Week
There are plenty of ways to make money right from your phone, especially with apps that pay to play games.
While it may sound like a scam, we assure you that these apps will legitimately pay you money to play games, take surveys, and interact with the app.
You’re not going to make enough to quit your day job, but you can easily make enough for some extra spending money or to put aside into your savings.
These apps pay anywhere from a few pennies to a few dollars for your efforts.
With so many apps out there offering cash for your time, we decided to go through and find the top apps that pay you to play games.
Table of Contents
- 10 Best Apps That Pay To Play Games For Free
10 Best Apps That Pay To Play Games For Free
With that said, let’s get started.
Here’s our list of the 10 best apps that pay to play games for free from your smartphone.
For each of the apps listed below, we cover how it works, how much you can make and how to maximize your earnings.
1. Swagbucks
- Registration Bonus: $5 – $10 (varies by country)
With over 15 million users, Swagbucks is one of the top apps for getting cash and gift cards.
In fact, the app has already paid out over $500 million in gift cards and prizes, meaning there’s a real opportunity to make money through this app.
The app tracks your activity and awards you “Swagbucks” (hence the name) for all of your activities.
You can use those Swagbucks to cash in on gift cards to top retailers such as Amazon, PayPal, Target, Walmart, Starbucks, and so much more.
There are some very simple ways to earn your Swagbucks right from your phone, including:
- Watching videos
- Playing games
- Taking surveys
- Shopping online
- Researching online shopping deals
- Searching the web
This app rewards you for things you’re already doing on your phone, so it’s a great app to take advantage of.
Why not get rewarded for the things you’re already doing on your phone? After you’ve earned enough points, you can cash out and redeem gift cards valued anywhere from $5 – $25.
We did notice that the app can quickly become complicated and overwhelming – there are tons of categories and ways to earn money through your phone.
With so many options, it can be tough to find which activities and categories work for you.
Once you do find what works, we recommend sticking with one or two activities to make the earning process easier.
2. MistPlay
- Registration Bonus: 50 units
Mistplay launched in 2017 and is already one of the best apps that pay you to play games.
The goal of MistPlay is to become the number one loyalty program for mobile gamers. In short, you get to discover new games and earn rewards at the same time.
MistPlay rewards user in the form of units. The longer you play, the more units you receive which can be exchanged for free rewards such as free Steam credit or Visa gift cards among other options.
At the time of this writing, MistPlay has successfully give away $9,519,189 to its users and is quickly growing.
You can earn even more by entering their weekly contests in which prize drawings are conducted.
Join using our link and receive a 50 unit bonus just for registering as a new user.
For me personally, I enjoy using MistPlay because it allows me to play with friends and meet new ones at the same time. This makes the gaming experience that much more enjoyable.
As of now this app is currently only available to Android devices.
3. Rewardia
- Registration Bonus: 100 points
Rewardia is an online platform that plays you to play a wide variety of games.
This includes solving puzzles, watching videos, playing games, voting on polls, answering trivia, taking surveys and more.
You even get a 100 point bonus for registering as a new user.
We’ve found that we frequently are screened out of any survey offers, but the games tend to be quite fun and somewhat addictive to earn some extra cash.
They even have a nice referral program. For every friend you refer, you get 10% of their earnings for life without taking away anything at all from their earnings.
You need a minimum of $5 before you are able to cash out for a gift card of your choice or a withdrawal to your bank account.
4. InboxDollars
- Registration Bonus: $5
If you’re more interested in earning cash than rewards points, Inbox Dollars is an excellent option.
This app pays cash for doing the things you already do on your phone and has paid out over $30 million since 2006.
You’ll find a vast selection of games to play in order to earn cash, including both free and paid games.
You only need to spend a few minutes every day for the savings to add up – average earnings per activity range from $0.25 – $5.00, so it’s easy to accumulate a significant amount of savings very quickly.
This app is unique because you can redeem your earnings for actual cash instead of gift cards and physical prizes.
That means you can pull out your earnings from the app and put it right into your savings or investment accounts. Accessing the app every day can lead to some significant earnings.
