How to Sell Your App

Sell to customers

Get people to pay for your app, month after month

Sell the business

Sell the entire app, its code, and its customers to a buyer

The better you sell to customers, the more a buyer will pay for your app.

[App] helps [specific user] [achieve result], without [pain].

• Name one user, never everyone
• Lead with the result, not the feature list
• Show it in action in a short video

• Charge for the value of the result you deliver
• Offer monthly and yearly plans, with a discount for yearly
• Offer a free trial or a limited free plan
• Test prices, and raise them as the app improves

• Launch on Product Hunt, in communities, and in app directories
• Publish content that answers your users’ questions
• Post build-in-public updates
• Contact your ideal customers directly
• Ask happy users for reviews and for referrals
• Team up with creators in your niche

• Place your main keyword in the title and subtitle
• Use screenshots that show the result
• Request ratings right after a happy moment
• Test different icons and screenshots

• You are ready to move on to something new
• Growth needs more time or money than you can give
• A buyer could grow it faster than you
• You want to turn your work into one lump sum

Small apps are usually priced as a multiple of yearly profit or revenue. The multiple depends on:

• Revenue and profit, and how stable they are
• Growth over the past 12 months
• Churn, or how many customers stay
• How much of your time it takes
• Risks, such as depending on one platform

Multiples vary widely, so compare similar apps that sold on marketplaces.

• At least 12 months of clean financial records
• Revenue confirmed by your payment provider
• Documentation for the code, setup, and processes
• Every account, domain, and codebase ready to transfer
• Proof that you own the code, brand, and content

Acquire.com

A popular marketplace for buying and selling startups and SaaS apps

Flippa

A big marketplace for apps, websites, and online businesses

TrustMRR

Lists startups with verified revenue, including some that are for sale

Brokers

For bigger apps, a broker can find buyers for a fee

Direct

Competitors, partners, or even your users may want to buy

• Share sensitive details only after an NDA and a serious offer are in place
• Expect buyers to verify revenue, code, and traffic
• Pay through escrow
• Sign a clear, written purchase agreement
• Hand over accounts, code, and domains carefully
• Agree on a brief handover period

• Never transfer anything until payment clears in escrow
• Be wary of any buyer who rushes you or skips checks
• Never share passwords over messages
• Get legal and tax advice on larger sales