Planning to make money through your apps without ads?
Mobile Apps have become a necessity in our life. It was truly quoted by Raj Aggarwal (CEO of Localytics), “The rich and interactive experiences we have come to expect on mobile apps have created new standards and expectations for all digital media including the web. The result is websites are evolving to become more app-like in their rich functionality.”
It partially makes sense if we see the changing patterns and strategies applications are applying in 2024. Monetization has become one of the crucial processes in popular mobile applications. Entrepreneurs and mobile app developers are always looking for fresh and creative approaches to monetise their products. While many apps have relied on advertisements as their primary source of income, these can be annoying and have a detrimental effect on the user experience.
Free Apps are basically FREE, users can simply download them, use them or delete them without any additional charges. Although free apps do use multiple monetizing strategies, they are relatively less expensive than paid apps.
Paid Apps work probably on “Paid Subscription Model” and only provide their services when a user pays for it. Medium, Spotify, Netflix are some of the popular paid apps you might be using in your everyday life.
Even though popular paid apps attract many users with their premium services, most of the mobile app users enjoy free applications the most. According to Statista market analysis, around 82% of mobile apps at Amazon appstore are free while only 18% were paid downloads.
Another report gives us valuable insights on how 37,000 apps with cost less than 1 USD with only 2,064 apps between 9-10 USD were available at Google Pay Store.
These market trends may change tomorrow but few facts remain the same..
And i.e. “Free apps are In high demand and gain easy popularity”. But then how do apps make money? On one side your application wants to provide free services for higher downloads and usability and at the same time you want to develop some monetization strategies so that you can earn from your application..
Quite confusing right..
Well, no need to worry!
We bring you 12 best app monetization strategies you can try out to make money without advertising. With these super cool techniques, your apps can make money without having different kinds of advertising or video ads options. The following are some ways that free apps might generate revenue without advertising : Paid subscriptions, the sale of digital goods within the app, service fees, crowdsourcing, sponsorship, and revenue from user data.
Seems interesting right..
Check them out in detail!
The freemium approach of monetization should be brought up while discussing typical monetization techniques. Freemium apps are available for download at no cost. Nevertheless, a paywall prevents access to some of the better premium services. Therefore, customers can access such premium services for an extra fee. That’s why it’s called free + premium.
Freemium applications are more popular than paid apps because users prefer not to spend money up front. Paid apps without a trial period are therefore less downloaded by users.
Numerous goods and services in your sector might be willing to pay for relevant traffic that results in sales. You can send traffic to them through the app and earn substantial commissions by using their affiliate marketing programs.
If you have a travel-related app, for instance, you could add affiliate connections to websites where you can book hotels, flights, travel insurance, and so on. There is no need for expensive technical integrations for this. All you need to do is insert the affiliate links into your content or app to begin driving traffic. You might get compensated for each sale, click, or lead, depending on the affiliate scheme you’re using.
The foundation of the sponsorship (or influencer) monetization strategy is collaboration. Working with companies or individuals that your target audience is familiar with is made possible. In addition to direct marketing, a sponsorship model presents significant opportunities. These days, working with Instagram influencers is highly common. Additionally, hardly much money is needed.
Finding the appropriate influencers who are well-liked by your target market is a prerequisite. After that, you present users with a barter system that varies based on your app’s kind. As a result, an advertiser may receive your discounts, free entry, or other advantages.
Bloggers or celebrities that are your business partners will then promote your app. They reward their subscribers with bonuses for downloading your app and performing other tasks. Hence, this is one of the highly effective strategies by which apps can make money without ads.
The subscription model is one of the great and workable techniques by which apps can make money without ads. It’s clear that consumers are more than happy to shell out a monthly subscription cost for services and apps they like. In exchange for a comparatively low monthly price, users always have the option to cancel.
Monthly recurring revenue is generated by subscriptions for app developers and entrepreneurs. Customers will remain loyal to you as long as you continue to provide value, which will reduce your total cost of acquisition. This also lets you present your material without any advertisements. If ever there was a win-win scenario for all, this is it!
Nonprofit initiatives with a strong social mission can also produce their own digital goods. These apps frequently generate revenue without using advertisements. Most of the time, they use crowdsourcing or sponsors to make the initiative lucrative.
The service aids in bringing together those who are eager to work with the foundation. You can give any amount of money, volunteer, or give blood. The money raised is used to support the foundation’s resources, especially the app, and to assist individuals in need.
