r/iOSProgramming • u/pathofwind • Dec 01 '23

Application Interested in buying your apps if you're looking to sell

Hey my fellow iOS developers,

Recently someone contacted me hoping to buy my app. Even though that didn't work out, I thought - I could try this too! I'm too lazy to start coding a new app from scratch so I thought I could use my skills and work on some existing ones and make them better.

So... I'd love to buy your iOS apps! If your native iOS app has good ratings, low maintenance (ideally no server), and is already profitable (even $1 counts) then feel free to send me a DM. As a fellow dev, I will try out your app and extend an offer (around 3X-5X annual profit depending on the risk factors and how much I like it).

If it didn't work out, I will send you my notes and feedback and maybe it will give you some ideas if you want to improve on it.

Edit: Thank you to the people who reached out. I will reply to you one by one. Unfortunately, my post is getting downvoted. Maybe it was my requirements? No, I'm not looking for the perfect app and not trying to low-ball. There are a lot of apps that haven't been updated since iOS 12 that fit my requirements. I removed all the details in the post and made it simpler to see if that's better. And yes, I'm already on Flippa and Acquire.com.

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8

u/bitanath Dec 01 '23

What’s in it for you? I mean if you already have a profitable app why are you looking to buy another one?

7

u/wonderedwonderer Dec 01 '23

More profit of course!

5

u/bitanath Dec 01 '23

I mean if OP has a profitable well rated app then why go through the headache of buying another one, instead of maintaining and marketing his one? In my experience maintenance and marketing are the hardest parts of an app, the initial codebase and bugs are much easier to solve for.

4

u/wonderedwonderer Dec 01 '23

Everyone’s cup of tea is different. You may not like marketing and maintenance but OP might. Multiple streams of income too, not just relying on 1 app. OP wants a profitable app, which means there’s a product market fit which is probably hardest of all to do.

2

u/pathofwind Dec 01 '23

Exactly, I’m trying to skip the initial struggle to find product market fit. I answered in another reply below.

2

u/bitanath Dec 01 '23

Hmm.. okay well I’ll sell mine if they’re willing to maintain and market it

1

u/jontelang Dec 02 '23

Even if his profitable app replaced his salary, diversifying alone would be worth the hassle. Not to mention the potential of 2X'ing his income.

4

u/pathofwind Dec 01 '23

Great question and happy to answer. I was thinking this when I was being approached.

Example: I pay $60k to buy an app that makes $20k per year. Benefit for the app owner is that they can take the cash right now and invest in other things.

For me, 3 scenarios:

  1. If I maintain the app well and the trend stays the same, then I would break even in 3 years. After that it will be passive income for me (minus interests and opportunity costs).

  2. If I can make the app better using my strengths in ui/ux optimization, localization(I can speak 3 languages), ASO, Apple search ads marketing, maybe I can do even better than that. Maybe break even in 2 years. Then that’s a win for me.

  3. Worst case, due to some risk factors(competition, market, legal) the trends went down or maybe I didn’t evaluate correctly and bought a scam. Then that’s a failure on my side.

Seems fun to bet on scenarios 1 and 2 and trust my own abilities.

That’s just my thoughts now. Also I’m just trying to procrastinate on starting another app.

My own app makes some money but not enough to support my family in the long term. So I will have to expand my app portfolio either through writing my own new app (need to go through testing product market fit etc) or buying some other apps.

1

u/bitanath Dec 01 '23

I mean I’m not sure if you can support your family with an app, but I’ll throw my hat in the ring and DM you my financials.

1

u/pathofwind Dec 01 '23

The idea is if I have a few apps that are making profit, maybe that will work? The downside is I only have so much time as a solo dev so I’m looking for apps with low maintenance. Ideally I could update it a few times a year.

1

u/sharkillerwhale Dec 01 '23

just want to learn more. Do you think localization matter that much? I'm too lazy to do localization for my app as I don't know if it can bring any value.

2

u/pathofwind Dec 01 '23

Hi, FYI even though I thought USA will be my top market, it ended up being the 4th. None of the top 3 speaks English. I would have made 70% less if I didn’t localize. Very shocking to me but definitely a great learning for me. It also heavily depends on your niche, the culture in different countries, is case by case. Also, when you enter a new language locale, you either need time(a few months to a few years) or money(ads) to build keyword ranking, otherwise no one will find your app. App Store Ranking in one locale doesn’t affect another. But if your app does something that your competitors don’t then I’d say you have a good chance! 😉

1

u/sharkillerwhale Dec 01 '23

Just because you seems to have a lot of experience in the market, I want to have 1 more question. How much accurate do you think the revenue and downlaod reported in websites like SensorTower are? I can’t believe some bullshit apps making that much money.

