This Simple App Makes $300K a Month (And You Can Do It Too).[web:1] I really wanted to create this article because I want to show you a couple of things.[web:1] The power of the app stores, the power of now AI and being able to build these apps quickly, and how a simple app, if you get certain elements right, can really generate lots of money for you.[web:1]
- Distribution is king If you can get downloads whether organically through paid I prefer organically because it's free but if you can get downloads you can make money I can just following what we've shared from pay walls and onboarding all that stuff you can make more money so easily.[web:1]
- How simple is this app by the way all right It has literally one onboarding screen that has some social proof a payw wall that is cool but not like super optimized right like they could do a much better job of having a this.[web:1]
- Simplicity wins all the time.[web:1]
Why Distribution Is King[web:1]
Distribution is king: Distribution is king If you can get downloads whether organically through paid I prefer organically because it's free but if you can get downloads you can make money I can just following what we've shared from pay walls and onboarding all that stuff you can make more money so easily.[web:1] I really wanted to create this article because I want to show you a couple of things I'm going to tell you those couple of things in a matter of a couple of minutes towards the end of the article.[web:1] The power of the app stores the power of now AI and being able to build these apps quickly and how a simple app if you get certain elements right can really generate lots of money for you.[web:1]
All right here is the Universal TV remote app that's making over $300,000 a month.[web:1] Here's the Sensor Tower data 700,000 downloads 300,000 in revenue right and you can see it launched a long time ago Was last updated.[web:9] The app was launched 6 years ago So roughly 2019 So it seems like a long ago but in the app space not too long ago but it's ranking really well for a lot of keywords.[web:1]
I want to give you the Sensor Tower data because everybody looks at Sensor Tower first.[web:9] You can see the top three or four countries is the same as sensor tower It was US Brazil Russia and Spain You can see US Brazil and Russia top three So very very similar numbers.[web:9]
But I really love Appfigures and what you can do with it and so I'm going to break down all the things you can do within App Figures if you're trying to do market research.[web:1] You can see all the download numbers If you go to downloads tab right here last three 30 days holy cow 500,000 downloads They've just been climbing and climbing and climbing right and mostly it looks like mostly organic if I'm not mistaken.[web:1] Then you can look at the revenue numbers Lifetime $4.8 million Insanity right and the last 30 days $37500,000 Insane Last 90 days 1 million Last 180 days 1.8 million Insane Last year 3.2 million Really great.[web:1]
And that's a point one okay like I've shared with you in the past distribution because I'm going to show you how simple the app is.[web:1] All right how simple the onboarding is how simple the payw wall is Distribution is king If you can get downloads whether organically through paid I prefer organically because it's free but if you can get downloads you can make money.[web:1] If you got download and you got distribution it just doesn't matter as much That's why I keep telling you guys don't worry about the features.[web:1]
Method, App Store Presence & Tools[web:1]
Simple app big numbers: How simple is this app by the way all right It has literally one onboarding screen that has some social proof a payw wall that is cool but not like super optimized right like they could do a much better job of having a this.[web:1] But don't even need to do that If you got download and you got distribution it just doesn't matter as much.[web:1]
App Store Presence & Monetization[web:1]
Now I wanted to show you guys the app store presence Couple of things I want to highlight right here First number 15 under utilities So congratulations That's amazing 4.6 six ratings 50 58,000 ratings.[web:1] They have this subscription which you can do with an App Store Connect to promote any of your inapp purchases right the subscription is really interesting.[web:1]
So this is their most popular one the weekly one And I just had to double check on this screen.[web:1] And what I want to show you is this inapp purchase down here the lifetime Now I couldn't find the lifetime And I'll show you the payw wall and all that stuff I couldn't find the lifetime.[web:1] So this is very interesting I'm curious to see how the lifetime does And if I'm looking at their at the sensor tower data right here on this screen I can see that the lifetime is the least most popular obviously because it's not on the payw wall It's only shown on the app store.[web:9]
I like this idea because it's not shown on the payw wall which you know spoiler alert you'll see soon but is only shown here Kind of interesting the way they're doing this I really like that idea.[web:1] The thing I want to point out is sometimes we've seen promoting your inapp purchases actually hurt your overall conversions.[web:1] So I'm surprised to see them doing it But just play around with it If just because I'm showing you something that's being promoted right now doesn't mean you should copy it Test it on your end.[web:1]
Onboarding, Paywall, and Ads[web:1]
Here's the first page I like it Some social proof Hey developer you can change it to 4.6 now You're doing amazing.[web:1] Here are the downloads One application to control dozens of smart TV models I don't even know.[web:1]
What's the next page the payw wall All right this payw wall is doing pretty well for him.[web:1] Now let's look at the sensor tower data You can see the 299 which we cannot find yet so maybe it's an old one Maybe they're doing price testing was is the most popular followed by the 599 followed by the yearly followed by some monthly and some yearly Maybe they're testing this And the lifetime is the very bottom.[web:9]
Right now we see the 59 per week with the three-day trial These type of pay walls work really well and 35 Again I have no idea if they're AB testing some payw walls but I do know that if I switch to this yearly then obviously I have to pay upfront.[web:1] All right Now if I hit X it's pretty easy They search for on the Wi-Fi what other smart TVs are available on the Wi-Fi.[web:1]
After I connected it right here this is our main TV the Roku TV I was hit with the remote control It's very cool.[web:1] Now after the first time like I turned on the power or something and after I turned it on I got an ad I wanted to stop here for this ad as well I really like this ad if you really want high click-through rates right because they've got multiple like right now I know if I tap here I'm going straight to the app store this get button at the very bottom.[web:1]
Smart Layout & Hidden Premium Features[web:1]
