Consumer iOS apps

Consumer apps are the single biggest business model on the channel’s recent episodes: 38 episodes include app founders reporting downloads from tens of thousands to millions and (self-reported) revenue from $10K to $300K+ a month. The dominant view is that the money is in subscriptions (weekly, monthly or annual, often hard-paywalled), that apps should tap a core emotional desire (money, looks, health, relationships, faith), and that distribution matters more than the product: Steven Cravotta puts marketing at 90–95% of an app’s success and Pat says nearly every bootstrapped consumer app he has researched grew purely from content. Many successful apps start as a remix of a proven app or a TikTok trend (UMAX → Glam Up, Quitter → Stoppr, looks-maxing). The opportunity case is made mostly by Pat (‘2026 is the year of iOS’) and the Cal AI founders (a $100B App Store growing 10%+ a year); these are host and guest opinions, not neutral data. Counterweights: building apps is hard, Apple’s review can take weeks (medical-advice rejections, account-login requirements), Apple takes a cut, and AI is raising the bar by making both apps and content easier to produce. Paywall mechanics live in Onboarding and paywalls for consumer apps; tooling in The subscription app stack.

Key points

• Subscriptions (weekly/annual, usually behind a paywall) are how apps make serious money — 6 episodes. (Blake Anderson · Blake Anderson (Dec 2024) ▶ 12:36) (Nicole · Nicole (May 2026) ▶ 03:00) (Mau Baron · Mau Baron (Jan 2026) ▶ 01:32) +3 more
• Distribution and content matter more than the product for consumer apps — 5 episodes. (Steven Cravotta · Steven Cravotta (Sep 2024) ▶ 07:15) (presenter · Blake Anderson (Dec 2024) ▶ 19:02) (Blake Anderson · Blake Anderson (Dec 2024) ▶ 02:11) +2 more
• The app opportunity is large and still open (App Store growth, tiny market share is enough) — 4 episodes. (unnamed guest · Blake Anderson & Zach Yadegari (Aug 2026) ▶ 08:11) (presenter · Blake Anderson & Zach Yadegari (Aug 2026) ▶ 13:08) (Connor Burd · Connor Burd (Oct 2025) ▶ 07:53) +1 more
• Getting through Apple review is a real bottleneck: plan for rejections and bureaucracy — 4 episodes. (presenter · Tomer (Aug 2026) ▶ 03:53) (Cedric Roberge · Cedric Roberge (May 2026) ▶ 04:27) (Benji · Benji (May 2026) ▶ 10:55) +1 more
• Remix a proven app or a live trend rather than inventing from scratch — 4 episodes. (Nicole · Nicole (May 2026) ▶ 05:22) (David Attias · David Attias (Oct 2025) ▶ 04:12) (Cedric Roberge · Cedric Roberge (May 2026) ▶ 07:22) +1 more
• Apps are harder than they look (mobile builds, design craft, rising bar from AI) — 4 episodes. (Presh · Presh (Dec 2025) ▶ 05:47) (unnamed guest · Josef Buettgen & Timo Nikolai (Sep 2025) ▶ 08:18) (Brian Shin · Brian Shin (May 2026) ▶ 05:57) +1 more
• Target a core emotional desire with an obvious value proposition; consumer purchases are emotional — 3 episodes. (Connor Burd · Connor Burd (Oct 2025) ▶ 11:27) (An Nayal · An Nayal (Jun 2026) ▶ 02:01) (Nicole · Nicole (May 2026) ▶ 03:00)
• Apple’s revenue share is a structural cost of the model — 3 episodes. (Julian Gargicevich · Julian Gargicevich (Nov 2025) ▶ 13:28) (Presh · Presh (Dec 2025) ▶ 12:17) (Blake Anderson · Blake Anderson (Dec 2024) ▶ 13:46)

Where guests agree

• Consumer apps are won on distribution (content, UGC, ads) more than on product features (Steven Cravotta · Steven Cravotta (Sep 2024) ▶ 07:15) (Blake Anderson · Blake Anderson (Dec 2024) ▶ 02:11) (Benji · Benji (May 2026) ▶ 09:59) +1 more

