Why Are All the Apps Free?

Girl Geek Dinners Waterloo Region

Christina Moulton, Teak Mobile Inc.

@ChristinaMltn

christina@teakmobile.com

What'll We Talk About?

About me

App development costs

Types of Free Apps

Indie Revenue Numbers

How Did I Get Here?

C64, Amiga

UW Systems Design Engineering

Maps & Math

Emissions Modelling GIS

Websites & Spinal Ligaments

Moonlighting, agency work

Solo freelance iPhone & iPad app developer

So What Do You Do?

Programming (of course)

User Experience Design

User Interface Design (just a lil)

Live in tiny mobile app bubble

Help people figure out what they actually need

So Why All The Free Apps?

Honestly, we don't know what we're doing

First Apple wanted to sell more hardware

Following trends in the hope it'll pay off or we won't get left behind

Lots of psych research applied and taken to extremes

Cost to Develop

Same as a car, it depends...

$10,000 - $100,000+

2-6 months

Database + social + in app purchasing + design ...

Expect $100+/hour in North America

Kinds of "Free" Apps

Ad supported: Content or supplement

App is an ad

Upsell to service / sales leads

In App Purchase / Freemium

Add on for physical good, desktop/web software

Really free

Ad supported

Flappy Bird

App is an Ad

Chipotle Scarecrow

Sales Lead / Upsell

In App Purchase

Plants vs. Zombies 2

Freemium

DropBox

Add On

Really Free

Hobby

Portfolio

Acquisition dreams

Testing for later monetization

Social good

Kinds of "Free" Apps

Ad supported: Content or supplement

App is an ad

Upsell to service / sales leads

In App Purchase / Freemium

Add on for physical good, desktop/web software

Really free: Hobby, portfolio, acquisition dreams, social good, testing for later monetization

Can An Indie Make a Living?

Maybe, but many don't

Gotta toss stuff at the wall and see what sticks

Build one great game and go out of business

Numbers: Breeze Real Estate Flyer Maker (iPad)

Free with IAPs

1 free template

$5.99/template or $12.99 for all 3

99 downloads

$85 since Oct 28, 2013 (after Apple's 30% cut)

Numbers: MAFOR Marine Forecast Decoder (iPhone)

Paid: $3.99

22 downloads

$59 since Aug 5, 2013 (after Apple's 30% cut)

Numbers: Scurvy Math (BB10)

Free with IAPs

Addition free

$1.99/template or $12.99 for all 3

3462 downloads

$37 since Mar 3, 2013 (after BB's 30% cut)

Numbers: Platform Averages

Forbes, 2013

Questions?

Christina Moulton, Teak Mobile Inc.

@ChristinaMltn

christina@teakmobile.com