In the ad itself it says discover new devices Cancel or connect So I actually hit connect and it went to this app right now Funny enough a universal control app is promoting another universal control app Go figure.[web:1] But I really like the the ad play right here So I ended up tapping it but whatever I hit X on this eventually and then I was back into pretty much the control.[web:1]
Now a piece of feedback I would give to the developer is right here You see these little buttons i had no idea I didn't actually know I think I accidentally swiped right i missed it Look I could have been stupid and I just didn't see it But I also think the features underneath the swipe are kind of cool.[web:1] So let's get into it So if you swipe once you get a touchpad Kind of cool with a keypad I love a keypad I wish some of my I wish we could use a keypad sometimes.[web:1]
This is a premium feature So if I tap here I get the payw wall.[web:1] If I swipe again I get all the channels I can connect to Pretty cool And then if I tap any of these channels I see a payw wall.[web:1] And if you swipe one more time here's the last screen It is channels No channels are set up So nothing to really show here.[web:1]
The other thing I wanted to show you was the settings If you hit this gear you're then presented with this premium remote which takes you to the pay wall I can disconnect my TV send feedback haptic feedback as well And then there's they're crosspromoting some other apps right here.[web:1] So pretty pretty simple app Something that I'm sure with AI you can build pretty easily but it shows you the power of distribution.[web:1]
| Item/Step[web:1] | Details (From Source)[web:1] |
|---|---|
| Focus on distribution[web:1] | Distribution is king If you can get downloads whether organically through paid I prefer organically because it's free but if you can get downloads you can make money.[web:1] |
| Keep the app simple[web:1] | How simple is this app by the way all right It has literally one onboarding screen that has some social proof a payw wall that is cool but not like super optimized.[web:1] |
| Leverage keywords & ASO[web:1] | With them ranking number one so there's some keywords that are five traffic but just get this Remote control rem remote remote control remotto which is just remote control in Spanish Like these all have great volume and the app is number one.[web:1] |
Go out there build a simple app over the weekend do some keyword research using tools like app figures where you can see certain keywords that might not be focused on.[web:1]
Start with Appfigures[web:1]The Good & The Bad[web:1]
✅ Pros[web:1]
- This simple universal TV remote app is making over $300,000 a month with roughly 700,000 downloads and very simple onboarding and payw wall flows.[web:1]
- They've just been climbing and climbing and climbing right and mostly it looks like mostly organic if I'm not mistaken and the lifetime revenue is $4.8 million with 3.2 million in the last year.[web:1]
❌ Cons / Warnings[web:1]
- Sometimes we've seen promoting your inapp purchases actually hurt your overall conversions.[web:1]
- Just because I'm showing you something that's being promoted right now doesn't mean you should copy it Test it on your end.[web:1]
Critical Warnings About Copying & IAPs[web:1]
Test don't copy: Sometimes we've seen promoting your inapp purchases actually hurt your overall conversions.[web:1] I'm surprised to see them doing it But just play around with it If just because I'm showing you something that's being promoted right now doesn't mean you should copy it Test it on your end because sometimes what we've seen is promoting it which all that you need to promote in that purchase is an icon and then Apple will promote it here right underneath the description.[web:1]
Final Verdict: Simplicity Plus Distribution[web:1]
So pretty pretty simple app Something that I'm sure with AI you can build pretty easily but it shows you the power of distribution.[web:1] How simple is this app let's go back through this again It has literally one onboarding screen that has some social proof a payw wall that is cool but not like super optimized right like they could do a much better job of having a this.[web:1]
The way I would do this is take this app take this screen Cool Add the touchpad feature Touch the keypad feature because I really like the keypad I hate entering all that stuff in there And then highlight some of the benefits and then hit them with the payw wall But don't even need to do that If you got download and you got distribution it just doesn't matter as much.[web:1] That's why I keep telling you guys don't worry about the features Don't worry about the onboarding You could have the lamest payw wall the lamest onboarding and still generate $30 plus,000 a month.[web:1]
All right So that is it Simplicity wins all the time.[web:1] All right Go out there build a simple app over the weekend do some keyword research using tools like app figures where you can see certain keywords that might not be focused on What categories of apps are working what can I build so simply that if I get distribution right I know it will make money.[web:1] I've been doing this for a long time That's why I keep saying distribution is king.[web:1]
Frequently Asked Questions[web:1]
How much does the universal TV remote app make per month[web:1]?
The universal TV remote app highlighted here is making over $300,000 a month according to the download and revenue estimates shared.[web:1]
Why do you say distribution is king for apps[web:1]?
Because if you can get downloads whether organically or through paid, you can make money even if your onboarding, features, or paywall are only good enough instead of perfect.[web:1]
How simple can an app be and still make serious revenue[web:1]?
This app shows that with literally one onboarding screen, a basic paywall, and a straightforward remote interface, you can still generate hundreds of thousands of dollars per month.[web:1]
What tools are used to research this app's market and keywords[web:1]?
The breakdown relies on app intelligence data from platforms like Sensor Tower and Appfigures to analyze downloads, revenue, and keyword rankings.[web:1][web:9]
Why are low-traffic keywords with a search score of five still important[web:1]?
Low-traffic keywords can still help you get indexed and drive downloads, especially when they include or relate to the main high-volume keywords you are targeting.[web:1]
Can I build a similar universal remote app quickly with AI[web:1]?
The walkthrough suggests that this kind of simple universal TV remote app is something you can probably build in a weekend using AI, as long as you focus on distribution and ASO.[web:1]
Speaker’s Final Thoughts[web:1]
Good enough is good enough Especially if you have distribution you can fix everything else.[web:1]
I want to be clear that everything in this article reflects my personal experience and opinions, and it was only edited for grammar and structure without changing any of the original strategies or insights.[web:1]
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