Frameworks

• Organic winners to paid ads (Spark/Meta amplification) — Start-over playbook for 2026. (Benji · Benji (May 2026) ▶ 09:59)
  • Find a scalable idea you can implement well
  • Build with Claude Code (an API wrapper is fine; add auth for App Store approval)
  • Distribution: film videos yourself if you can’t pay creators; run as paid ads
  • Iterate for higher LTV and lower CAC
• Organic winners to paid ads (Spark/Meta amplification) — Six steps he would follow if starting over. (Mau Baron · Mau Baron (Jan 2026) ▶ 12:01)
  • Find niches with apps doing over 50K a month (revenue estimates via Sensor Tower)
  • Pick an app you like and improve it substantially
  • Code it in under 2 weeks
  • Don’t touch the app; copy working formats and post at least 20 times a day
  • Iterate onboarding until at least 10% download-to-trial conversion
  • Put ad spend (TikTok Spark Ads) on organic videos with more than 10k views
• Julian’s tips for building consumer apps — Five tips for anyone building consumer or fitness apps. (Julian Gargicevich · Julian Gargicevich (Nov 2025) ▶ 08:27)
  • Validate willingness to pay before spending on ads
  • Start with cheaper ad markets (e.g. translate to Spanish, South America)
  • Start small: cheap creators, AI videos, CapCut; volume is the hard part
  • UGC is king
  • Copy what works from competitors via the Meta Ads Library
• Build to sell (flip micro-SaaS and apps) — His seven steps for building, growing and selling an app. (Lotts Ezeike · Lotts Ezeike (Nov 2025) ▶ 07:14)
  • 1. Spot trends in App Store category charts; check competitors’ revenue on Sensor Tower
  • 2. Make it unique (his edge: the Christian market)
  • 3. Make it single player
  • 4. Make it highly shareable or super high retention
  • 5. Keep the tech stack simple and plug-and-play
  • 6. Grow: UGC first (rage-bait hooks), then Meta ads for low CPI
  • 7. Sell at 10–20k MRR with a rising last three months, via MicroAcquire or Twitter, at 2–4x EBITDA

Tactics

• Use an expedited App Store review — When there is a major issue, request Apple’s expedited review; it took about two hours instead of two days. (Cedric Roberge · Cedric Roberge (May 2026) ▶ 04:27)
• Model App Store approval on similar apps — After repeated rejections for seeming to give medical advice, they studied how similar apps handled it and found a version Apple approved. (Cedric Roberge · Cedric Roberge (May 2026) ▶ 04:05)
• Add user authentication for App Store approval — Make sure users can create an account so the app gets approved. (Benji · Benji (May 2026) ▶ 10:55)
• Submit to Apple early — Coding was quick; Apple’s developer programme and App Store review took the time, so get it shipped. (presenter · Tomer (Aug 2026) ▶ 03:53)

Stories & examples

• Inspired by UMAX: Founders in her co-founder’s programme were building UMAX, a looksmaxxing app for men; Nicole and Aaron built a glow-up app for women after seeing no equivalent on the App Store. Lesson: Adapting a proven consumer-app concept to an unserved audience can work from the start (Pat: proven customers and playbooks). (Nicole · Nicole (May 2026) ▶ 05:22)
• Quitter to Stoppr: Inspired by Quitter’s teenage founders reportedly making $200,000 a month by month three, he copied its onboarding and screens, switched the niche to quitting sugar for women, and reached $5,000 in the first month and $12,000 a month after five months. Lesson: Cloning a proven app into a new niche can reach revenue fast. (David Attias · David Attias (Oct 2025) ▶ 04:12)
• Payout and the hackathon: Payout launched in early August, reached 20,000 a month and won first place for the build-and-grow award in a RevenueCat hackathon with over 55,000 entrants. (Connor Burd · Connor Burd (Oct 2025) ▶ 01:36)
• Once is a disposable camera for events such as weddings, birthdays and corporate events, priced by number of guests ($2 for 10 people, $50 for 150). About three months in, it has 10,000–12,000 weekly active users and about $22,000 revenue this month, with 300+ events in February and about 700 scheduled for March. (Brian Shin · Brian Shin (May 2026) ▶ 01:50)
• NomadTable is a meetup app for solo travellers, expats and nomads, launched about 15 months ago and doing about 140k a month with 1.8 million users. He got the idea while travelling and started it while an Amazon software engineer, judging that regret was a bigger risk than failure. (Jay · Jay (Sep 2026) ▶ 01:39)
• Prayer Lock blocks your phone until you recite an AI-generated prayer. It is a subscription at $49.99 a year or $9.99 a week; December closed at $21,000 after $15K and 10K, growing over 50% a month, with a 43% conversion rate and a review rate over 12%. (Mau Baron · Mau Baron (Jan 2026) ▶ 01:32)
• Looks-maxing app: During the looks-maxing trend on TikTok, someone built an app that tells you how to look better from a photo. Lesson: Any online trend can become an app. (Cedric Roberge · Cedric Roberge (May 2026) ▶ 07:22)

