Ways to Make More Money with Free Apps than with Paid Apps

The huge demand for mobile applications has inspired software developers to design both free and paid app versions. Since the number of smartphone users has risen in the span of a single year, both enterprises and individuals now want to deploy well functioning apps for work and entertainment purposes. Therefore, mobile application development has become one of the highest revenue generating industries of the economy. Did you know that software developers sometimes earn more by selling free apps as opposed to selling paid apps? It is true that free mobile applications attract a larger number of users than their paid versions. Listed below are successful ways in which an app development company can earn more revenue from the sale of free mobile applications:

1. Establish connections with mobile ad networks – In app advertising is one of the most successful ways to earn more money from the sale of free applications. The ad networks allow the developer to integrate with the core features of a mobile application; this ensures that revenues are generated as soon as the target audience downloads the software. Though developers are often concerned about the low CPM rate of ad networks, this too improves if an app starts becoming popular in the market and thus people start downloading it at a higher rate.

2. Sign up with an ad exchange – The reason why signing up with ad exchanges is of immense help to software developers who want to sell free apps is that it provides them with the opportunity to integrate with more than one ad network at a time. This means that the developer can also enjoy higher fill rates when compared to developers who use the services of one ad network. However, in the case of using ad exchanges, the developer must also put stress on the creating optimized content for all the networks within the exchange.

3. Employ the services of a rich media ad network – Using facilities provided by rich media ad networks helps a software developer to gain and sustain the interest of the target audience and an extended user base. Research shows that employing rich media ad networks ensures that a user returns to use your free app more often. The reason for this is that the ads created by the rich media networks are more attractive in appearance and hence more appealing to the viewer’s eyes. Attracting a larger of people who will download the app leads to increased CPM rates and thus ensures that the free mobile application earns higher revenue.

4. Try to secure sponsorships – If a software developer is successful in getting sponsorships for his/her mobile application, the app is sure to generate higher returns from sales, whether it is a free or paid version. Also, association with a sponsoring brand assures a smoother and quicker integration of the free app in the market. However, sponsorships are generally not preferred by the amateur app development companies because securing them requires a fairly high amount of investment. Moreover, the free app also has to be designed in a way that will be perfectly acceptable to the sponsoring brand, which sometimes is against the developer’s wishes.

It is clear from the above discussion that developers should associate with ad networks for generation of higher amount of money from the sale of free apps.