Referral marketing and the earlier in-app monetization approach for free apps are closely related. Affiliate marketing is even a distinct field within marketing. The software contains informative material about an affiliate business; you get paid for clicks and installs. These incentives are determined by revenue share or a cost-per-action (CPA) mechanism.
The referral marketing model can be used by promoting another application, in-app advertisements or by advertising products or services via in-app-store. However, this is not a pure advertising strategy for applications. It is specific to its own business goals.
Apps can make money without ads with email marketing. It still functions fairly well when done correctly. In actuality, email marketing may be very profitable. According to the data, you should anticipate an average return of $38 for every $1 you invest in email marketing.
However, there are steps you must follow in order to set up email marketing effectively. For instance, set up several avenues, such in-app forms, to gather email addresses. A thorough plan and the use of email marketing tools are required for this business approach.
Thanks to their widespread use, apps that have grown to be brands have been able to make money. Apps like Tik Tok and Angry Bird began to sell merchandise under their own brands, including toys, stickers, stationery, T-shirts, and accessories.
As a result, app creators can monetize their brand and grow their following. And apparently mobile apps can make money without ads by using this pro technique.
Taking on the role of a paid transaction mediator or simply commission apps is an additional app monetization approach. It implies that your software is a mediator between the customer and the seller. Here, EG Payment and AirBnB service serve as excellent examples.
It is a venue for interactions between vendors and customers. Clients seeking to rent a space and suppliers seeking to charge for it. These services benefit both parties and are compensated with a certain percentage of the services rendered.
Giving people the option to try your application and determine its value for themselves is the best method to demonstrate that it is worth the money.
Apple Music successfully uses this monetization technique. For three months, users can benefit from the service without paying anything. And they can cancel at any moment if they decide they don’t like it. If so, they can keep their subscription going. One of the smart monetization strategies, isn’t it!
Since data powers almost everything, an increasing number of companies are spending a lot of money to obtain accurate consumer data. Behavioral data from mobile devices can be obtained through popular apps, which can turn into valuable resources for third parties researching trends.
As alluring as this may seem, proceed with caution: Users who don’t sign a user agreement giving you ownership of the data may have their data protected by both federal and international law when using your app.
Our last strategy to solve the topic of how free apps generate revenue without advertisements is through service fees. This pertains to digital products that act as a middleman between individuals or groups.
Apps can make money without ads through services such as delivery apps, platforms to find customers or freelancers, second-hand marketplaces, banking applications with transfer and investment services, dating , communication, networking services, etc.
Above mentioned were some of the best alternatives you can go for by which apps can make money without ads. But few precautions for you when you are under the process of monetization. Avoid common mistakes like :
You won’t be aware of your possible audience if you don’t identify and investigate your market niche. Also, there are instances when there are too many apps in a given category on the market. Examine your prospective user base to generate revenue from free apps.
Pop-ups, video ads, and messages are only a few of the features of digital affiliate marketing. There are additional avenues that could be used to effectively contact users. Announce updates via at least one digital marketing channel, such as email, push alerts, or social media.
A product owner should consider their free app monetization approach in advance while developing free mobile apps in order to generate income. It is feasible to mix several monetization techniques and then select the most successful one. As seamlessly as feasible integrate a means to make money from free apps.
Ending our today’s blog, we are sure these strategies can help you boost your business. Now you know how apps can make money without ads. As we provided you with some of the best business strategies widely used by app developers and entrepreneurs today.
Which monetization strategy suits you the best?
As stated above, do an in depth market research to find out your target audience. Introduce a premium subscription if you are sure that consumers will pay money for your goods straight away. Apply crowdfunding if you are doing a social service and seek sponsorships and partnerships for the same. Same applies for e-commerce apps who are selling their products. Provide free trials or take commissions in your applications while providing an intermediary service.
There are a number of monetization tactics accessible, but choosing the best ones to make money off of a free software requires thought.
Reach out to EchoInnovate IT, and hire skilled app developers who can assist in implementing your monetization plan and modifying it in response to user input and usage statistics.
Make an appointment right now to begin strategizing.
FAQs
What is the freemium model?
Apps provide basic services for free but charge for advanced features or additional content.
How can apps make money without annoying ads?
Affiliate marketing enables apps to earn commissions by promoting other products or services.
How can apps profit without ads or user payments?
Some apps monetize user data by anonymizing and selling insights to third parties.
