The buyer
I’m an iOS app buyer who buys directly from founders.
Most pages about app buyers list categories. This one gives you a name. I’m Samet Teke, an independent app publisher and private buyer: I acquire iOS apps for the portfolio I run myself, in deals from $10K to $1M+, with no fees for the seller.
Short answer
I’m the end buyer, not a broker or a marketplace. I read every message myself, usually reply within a few hours, make a direct offer when an app fits, pay through a reputable escrow service, and close in about 14 days, everything included. I mainly buy iOS utilities, productivity, business and everyday-tool apps that have been live for at least 6 months with steady revenue.
Who are you buying from?
- 6 years building apps and growing them on the App Store.
- An iOS portfolio with 7-figure annual revenue, which I run today.
- 6-figure app exits of my own, so I’ve been on the seller’s side of this table.
- Acquisitions from indie developers, including an iOS device finder (about $100K), an Android wallpaper app and an iOS PDF generator (about $20K–$40K each). Details on the deals page.
More on the background in about me, and you can check the same identity on LinkedIn.
What does “direct buyer” mean exactly?
It means I am the end buyer. I don’t list your app to other buyers, I don’t run an auction, and I don’t take a commission out of your sale price. That’s the whole difference between me and the other routes:
- A marketplace gives you many possible buyers and takes roughly 6–10% for the introduction.
- A broker runs the process for you, usually at up to 15% or a fixed minimum.
- An app holding company buys for its own portfolio, like me, usually with a team and a longer process.
- A direct buyer is one named person: faster and private, with one price instead of a bidding process.
I’m one option among those, not the only sensible one. The honest version of that comparison is in who buys apps? and direct buyer vs marketplaces and brokers.
What do I buy?
Mainly iOS apps: utilities, productivity, business and everyday tools with real usage and a clean App Store history, live for at least 6 months with steady revenue, earning anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $50K+ a month. I’m open to Android apps when the fit is right, and I don’t buy games, SaaS, or web-only products. The complete list is in my acquisition criteria.
What do I pay, and how do I get there?
Around 6–36x monthly profit (average of the last 3 months), with the top opening toward 120x monthly profit for apps with strong downloads but low profit. I explain the number rather than just naming it: what pushed it up, what pulled it down, and what would change it. The reasoning is public in how I value an app, and you can get a rough range yourself with the free app valuation calculator.
What happens when you write to me?
- You send the store link and rough monthly proceeds and costs (average of the last 3 months).
- I reply myself, usually within a few hours: a question, a range, or an honest no.
- If it fits, a direct offer with the reasoning behind it.
- Light, specific checks, then escrow, then Apple’s official App Store transfer.
No fees at any point, an NDA on request, and no public listing at any stage. If you’d rather read the route first, it’s in selling your app privately.
Questions founders ask a buyer
Who buys iOS apps?
Four kinds of buyer: direct buyers like me who acquire apps for their own portfolio, app holding companies, investors on marketplaces such as Flippa or Acquire.com, and clients of brokers. Each suits a different seller; the neutral comparison is in who buys apps?
Are you actually the buyer, or do you resell my app?
I’m the end buyer. I don’t list your app to third-party buyers, I don’t run an auction, and I don’t earn a commission on the sale. The apps I buy join the portfolio I already operate, which is why I care what happens to them after the transfer.
How do I know you can pay?
Payment runs through a reputable escrow service, so you never have to rely on my word: the money is secured before the app moves and released once the transfer is done. That is the same protection a marketplace offers, without the fee, and it is worth more than any screenshot a buyer could post on a website.
What size deals do you do?
From $10K to $1M+, for apps earning anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $50K+ a month. The three acquisitions on my deals page ran from about $20K to about $100K.
What happens to my app after you buy it?
I keep it running and try to grow it: the product, the App Store listing, and the monetization. Your users keep their app, and the ratings and reviews you earned stay with it.
Why should I sell to a direct buyer instead of listing?
Speed, privacy and fees: no listing, no commission, one person to deal with, and about 14 days from first message to a closed deal, everything included. The trade-off is that you get one price rather than a bidding process. Both sides of that are in direct buyer vs marketplaces and brokers.