Sell your utility app

Which utility apps do I buy?

• Scanners and document tools: document scanners, PDF creation, conversion, and signing.
• File and storage tools: compression, transfer, cleaner apps, format conversion.
• Device and connectivity utilities: device finders, Bluetooth and hardware connections, printing, TV remotes, Wi-Fi tools, battery and storage tools.
• Photo and video tools: editing, cleanup, conversion, wallpapers.
• Security and privacy utilities: VPNs, authenticators, password and vault tools, secure notes.
• Everyday helpers: the single-purpose tools people keep on the home screen and use without thinking.

The three apps on my deals page are an iOS device finder, an iOS PDF generator, and a Google Play wallpaper app.

What does a buyer check in each kind of utility app?

The basics are the same for every utility (proceeds, trend, traffic, store health), but each category has its own weak spots, and these are the ones I look at first:

• Scanner, PDF and document apps: the subscription mix (weekly, monthly or annual plans, and how trials convert) and how much of the traffic comes from organic App Store search. A scanner that ranks for the problem people search for keeps earning after the sale; one that lives on a few paid keywords is valued on what it earns without them.
• Device and connectivity apps (device finders, Bluetooth tools, printer apps, TV remotes, Wi-Fi tools): how much the app depends on specific hardware, on iOS frameworks that change between releases, or on third-party APIs and SDKs it doesn’t control. I also look at how often a new device or iOS version has broken it, and how much support that created.
• Photo and video tools: repeat use, since an editor opened every week is worth more than a one-time conversion, and any running costs from processing or third-party services that grow with users.
• Cleaner, VPN, authenticator and security apps: here App Review history and how the app describes itself matter more than anywhere else, because Apple’s App Review Guidelines are strict about apps that claim functionality they don’t deliver. For VPN apps, the guidelines also require the developer to be enrolled as an organization. For authenticators and vaults, how user data is stored and backed up is part of the check.

None of these is a reason not to sell; they’re the questions that decide where in the range an app lands. If you know the answers before the first message, the offer comes faster.

Why do utilities fit what I do?

Because I already run them, so I know what to do the week after the transfer. Utilities have a shape I can work with: people arrive from App Store search with a specific problem, the paywall sits in a predictable place, support load is low, and improvements to the listing and the paywall show up in the numbers quickly. That’s also why I don’t buy games, SaaS, or web-only products: I’d be guessing.

What makes one utility worth more than another?

• Search that keeps working. A utility found by people searching for the problem keeps earning after the sale; one that only grows with paid ads is valued on what it earns without them.
• Repeat use. A tool used once and deleted is worth less than one opened every month, even at the same revenue.
• Revenue mix. Subscriptions with a healthy annual share are the steadiest; one-time purchases are fine when new buyers keep arriving; ads add to both.
• Keeping up with iOS, along with account standing and the rating trend.
• Low owner dependence. A few hours a month is normal for a utility. If it needs you daily, that shows in the price.

The full model is in how I value an app, and the free app valuation calculator puts your own numbers through it.

What if my utility app is neglected?

That’s a normal thing to sell. An old design, a paywall nobody has touched in two years, a backlog of iOS updates: none of that stops a deal as long as the revenue is genuine and the App Store account is in good standing. Tell me what state it’s in and I’ll price it as it is, rather than discovering it later. More on this in selling a small or neglected app.

How does the sale work?

For a utility the handover is usually simple, because there is little to hand over beyond the code, the listing and a few service accounts. The app moves with Apple’s official App Store transfer, and the full private route is in selling your app privately. The fit rules are in my acquisition criteria; an app that doesn’t match every criterion is still worth a message.