Other simple ways to earn on Inbox Dollars include taking surveys, shopping online, and performing web searches – all activities that you might already do on a daily basis.
5. MyPoints
- Registration Bonus: $10 when you earn your first $20
MyPoints is one of the longest-standing small task sites out there. Get paid to play games, shop online, watch videos, complete surveys and more.
The best part? You get a $10 bonus when you earn your first $20 in prizes. Payment methods include a gift card or a direct PayPal deposit. You need a minimum of $25 to cash out.
MyPoints also has one of the best referral programs out there. Each time you refer a friend that signs-up using your link, you earn 10% of their earnings for life without taking away from their earnings.
This app is available for both iOS and Android devices. You can claim gift cards from over 75 different retailers.
6. Coin Pop App
- Registration Bonus: 4444 coins
Out of all of the apps on this list, the Coin Pop app is probably the one that most resembles actually playing games.
You can play scenarios such as building a city of your dreams, fixing up a home and more.
The only downside is that these games become quite addicting and you won’t want to stop. Each day there will typically 1-3 different games you can play.
The best part?
You automatically get a 4,444 coin sign-up bonus just for registering as a new user.
Refer friends and increase your earnings.
For each friend that you refer that joins Coin Pop, you get 250 coins plus an additional 25% of all of the coins that they earn for a lifetime.
Don’t worry, you don’t take away from their earnings at all.
You can cash out to PayPal once you reach a minimum of 4,999 coins – by just signing-up you’re almost there.
7. PointClub
- Registration Bonus: $5
PointClub is particularly known for one of the best survey sites around, but they also give you cash for playing free games. Most of these games are short.
The best part about PointClub is that you get a $5 bonus just for registering as a new user. As soon as you hit $25 in your account, you can cash it out for a gift card or PayPal payment.
PointClub also increases your earnings by 10% progressively each time you log-in daily. Log-in for 10 days straight and you will receive 100% on your earnings (the maximum). However, forget a day and it resets to zero.
8. Toluna Opinions
- Registration Bonus: $1
Similar to PointClub, Toluna Opinions is also primarily known as a survey site. However, they do have the opportunity for you to earn cash by playing games.
Each time you complete a survey you earn automatically $1 in cash, no matter what the survey. On top of that, you get a $1 bonus just for registering as a new user.
Toluna has short and fun games for you to complete as well. Once you reach the minimum amount you can choose to either cash out for a gift card or via PayPal.
9. Swag IQ (Now Swagbucks Live)
- Registration Bonus: $5 (part of Swagbucks)
Swag IQ is a fun and addicting live trivia show right on your phone. While it’s not as widely played as HQ, it’s definitely just as fun.
You play through a minimum of ten trivia questions on a wide variety of topics, with only ten seconds per question to answer.
The best part about this trivia game is that each question is harder than the last.
Swag IQ airs every weekday, so you have tons of chances to win. Prizes start at $500 a game but are often much higher.
You can easily challenge your friends and family and play together to see who reigns supreme in Swag IQ trivia!
This trivia game is unique because it pays out prizes in digital coins – while you can certainly convert those coins to cash, there are tons of unique prizes that you can purchase by redeeming your in-game coins.
10. Bananatic
- Registration Bonus: None
If you really love mobile gaming, Bananatic is a great app for you.
Not only can you win money and prizes for playing games through the app, you’ll also earn by testing and leaving reviews on the games you play.
You’re helping game developers by testing their free games, all while earning cash and prizes.
Bananatic has created a fun community of mobile game lovers – here, you can meet other like-minded players and discuss games, bugs, and game development.
When you complete activities such as downloading and playing games, progressing levels, and writing reviews, you receive in-app currency that can be redeemed for digital content, paid games, and even gift cards.
While some apps allow you to play free games to earn prizes, few offer a community like Bananatic.
It’s great for aspiring developers and those interested in reviewing content in addition to playing the games. With Bananatic, you’ll find a fun, interactive community and a simple way to earn rewards.
11. iRazoo
- Registration Bonus: 1,000 points with promo code UTK8R5
iRazoo is one of the most popular get-paid-to sites out there. Earn free cash for playing games, completing surveys, searching online, completing offers, downloading apps and much more.