Numbers

• App Store total annual spend (stated by one of the co-founders (Blake or Zach)): 100000000000 USD (self-reported, approx.) (unnamed guest · Blake Anderson & Zach Yadegari (Aug 2026) ▶ 08:11)
• App Store annual growth (stated by one of the co-founders (Blake or Zach)): over 10 %/year (self-reported, approx.) (unnamed guest · Blake Anderson & Zach Yadegari (Aug 2026) ▶ 08:13)
• Apple’s effective cut: up to first million / beyond: about 20% / about 33% % of revenue (self-reported, approx.) (Blake Anderson · Blake Anderson (Dec 2024) ▶ 13:46)
• Apple’s revenue cut: 15 percent (self-reported) (Julian Gargicevich · Julian Gargicevich (Nov 2025) ▶ 13:28)
• Total downloads across his apps: 12000000 downloads (self-reported, approx.) (Steven Cravotta · Steven Cravotta (Sep 2024) ▶ 01:22)
• Total downloads: 5200000 downloads (self-reported, approx.) (John McEvoy · John McEvoy (Oct 2025) ▶ 01:22)
• Apps usually reach perhaps 30 or 50K a month within a year; 160K in a year is very fast. (unnamed guest · Mauro Botanes (Sep 2026) ▶ 05:14)

Caveats & warnings

• Building apps is hard; nothing about it is really easy. (Presh · Presh (Dec 2025) ▶ 05:47)
• Launching an app involves weeks of bureaucracy. (unnamed guest · Alejandro & Mario (Dec 2025) ▶ 09:03)
• Apple doesn’t want apps to give medical advice, which caused repeated rejections. (Cedric Roberge · Cedric Roberge (May 2026) ▶ 04:00)
• AI has made apps easier to build, but it is also making content easier to create, raising the bar for consumer apps. (presenter · Nicole (May 2026) ▶ 14:47)

Also covered here: Android: the cheaper market

This concept is effectively one episode: Steve Hoyek of Journable (0pp4X58q_0s), who says he bootstrapped an AI calorie counter to about $100K a month with around 80% of users and revenue on Android. His case: iOS ad views cost almost four times as much, while (citing RevenueCat’s 2025 subscription report) iOS users convert only around 20% better; AI has driven five times more new iOS apps versus two times on Android, leaving gaps where proven iOS apps have no Android equivalent. He found Android by necessity — Meta iOS campaigns were unaffordable — then built a Google Ads playbook: set up attribution, flood install campaigns with assets (stock media is fine), optimise the Play Store listing because campaigns reuse it, then move to target-CPA and scale as conversion rises. He reports roughly break-even attributed Google Ads spend of just under $500K, so the channel’s profitability is not demonstrated. Pat concedes the conventional wisdom that iOS users spend more; Gus highlights lower competition. The only other member is a download figure that includes Android .

Key points

• Android acquisition is far cheaper while conversion can be comparable — good for bootstrapped apps — 1 episode. (Steve Hoyek · Steve Hoyek (Mar 2026) ▶ 04:24)
• Look for proven iOS apps with no Android equivalent — 1 episode. (Steve Hoyek · Steve Hoyek (Mar 2026) ▶ 16:06)
• Grow with Google App campaigns: attribution, many assets, strong Play Store listing, then target-CPA — 1 episode. (Steve Hoyek · Steve Hoyek (Mar 2026) ▶ 10:37)

Where guests disagree

iOS first or Android first? ⚠️

• Android is better if you’re bootstrapping: cheaper views, similar conversion (Steve Hoyek · Steve Hoyek (Mar 2026) ▶ 00:37)
• Conventional wisdom (acknowledged by Pat): iOS is where the money is and users spend more (presenter · Steve Hoyek (Mar 2026) ▶ 23:34)