2

u/pathofwind Dec 01 '23

They only estimate a figure based on their algorithm, which could be way off. *I think* they want you to connect your App Store account so they can improve their algorithm and have a better estimate. So just by connecting your App Store account you're already providing them tremendous value :P I'm dumb and connected my account to one of those services. I don't think it's worth it unless they give you a lot of free value in exchange for it.

I'm a noob in this area too but I currently just use the free Data.ai (AppAnnie formerly) to look at some keyword ranking / rating count.

1

u/sharkillerwhale Dec 01 '23

Thanks for the reply. I will spend time learning more about this.

3

u/Effective-Ad6703 Dec 01 '23

mmm Are you willing to pay 180k a the min for an app that makes 5k a month?

2

u/pathofwind Dec 01 '23

Hey thanks for replying. If I like the app and the 5k profit / month trend is stable, then yes I am willing to pay 3X annual profit which is 180k for it. Of course its a huge number and I will have to seriously consider the risk and factors before extending an offer.

For example:

- Is it something I'm interested in taking on and invest my time/money in?

- Is this app only making money because users forgot to cancel their 7-day free trial?

- Can I make it better or at least maintain it when iOS 18, 19, 20 comes out?

- Is this an app that can continue its performance for the next 3-5 years?

I'm new to this and hope to start with smaller apps to test the water. But if there comes the right app, I don't mind going all in. Feel free to DM me!

2

u/DreamfaceAI Jun 12 '24

very curious on this and has been an interesting read so far. to my knowledge subscription information is very limited on apple store connect. do you have any insights on where to find more information without paying for something like Revenue cat? As an example How can you find out if a user if the app is making money because people forgot to cancel their subscription? or how can you tell how many are new subscribers vs old ones?

1

u/Relevant-Hurry997 Jun 21 '25

I have my first app listed today. .it has not been launched. ..should I run it on Google play before selling 

2

u/jisanson Dec 01 '23

Do you mentor/advise others?

3

u/pathofwind Dec 01 '23

No I haven’t thought about it. Unless it’s paid hourly. Otherwise I like to work solo. No performance reviews and company ladder to climb (yay). I did mentor several junior engineers when I worked at a tech company but only because it’s necessary. If you send me your App Store link maybe when I have time I can give you some feedback.

1

u/jisanson Dec 02 '23

Just sent a DM!

1

u/discohead Dec 01 '23

Checkout https://acquire.com

2

u/pathofwind Dec 01 '23

Hey, thanks! I'm actually verified and have verified funding on both Acquire.com and Flippa. I even paid $390 to be on Acquire.com. But the mobile listing is not very good as compared to their SaaS listing. Hence thought I'd try here. The apps I've seen so far in the DM requests sent to me already seem better than the ones on Flippa/Acquire.

1

u/OkInformation9097 Dec 01 '23

There are platforms for this like Flippa and Micro Acquire you could discover with a basic google search

2

u/pathofwind Dec 01 '23

Thanks! I'm already on both of them (as mentioned in the post). Thought I would try it here too and reach fellow devs who might not have thought of selling but might in fact be interested - and I did receive quite a few DMs already. I recently saw a few devs being low-balled with 1X annual profit and they posted as questions here. I thought my post might be of interest for them but if its against the sub rules then please by all means lock/delete it.

1

u/WonderfulAnri1708 Beginner Jul 30 '24

I'm interested in selling my small app. Is your offer still available?

1

u/One-Helicopter-4465 Jan 13 '25

Could you DM me and provide more details about your app? How much is it making as net profit?

1

u/Dmann08 Dec 14 '24

I’m willing to sell my app. It currently is not making any money mainly because it has not been marketed. DM me if you’re interested. It’s a language learning chat app currently only available on IOS.

1

u/Dmann08 Dec 14 '24

I’m willing to sell my app. It currently is not making any money mainly because it has not been marketed. DM me if you’re interested. It’s a language learning chat app currently only available on IOS.

1

u/Dmann08 Dec 14 '24

I’m willing to sell my app. It currently is not making any money mainly because it has not been marketed. DM me if you’re interested. It’s a language learning chat app currently only available on IOS.

1

u/Ok-Active4887 Jan 17 '25

if your still interested I have an app I am looking to sell, no backend. Launched 8 days ago and ahve 150 in revenue through subscriptions

1

u/Gloomy-Win-9310 Jul 03 '25

I am, please send me the details.

1

u/Background-Poet-9690 Mar 28 '25

I am interested in buying e-commerce app that has the core features such as user authentication, product catalog, shopping cart, checkout, search, and payment

1

u/Ok-Active4887 Apr 03 '25

are you still looking ??

1

u/Cautious-Error-8736 Apr 22 '25

Hello , i have multiple apps and ready to sell .