This app has so many offers available that it’s very comparable to Swagbucks – the #1 item on our list.
Start your registration off right by using the promo code UTK8R5 upon registration to earn a bonus of 1,000 points. Refer your friends to earn anywhere between 100 – 500 points based on the country that they’re from.
iRazoo is one of the simplest apps/websites out there that plays you to pay games and gives you free cash at a great rate.
12. Play And Win
- Registration Bonus: $.10 cents with promo code jwuerch
Play and Win pays you cash to participate in trivia questions. Each time you decide to participate, you answer a set of 50 questions. At most you can only play one set per hour.
Keep in mind that the faster you answer questions, the more points you will receive. You also only get points for correct answers and no points for incorrect answers.
Receive power ups to increase your earnings even further. Receive bonus points with each achievement.
Play and Win is 100% free to join and gives out a game prize of $10 every hour.
Want to earn even more? Refer a friend with your referral code and earn $.10 cents for free. While it isn’t much, it’s an easy way to earn free cash by quickly posting your code to social media or emailing your friends.
13. FanDuel
- Registration Bonus: $5 when you make your first deposit (also a free version)
Love fantasy sports and sports betting? FanDuel may be the right option for you. While this app does have a paid option, there’s also a way to play 100% free.
If you do decide to participate in the paid version, it offers a great way to earn some extra cash online through watching games and betting on basketball, football and other types of sports.
For new players, they offer special contests that are designed to help you learn how to use FanDuel while you earn cash at the same time.
FanDuel is incredibly simple to participate in and consists of 3 easy steps:
- Choose a contest.
- Make your picks.
- Watch and win.
The best part? You get a $5 bonus when you make your first deposit if you decide to participate in the paid version.
14. HQ
- Registration Bonus: Referral code jwuerch
One of the most popular apps out there, HQ is a fun and exciting live trivia game that allows you to compete for some great cash prizes.
The average prize is $5,000, but some special events set the prize upwards of $25,000 or more.
When you log in to play, you’re up against hundreds of thousands of other players to take the top prize, with most games reaching over 1 million players at a time.
You answer questions on the screen one at a time and have the chance to see how many players remain after each question.
Get every question right and you split the prize with everyone else still left in the game.
In some high-stakes games, there can only be one winner, so you have to answer every question correctly until you’re the only one left in order to win the cash prize.
HQ has taken the world by storm, with millions of downloads between both Android and iOS.
It’s a simple, addicting game that’s very entertaining – the live show has excellent hosts and even some celebrity guests from time to time.
Even if you don’t win, it’s still fun to try. There are typically two games per day, with games on Sundays offering the highest cash payouts.
15. Pogo
- Registration Bonus: None
If you want to earn playing games across multiple consoles, Pogo allows you to do just that.
This incredible app has paid and free games that are available for your phone, PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and more.
You’ll find games for every style of play – whether you’re interested in poker or arcade games, you’ll find it on Pogo.
Very few apps offer this vast of a selection of games. There are two ways to earn – you can enter to win the daily drawing of $50, and you can also win a $500 jackpot just for playing games.
The app offers a free and paid version. The free version gives you access to a ton of games that you can play to earn points and enter drawings.
With the paid version at $6.99 per month, you can enter tournaments to compete for additional points, and remove ads from the app. You’ll also get access to an additional 40 games.
While we don’t recommend paying monthly just for the chance to win more money, if you’re into gaming and want some additional games to play, it’s not a bad deal.
The tournament option adds some fun and excitement and you’ll have access to exclusive games that free users don’t have access to.
16. PCHGames
- Registration Bonus: None
You’ve heard of Publisher’s Clearing House, but did you know that they have an app that pays you to play games?
You have the chance to win real cash prizes by playing games such as slots, mahjong, and solitaire.
By playing any one of the fun and exciting games found in the PCHGames app, you’ll earn tokens that you can use to enter prize drawings.
Prizes range from $1 to $1 million, so it’s a great way to win some serious cash if you’re lucky. You can also connect the PCHGames app to your PCHrewards program.
When you register as a PCHGames player, you’ll get four times the amount of tokens that you can use in the PCHrewards exchange.