Frameworks

• Android / Google Ads app-growth playbook — Steve’s step-by-step formula for growing a consumer app with Google Ads app campaigns. (Steve Hoyek · Steve Hoyek (Mar 2026) ▶ 10:37)
  • 1. Set up attribution and measurement: send installs, paywall views, trials, purchases and values to Google Ads
  • 2. Launch install campaigns to feed the algorithm and get baselined; flood with assets (stock images/videos fine)
  • 3. Asset optimisation over time at low budgets ($10-15/day); take big creative swings; update Play Store assets
  • 4. Launch a target-CPA (tCPA) campaign with daily budget of 10x the cost per target event
  • 5. Scale budgets per Google best practice while constantly optimising conversion rate (paywall, pricing, model)

Tactics

• Flood install campaigns with assets, using stock media if needed — Google app campaigns take 5 headlines, 5 descriptions and up to 20 images and 20 videos; for a proof of concept use stock images and videos and let the algorithm do the work. (Steve Hoyek · Steve Hoyek (Mar 2026) ▶ 11:30)
• Optimise your Play Store listing because app campaigns reuse it — Google App campaigns use your screenshots, title, subtitle and description, so make them great. (Steve Hoyek · Steve Hoyek (Mar 2026) ▶ 12:24)
• Find Android gaps for proven iOS apps or niche overlapping problems — Look for successful iOS apps without an Android equivalent, or small overlapping problems from your own day-to-day that no incumbent solves. (Steve Hoyek · Steve Hoyek (Mar 2026) ▶ 16:06)

Stories & examples

• Android by necessity on Meta ads: Unable to afford iOS campaigns on Meta, they ran Android campaigns in the US, found conversion just as good as iOS and some spillover into iOS, and doubled down. Lesson: Capital constraints can lead you to an under-priced channel. (Steve Hoyek · Steve Hoyek (Mar 2026) ▶ 06:10)
• WhatsApp built for every device: Pat recounts that WhatsApp’s founders made the app work on every device, including BlackBerries, against the conventional wisdom of building only an iPhone app. Lesson: Going beyond the platform everyone targets can open a much larger market. (presenter · Steve Hoyek (Mar 2026) ▶ 23:13)

Numbers

• Share of users and revenue from Android: 80 percent (self-reported, approx.) (Steve Hoyek · Steve Hoyek (Mar 2026) ▶ 02:23)
• Android downloads on the Play Store: 1000000 downloads (self-reported, approx.) (Steve Hoyek · Steve Hoyek (Mar 2026) ▶ 01:50)
• Total downloads incl. Android: 1000000 downloads (self-reported, approx.) (Michael · Michael (Jul 2026) ▶ 02:30)

Caveats & warnings

• Conventional wisdom says focus on iOS where the money is; Pat concedes iOS users may spend more on average. (presenter · Steve Hoyek (Mar 2026) ▶ 23:34)
• Google Ads: just under $500,000 spent with roughly the same attributed revenue, so about break-even. Ads appear across Google’s network (display, search, YouTube, Discover) but the best performer is the Play Store ad on keywords such as calorie counter. (Steve Hoyek · Steve Hoyek (Mar 2026) ▶ 07:11)

Also covered here: Games

Games appear in essentially two episodes. In the Roblox episode (8xgnm6SynH4), three young developers describe Roblox as ‘YouTube for video games’: anyone publishes, the platform distributes (Cole says games need no ads; one friend says kids find half their games via TikTok), players buy Robux items and developers cash out, with brand-sponsored experiences a newer income stream. Cole reports about $45K a month from Hide or Die (heading to ~$70K with revenue splits from helping other developers) and Ian about $25K from a game he made over a winter break; both split profits 50/50 with partners. Cole’s hit formula is clickable, social and replayable, and he stresses it usually takes several attempts — he lost about three years and half a million dollars before a two-week game worked. Pat went in sceptical and questioned whether the claims were real or lasting. In the second episode (axH1e2cZSrw), Ken’s text-based idle RPG Harpagia shows the opposite model: a small, devoted niche (3,500–4,000 MAU) earning about $13K a month from free-to-play with $4.99–9.99 purchases and zero ad spend, after one Reddit post. His lesson is that a few hundred engaged players can sustain a business.