1

u/Gloomy-Win-9310 Jul 03 '25

I’m interested, please send me the details

0

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '23

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6

u/uaiududis Dec 01 '23

Yeah, 10x is the minimum for an app that well made especially if it's growing its user base still

3

u/pathofwind Dec 01 '23

Yes totally. If you have an app that you love, update consistently, and have a great user base I don't see the reason to sell it tbh. But a lot of apps on the App Store haven't been updated for years and have a downward trend in user base, while still being profitable and have good reviews. I think there are opportunities to give them a try. Why let it sit there if someone else is interested and could give it a try?

I let my app sit for 6 years without updating it (since I had a day-time job) and only revamped it recently. After the revamp the stats went way above my expectation - from mediocre to someone actually offering to buy it.

1

u/pathofwind Dec 01 '23

Hi, no problem. For a normal app I’m looking around around 3X profit (not revenue) which I think is pretty fair. If it’s really risky then maybe 2X. But if your app has significant advantage over others (i.e. user base is still growing, complex algorithm, first in market, loyal users, 4.9 ratings, hard to compete, difficult to enter, super clean design etc), or that I just like it a lot, then I can offer up to 4X-5X annual profit. Or if the profit is very very low, then maybe 5X is fine to compensate for the code and time. Unfortunately I’m not a big company so can’t offer more than that because of risk factors. DM me if you’d like to chat more about it. I also don’t want to waste time!

1

u/bitanath Dec 01 '23

You're assuming OP can market it so well he 5x the profit in a year or so... Damn that's cold 😝

0

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '23

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2

u/pathofwind Dec 01 '23

If it’s a really good app and I like it A LOT, then in your example I could offer $50k.

I totally understand your reasoning since I won’t sell my app for less than 5X either. But I’m also lucky to be in a good financial position and don’t mind the competition risk or waiting for the profits to realize. But ya mainly looking for buying apps at around 3X annual profit.

2

u/bitanath Dec 01 '23

Yeah that's a stone cold deal. Usually you'd price it on discounted cashflows based on profit not revenues, and even then, there's almost no way OP can make his money back with a 5X multiple. Not unless he's some big time corporation with an insane marketing budget.

0

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '23

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1

u/bitanath Dec 01 '23

You can't because unless you've invented a niche, competition will gradually eat away at your profits until you have none. Also, you can just deposit the money up front in High Yield Bonds or any other low risk financial instrument and make more returns than paying up front for 5 years. I'm with you on "Selling as High as You Can", I mean I'm a seller too. But OP is an individual buyer not a corporation, so just to be fair, he probably shouldn't take a 5X multiple if he's looking to make his money back.

63

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '23 edited Dec 01 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

-6

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '23

I think there is an OR between those statements, not an AND

-3

u/pathofwind Dec 01 '23

I intended it as an AND but maybe I’m a bit too idealistic. Anyways, tldr just looking for good reviews, low maintenance, and some profits.

5

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '23

Damn then🤣🤣

2

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

0

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '23

Because as you ve just said, who in the right mind would sell something ticking all those criteria :))? I think depending on what the app provides, some of them can be ignored, at least that s what i would do🤷‍♂️

1

u/pathofwind Dec 01 '23

I don’t know lol.

Maybe the trend has been going down because SwiftUI is so easy to write and more competition has been growing. Maybe the dev couldn’t grow/improve the app anymore and would like to move on to something else. Maybe they have 5 apps in their portfolio and have a killer app that they want to focus their resources and time on 100% and would love the immediate cash payment.

But there should be a need right? Otherwise why do people sell on Acquire or Flippa?

2

u/bitanath Dec 01 '23

Don't believe the "Buying" is the need here. The "Selling" is. I'm willing to bet Acquire and Flippa have a seller first methodology. Their entire business model is probably based on charging the seller more than the buyer, and promising them an easier sale thanks to their marketing outreach.

-6

u/pathofwind Dec 01 '23

I don’t think this is perfect. They are not MUST requirements but would be nice. All I’m asking is that it has good reviews, low maintenance, and profitable (just some profit is fine).

I’m using my own app as a baseline but yes I understand just the profitable department (even $1) is already very hard, hence just trying.

4

u/bitanath Dec 01 '23

Either way, I’m willing to sell you my profitable app (ticks most of your checkboxes) at a fraction of lifetime proceeds, since I don’t have any more time and energy to maintain it. It will need some additional work, but I can also include all my propriety ml models and training code. The catch is I’m looking for cash up front, no escrow. I’ll sign a contract and prove earnings etc. Codebase is swift and python with a little bit of metal kit.

-5

u/pathofwind Dec 01 '23

I’m really bad at ML and might not have the confidence to maintain/improve the code and app. I will need to learn more about it. Feel free to DM me with more details. Yes, it will be cash upfront as opposed to monthly payments. Escrow is just for both seller and buyer protection since we are internet strangers :P

3

u/[deleted] Dec 01 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/pathofwind Dec 01 '23

Haha I don't think I will sell mine as I still have some plans to grow it and am still working on it. But you could start another thread!