Apps for sale

Downloads are not the same as value. Ask for daily and monthly active users, retention after 1, 7 and 30 days, and how revenue splits between subscriptions, in-app purchases and advertising. An app with fewer but paying, loyal users is often worth more than one with lots of downloads and no income.

Look at where users come from. If growth depends on paid campaigns, it slows as soon as the ads stop; organic visibility in the App Store and Google Play, good ratings and word of mouth last longer. Ask how often the app is updated and by whom — keeping up with new versions of iOS and Android is an ongoing cost you inherit.

Apps are usually priced on profit. Sitavo’s indicative range is 2.5–4.5 times annual profit, cross-checked against 1–3 times annual revenue. Steady subscription income and several acquisition channels push the price up. Platform dependence pulls it down: Apple and Google set the rules for payments, discovery and review, and a policy change can hit revenue overnight. These are indicative market ranges, not a valuation — use Sitavo’s price estimate.

• Active users (daily and monthly) and retention over time.
• Revenue by source: subscriptions, in-app purchases, ads.
• Store commission and other fees, so you see net income.
• Costs for servers, third-party services and user acquisition.
• Ratings and reviews in both stores.

• Exports from App Store Connect and Google Play Console showing downloads, revenue and payouts.
• Access to the source code and a developer’s view of quality, dependencies and the build process.
• Rights to the code, design, name and icon — including work done by freelancers.
• Backend, API keys and third-party agreements the app cannot run without.
• Privacy policy, consents and the personal data the app collects (GDPR).
• Rejected updates or warnings from Apple or Google.

Sellers can place figures and code in a data room behind an NDA, so you can review them before making an offer.

An app changes hands when it is moved from the seller’s developer account to yours. Apple and Google each have their own transfer process, and not every app can be moved as it is — check the conditions for this particular app before you agree on price. Agree what happens to existing subscribers, reviews and revenue during the switch. Beyond the store listing you normally take over the source code, backend and servers, domain, website, social media and any user data. If you are buying from outside Denmark, the contract will usually be under Danish law and the seller may invoice with Danish VAT, so a local adviser is worth considering. Agree a transition period in which the seller helps ship the first update from your account.

Smaller apps are usually bought with own funds; in larger deals part of the price can be paid as an earn-out after the handover. Sitavo does not provide financing. Messaging sellers and making offers is free, and you agree price and terms in the deal workflow. The purchase price is paid directly to the seller. See also SaaS businesses for sale, and set up a search alert if the right app is not listed yet.