Key points

• Platforms (Roblox, Reddit communities) can distribute a game without paid ads — 2 episodes. (Cole · Cole & Ian (Apr 2025) ▶ 11:29) (unnamed guest · Cole & Ian (Apr 2025) ▶ 05:44) (Ken · Ken (Sep 2026) ▶ 01:28)
• Monetise via in-game purchases (Robux items; $4.99–9.99 IAPs) plus brand deals — 2 episodes. (unnamed guest · Cole & Ian (Apr 2025) ▶ 04:10) (Ian · Cole & Ian (Apr 2025) ▶ 14:13) (Ken · Ken (Sep 2026) ▶ 02:48)
• A small, engaged niche audience can sustain a profitable game — 1 episode. (Ken · Ken (Sep 2026) ▶ 10:06)
• Hits take several attempts; ship quick games and test before investing years — 1 episode. (Cole · Cole & Ian (Apr 2025) ▶ 13:22)
• Design for clickability, social play and replayability — 1 episode. (Cole · Cole & Ian (Apr 2025) ▶ 12:39)

Frameworks

• Clickable, social, replayable — Cole’s formula for a hit Roblox game. (Cole · Cole & Ian (Apr 2025) ▶ 12:39)
  • Clickable: a dramatic or unique title people want to click
  • Social: playable with or against friends
  • Replayable: progression that builds curiosity about what comes next

Tactics

• Ship a quick game after a long failure — After three years and all his money on failed projects, Cole asked his programmer to make a game in two weeks; that became Hide or Die. (Cole · Cole & Ian (Apr 2025) ▶ 12:12)
• Take revenue splits for helping other developers — Cole’s group helps other developers with their games in exchange for a share. (Cole · Cole & Ian (Apr 2025) ▶ 11:16)
• Price in-app purchases between $4.99 and $9.99 — Monetisation experiments showed players accept $4.99–9.99; above $9.99 converts worse. (Ken · Ken (Sep 2026) ▶ 02:48)
• Buy pre-made game assets and outsource marketing art — Use the Unity Asset Store or GameDev Market for art; Fiverr and Upwork freelancers for screenshots, icons and videos. (Ken · Ken (Sep 2026) ▶ 12:12)

Stories & examples

• Half a million dollars on two failed projects: Before Hide or Die, Cole spent about three years and around half a million dollars on a large Roblox game and a creator-marketplace company, both of which failed and left him burnt out. Seeing Ian’s quick winter-break hit, he made a game in two weeks, which succeeded. Lesson: Test first and then build; you can waste years building something worth nothing. (Cole · Cole & Ian (Apr 2025) ▶ 10:51)
• Dress to Impress unlocking a demographic: Older girls didn’t really play Roblox until the fashion game Dress to Impress, which has had over a million concurrent players and over a billion plays. Lesson: A single game can unlock a new demographic for the platform. (unnamed guest · Cole & Ian (Apr 2025) ▶ 06:21)
• Ian made a game over a college winter break that went viral (Bake the Baby, a game where you bake babies), was played by big Roblox YouTubers and got around 100 million views at release, earning him enough to drop out. (Ian · Cole & Ian (Apr 2025) ▶ 02:32)

Numbers

• Daily active users across Cole’s games: 1000000 daily active users (self-reported, approx.) (Cole · Cole & Ian (Apr 2025) ▶ 01:52)
• Roblox monthly active users: 400000000 monthly active users (self-reported) (unnamed guest · Cole & Ian (Apr 2025) ▶ 05:25)
• Robux-to-cash rate cited by Cole: 3500 currency unstated per 1 million Robux (‘grand’) (self-reported, currency unstated) (Cole · Cole & Ian (Apr 2025) ▶ 10:36)
• Ian’s average revenue per paying user: 1.5 USD (caption ‘$1.50 50 cents’) (self-reported, approx.) (Ian · Cole & Ian (Apr 2025) ▶ 13:58)
• Monthly / daily active users: 3,500–4,000 MAU / 500–600 DAU users (self-reported, approx.) (Ken · Ken (Sep 2026) ▶ 03:04)
• Typical conversion for games is 2–5%; his ~6% is decent. (Ken · Ken (Sep 2026) ▶ 03:18)

Caveats & warnings

• Cole’s revenue is in Robux and converting it is confusing; his figures are approximate. (Cole · Cole & Ian (Apr 2025) ▶ 10:33)
• Pat went in sceptical and questioned whether the claims were real or would last. (presenter · Cole & Ian (Apr 2025) ▶ 00:31)
• Even with the formula, a hit Roblox game will probably take a few attempts. (Cole · Cole & Ian (Apr 2025) ▶ 13:22)

How much to trust this

• Evidence: 42 episodes, 45 independent speakers (repeat guests counted once; Pat and Gus counted as one voice).