Aside from cash prizes, you can redeem your points for fun giveaways such as gift cards and merchandise.
Linking your game account to your Publisher’s Clearing House a great way to increase your chances of winning a substantial cash prize.
17. Lucky Day
- Registration Bonus: None
Lucky Day brings the casino right to your phone. You’ll get to play fun casino games including slots, raffles, and scratch-offs to try and win real cash prizes.
There’s a chance to win $100,000 every day just by playing one of the hundreds of fun, free games that Lucky Day has to offer.
If you don’t win money, you’ll still earn points that you can use to enter sweepstakes, raffles, and daily lottery pulls. You can also earn gift cards to places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart.
The best part about this app is that you can play for free every day. You’ll get free scratch cards and lottery entries every day, with new entries and scratch-offs refreshing overnight.
Lucky Day is a simple and fun way to pass the time and potentially win some money or prizes.
18. Big Time Cash
- Registration Bonus: 2,500 tickets and $.10 cents with promo X72ZW
Unlike some apps that allow you to earn by playing games, taking surveys, and watching videos, Big Time Cash focuses solely on games.
With over 600 fun games to choose from, you’ll be able to play for hours and redeem your rewards for some great prizes.
After playing a game you’ll receive tickets – these tickets are used to enter drawings for cash. The more tickets you put in the drawing, the higher the chance you have to win.
The best part about this app is that there are no in-app purchases needed and it isn’t a pay-to-win system. The games are completely free to play and you don’t have to pay anything to enter the drawings.
Big Time Cash uses part of its advertising revenue to fund the drawings, so the more people that join and play, the bigger the cash payouts.
If you love playing games on your phone, this is a great app for you – there are tons of games to choose from and you can get paid doing what you already do.
The interface is simple to use and the rewards system is very straightforward.
19. Lucktastic
- Registration Bonus: None
If you like playing the lottery, you’ll love Lucktastic. This simple and fun game allows you to scratch off an assortment of digital lottery tickets with the chance of winning cash.
Some prizes are as much as $10,000. This free app is a great way to pass the time and potentially win some money.
Lucktastic has a fun rewards system that you can use to redeem for gift cards and other prizes. After selecting your ticket, you simply need to watch a 30-second advertisement.
Then you’ll have the chance to scratch off your ticket – each ticket includes a bonus scratch off, where you’re guaranteed to win either points or cash.
Most cash payouts are under $0.25, but hit enough cash payouts and that can add up quickly.
Other bonus prizes are points that you can use to redeem for prizes in the prize store. You can redeem points for physical prizes or exchange them for gift cards to countless popular retailers.
Scratching off tickets takes just a few minutes out of your day, and every ticket is a guaranteed win, so what do you have to lose?
20. SendEarnings
- Registration Bonus: $5
SendEarnings works exactly like InboxDollars – the tasks are about exactly the same and even the layout is extremely similar.
Get paid to read emails, play games, take surveys, participate in polls, refer friends and more. The best part? You get a $5 bonus just for registering as a new user.
Keep in mind you do need a minimum of $25 in your account to cash out for a gift card or a PayPal deposit. However, it usually doesn’t take that long to reach this long. Expect about a week to receive your prize.
When you refer a friend, you earn 10% of all of their earnings for life without taking away from their earnings.
21. Long Game
- Registration Bonus: 500 coins when you link your account
Long Game is an app that rewards you for making the right financial decisions – it also rewards you for playing fun and addicting mini-games right in the app.
By linking up your savings account to the app, you get in-game rewards whenever you add money to your savings account.
You can use these rewards to play fun games and have the chance to win real money, up to $1 million.
The app is great for anyone looking to save up for a large purchase, trip, or a rainy day fun. You’re rewarded for sticking to your savings plan and can win money to help you on your savings journey.
You get bonus coins just for signing up and can automatically win coins by setting up AutoSave, which automatically moves money into your savings account.
You’ll also learn great financial tips and tricks from leading financial experts.
From savings accounts and retirement accounts to mortgages and loans, there’s a wealth of information in the app that you can access while playing fun and interactive games.
22. VeryDice
- Registration Bonus: 30 rolls when you use promo code 1228038 to sign-up
VeryDice is both simple and addicting.
In this simple game, you click the screen to roll a pair of dice.
From there, you earn a certain amount of points depending on the total that you roll.
However, that’s not all.
You can choose to use a ‘multiplier’ to earn points quicker as well as earn extra points for rolling doubles.
I guarantee that it will be difficult to put this game down once you get started.
Points can be exchanged for actual prizes (that all can be found on the Amazon website) or for a gift card of your choice.
Something for Everyone
These are just a few of the countless apps out there that you can use to play games and win real money and prizes.
However, it’s important to know that not all apps claiming to offer prizes are legitimate or even worth your time. The apps on this list all offer great prizes and a lot of fun.
Even if you don’t win any money, these apps are worth downloading just for the games and entertainment.
From scratch-offs to arcade games and everything in between, you can easily turn your gaming into cash, prizes, and gift cards.
Just a few minutes each day will let you build up your winnings and potentially win a large cash prize.
Be wary of any apps that require you to pay for the chance of winning money – you shouldn’t have to pay for the chance to win, and it’s a sign that it may be a scam.
With so many free alternatives out there offering excellent prizes, you don’t need to pay.
Living a frugal lifestyle doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice on fun – as you can see, there are plenty of ways to have fun playing games on your phone while also making some money.
For more great ideas on making money through apps, check out our other blog posts in the Apps & Websites section!
Do you have an idea for a free mobile application but you doubt whether it's worth investing? How do free apps make money?
Your doubts are quite clear: the development of a top-notch mobile app requires a lot of time (typically, several months) and, more importantly, money. Before kicking off the development process, you should clearly understand how you’ll recoup your investments and how to make money with apps in 2020.
We’ve decided to help you get your idea off the ground and show how exactly you can make money on free apps.
Free Apps Grossing Big Bucks
According to Sensotower, the App Store and Google Play users spent a total of $39.7 billion on mobile apps and games during the first half of 2019. This is a huge market you don’t want to miss out on
If you think that it’s the paid apps that bring the lion’s share of this huge revenue, you’re wrong. In fact, if you check the list of the top grossing mobile applications (including games) in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, you’ll notice they’re all free.
The vast majority of users on all continents prefer free mobile applications. In fact, the number of free app downloads is constantly rising. Statistics provided by Sensotower show that in the first half of 2019, free mobile apps downloads in Google Play increased by 16,4 percent and made up $41,9 billion. Whilst the App Store lost 1,4 percent in downloads. However, the overall tendency remains positive.
Developing a free mobile app is definitely the right business strategy.
Before shedding light on how to make money with apps, we’d like to draw your attention to another matter: correct app presentation. Remember that users must be able to quickly find your app and understand what it’s designed for.
Incite User Interest Through Accurate App Packaging
As of the second quarter of 2019, there were 2.46 million apps (of all types) in the Google Play Store and 1.96 million in the Apple App Store. The competition is really strong!
How many users will find your free mobile app? How many of them will download it? No matter how good your app is and what monetization methods you use, you may still fail to attract customers without a clear app packaging.
Potential users of your app should be able to quickly find it through search in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. To make your mobile app visible and easy to find, you should provide it with an attention-grabbing name, an informative description, and screenshots
Want to get the first ranks on mobile app stores? Check these effective pre-launch marketing strategies.
Here are tips that will help you create a top-class app description:
Choose a Clear and Catchy App Name
Your mobile app should have a snappy name that reflects its major functions. Though many applications have names that convey nothing about their functionality, your app is likely to attract a lot more users if it has a name that hints at what it does. It’s particularly useful to include keywords in the app name.
For example, let’s look at LINE, one of the most popular non-gaming Android apps on the Google Play Store. As you can see, the full title contains an explanation of what this app does (i.e. it offers free calls and messages):
Here’s another example: Hulu for iOS. The full name of this app is “Hulu: Watch TV Shows & Stream the Latest Movies.” With this title, any user can easily see what Hulu is for, namely for watching TV shows and movies:
In general, the name of your app shouldn’t be too long – 100 characters at most. Think carefully about the name, as it’s the first thing people see and pay attention to when they’re considering whether your application is worth downloading.
Come up With an Informative App Description
The next step is to provide your app with a meaningful and informative description.
The first several sentences (up to the “Read More” or “More” buttons) of an app description should give general information and illustrate the app’s main idea. This part mustn’t be long – up to 225 characters. Few people read further, so make sure to tailor this part of the app description to perfection.
Let’s have a look at a great example of a brief yet informative description for Scrummer, a handy planning poker app for Scrum development teams that’s available in the Apple App Store:
Learn more about Scrummer’s endearing features and its lively interface.
In the main body of the description, you should mention what problems your mobile app helps to solve as well as go over its most important functions. Take a look at the description of Google Drive (in the Google Play Store). As you can see, it effectively explains to users what they can do with the help of Google Drive:
Make Eye-Catching App Screenshots
An app’s name and description are important, but users want to know how your app will look on their mobile devices. That’s why you should include several screenshots – and make sure you pick the best.
We recommend that you add some text to your screenshots, describing some functions of your application. Take a look at a screenshot for the LINE app on Google Play:
As you can see, this screenshot shows that the app can work on smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches.
Here are screenshots for the Uber app for iOS:
Note that Uber uses verbs in their screenshot descriptions, which is the correct approach. Verbs are the parts of speech used to describe actions.
People are more likely to act (i.e. to download your free mobile app) if they see verbs.
How to make money with free apps?
Now that you know how to package a five-star app, we can move on to explaining the strategies you can leverage to make money on free apps.
Game Apps You Can Make Money On Spotify
Strategy #1: In-App Purchases
In-app purchases is an extremely popular strategy used by thousands of apps in both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. In-app purchases allow users to buy something right in the app.
There are three major types of in-app purchases:
- Consumable. Consumables are products that a user can use only once: for example, virtual money or health points. Such in-app purchases are usually used in mobile games.
- Non-consumable. Non-consumables are features that users buy for permanent use: for example, additional functions or ad blocking (this is how free apps make money without ads).
- Subscriptions. Your mobile application may offer subscriptions that unlock some content or functions for a certain period of time. Subscriptions can be either non-renewing or automatically renewing.
Are you considering to implement in-app purchases in your app? We have a great guide on how to build a mobile payment app like Starbucks.
Strategy #2: In-App Ads
Ads are a driving force of the global market. They’re literally everywhere, and mobile apps aren’t an exception. In-app ads are actually tools of affiliate marketing. With in-app ads, you advertise your affiliates’ products (apps, games, etc.) inside your app and get paid if your users interact with those ads.
There are several types of campaigns used in affiliate marketing, so let’s mention the most popular:
- Cost per click (CPC). This model means that you get paid for each click on ads displayed in your mobile application. Typically, a single click is nearly worthless, so revenue is calculated on a cost per mille basis (mille is Latin for thousand).
- Cost per view (CPV). These campaigns are usually applied to video ads. The more times users of your app watch video ads, the higher payout you get.
- Cost per install (CPI). With this model, you get paid whenever a user of your app installs an advertised application.
If you wish to monetize your application through ads, there are many networks to work with, such as AdMob and Flurry. Most ad networks support apps on iOS and Android, as well as on some other mobile platforms. Also, don’t forget to check what kinds of campaigns they offer, since you need to understand what exactly you’ll be paid for.
There are several ways to display ads in your mobile app:
- Banners. Banner ads usually appear at the top or at the bottom of a screen and have some text and graphics. Banners are considered to be relatively unobtrusive, as users are able to keep using your mobile app even if a banner is active. However, banners have low click-through rates (CTR) and heavily depend on brand recognition (users are far more likely to click if a banner advertises some well-known brand).
- Native. Most people don’t like ads and try to block them completely. How can you reach out to the users of your mobile application, then? Use native ads that don’t really look like ads. Native ads are seamlessly integrated into mobile applications, making them subtle but quite efficient.
- Videos. According to an article by Invesp, the CTR of video ads is 1.84%, so they’re quite effective. Typically, video ads appear automatically when users interact with apps.
- Interstitial. These ads take a whole screen and typically appear when users launch or close an application. However, interstitial ads may also look like pop-ups appearing from time to time.
- Rich media. If you’re wondering what type of in-app ads is the most efficient, here’s the answer: rich media ads that, according to the previously mentioned eMarketer article, show a CTR of 0.44%. Rich media ads use multiple methods to reach out to users, including audio, video, text, and more.
In-app ads allow you to make money off free apps, but this monetization strategy works well only for applications with big audiences. If your app is a startup, don’t expect it to bring big bucks this way.
Strategy #3: Freemium
To benefit from the freemium monetization strategy, you need a second, paid version of your application. If users like a free version, they’re likely to opt for a paid one that has some extra functions.
With a freemium model, users are typically offered to upgrade an app to a paid version, and if they agree, they’re directed to an app store.
For example, have a look at MX Player, a popular video player available on Google Play. This mobile app has a free version, but it contains ads:
Users are offered a paid version of this app, called MX Player Pro. It’s the same in terms of functionality, but comes without advertising:
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This monetization option is quite efficient, but you shouldn’t provide too many functions in your free app; otherwise, few users will shell out for the paid one.
Strategy #4: Sponsorship
Finding a sponsor is a really lucrative monetization model. Usually, it works this way: you create a mobile app that gains quite a lot of users, after which you contact a sponsor company and offer to update the design of your app to match the sponsor’s brand.
There are two types of sponsorship deals: you can either split the revenue with your sponsor or receive a monthly sponsorship fee.
The main difficulty of sponsorship is finding a sponsor. Needless to say, your mobile app should be good enough to be interesting to potential funders.
Strategy #5: Email Marketing
Email marketing has always been and still is a powerful money-making strategy. You can leverage this method and ask the users of your mobile app to provide their emails and, later, send them messages.
Adding a Facebook login option to your free app is a great way to subtly collect user emails. However, give users a chance to cancel email notifications, as this will make your app more credible and people will know they won’t be receiving loads of spam.
Tips for Choosing the Best App Monetization Methods
As you can see, there are many ways you can make money from free apps. You can pick one or opt for several strategies at once. However, there are several handy tips that will help you monetize your free app in the most effective way possible.
Consider the Business Goals of Your Free App
Any application has a business goal, which means it helps its users solve their problems. Therefore, you should select a monetization strategy based on your app’s business purpose.
For example, let’s say you wish to create a cool audio player with lots of sound adjustments. Can in-app purchases be an effective profit generating method? Probably not. Instead, you can opt for ads or offer an ad-free version with a subscription.
Or imagine that you launch an educational app. It can offer in-app purchases, such as access to additional functions or paid tips. Needless to say, such apps can contain ads as well.
Define Your Target Audience
You should clearly realize who you’re creating a mobile app for. Draw a user portrait and decide what functionality users need, how much time they’re likely to spend using your app, and so on. A clear picture of your target users allows you to create an app tailored to their needs.
Though your free app may boast large download numbers, the truth is that only a small part of your users (you may call them the money-spending core) will actually bring you profit by clicking on ads or making in-app purchases. The majority of users won’t spend a cent in your app. You may not like it, but that’s how it is in reality. Therefore, set a goal of attracting as many users as possible and do your best to succeed.
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Research Your Competitors
If you’re thinking of launching a mobile application, you should carry out a competitor analysis. Explore the app stores you’re going to offer your free app in and search for similar apps. Next, find out what your competitors offer, what kind of designs they have and, more importantly, what monetization methods they use.
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This information will help you learn from your competitors’ experiences and see what mistakes they’ve made so you can make your free app better and more helpful to customers. In the end, a better app means higher profits for you as its creator.
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Don't Overuse App Monetization Methods
You shouldn’t make your free app inconvenient for users. If it’s full of ads or in-app purchases, your audience may stop using your app and install a similar one. App creators should always remember that their apps bring profits only as long as people use them.
Your users should feel comfortable when using your app, so be prudent and make all ads and offers in your app as subtle as possible.
Now that you know how free apps make money, you can give your idea a go and turn it into a real-life application.
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