100 money-making mobile app ideas for your next business

Are you looking for mobile app ideas?

Apparently millions of entrepreneurs look for easy ideas for business. 

Many of our clients have been there, in the same shoes as you. 

We have compiled 100 simple and proven mobile app ideas (which are pandemic proof too) that are designed to help grow your business. While coming up with these profitable on-demand app ideas, we have mentioned why you must venture into these.

Whether you have a team of developers or a brilliant idea and are waiting to start developing your app, marketing can be the most grueling part of the process. But first, if you haven’t read about our Mobile App Development Cost Breakdown, we recommend you check it out.

If you’ve already received investment and are looking for your next idea, then we might have a sweet list for you. Let’s get started right away!

Most popular mobile app ideas in the world

Newbies discover that millions of apps are already out there, and they wonder if their idea will be successful. The good news is that you don’t have to develop a new app idea specifically for making money. Thanks to feedback from downloaders, we discovered that many people want simple versions of popular mobile apps. These are:

1. Online shopping app
2. Photo sharing app
3. News and entertainment app
4. Real estate app
5. Live chat support apps
6. Job search app
7. Insurance claims management app
8. File storage app
9. Dating app
10. Cannabis and weed delivery apps
11. Home services and handyman apps
12. Taxi ordering apps
13. Beauty services app
14. Medical treatment app
15. Movie ticket booking app
16. Productivity and workflow app
17. Medicine/pharmacy ordering app
18. Video streaming app
19. Courier app
20. Music streaming app
21. Flower delivery app
22. Stock trading app
23. Event booking app

Tourism industry mobile app ideas

As the tourism industry is rapidly expanding, mobile apps for the tourism industry are also developing rapidly. The tourism industry mobile apps include hotels, travel reservations, flight tickets, car rental services, travel itineraries, and many more features.

Imagine a tourism app in which the visitor never has to struggle with lat/long again. They never have to know the language of the country they came to visit in the first place. You can find out about all tourist attractions in the area, without a fixed schedule, without going through difficult-to-use search engines. All just by using apps, and succeed in providing a better online experience for tourists than current travel agencies do.

1. E-scooter and local ride-sharing app
2. Real-time speech translator app/language translation app
3. Social media for tourism forum app
4. Travel blogger app
5. Online booking app/travel booking app
6. Weather and travel forecasting app
7. Tourism assistant and tourist faqs app
8. Lost and found the app for tourists
9. Travel buddy finder app
10. Visit my city/region app – a travel guide for nearby cities and places of interest like food, bars, clubs, restaurants, etc.

Shopping Industry Mobile App Ideas

The eCommerce or shopping industry plays a major role in the world’s economy today. The shopping industry takes full advantage of the in-store apps within their stores; this is, so they can get their customer’s full attention at all times while in the store. 

Perhaps a mobile phone app that will allow you to scan products in the store. Which in turn, allows a user or customer to get product information or have special offers sent to your phone, which can be an effective way to market your product or service. The shopping industry mobile app includes retail web apps such as catalog apps, product lookup apps, bar code scanner apps, and location-based shopping apps.

1. An app that recommends a gift based on the giftee’s personal preferences
2. App with integrated mall map so customers can locate stores more easily
3. Loyalty and rewards app for organizing and displaying coupons
4. Mobile payment system developed explicitly for shopping malls
5. App for discovering new shops and restaurants in the mall/shopping centers. Alerts customers to new developments/activities happening at the mall, such as recent exhibitions
6. Coupon and deals PPS
7. Crowdfunding platform app for retailers

Hospitality industry mobile app ideas

This is an essential app for any hotel or restaurant owner, and it can give you complete control over customers and employees from anywhere in the world. You must remember:

1. Hotel and lodging booking app 
2. Bar and restaurant directory app
3. Valet parking management app
4. Restaurants booking app
5. Local events booking app, parties, and occasions happening near to you
6. On-demand / on-call concierge service app
7. Table booking and waitlist apps

Education industry mobile app Ideas

The education industry is growing bigger; especially online. Every year, there’s an increase of students graduating high school and moving onto college to earn their degrees. This has created a massive demand for education industry mobile app development. 

It’s projected that the global reach of the education industry will be $1,464 billion by 2021. Therefore, it has become necessary to leverage mobile technology to create an ecosystem that can connect students and teachers on a real-time basis.

1. Student semester planner and calendar app
2. E-learning application
3. An attendance check-in app 
4. School management app
5. A teacher app to provide resources and complete classes content

Food industry mobile app Ideas

The food industry mobile app is a boon for foodies. It is a well-known fact that the restaurant and hotel industry is the leading service industry in terms of revenue generation. With the reach of smartphones increasing day by day, more and more users are becoming a foodie. 

They want to read user reviews, discuss with other people via the community forum, and hence more of them are searching for some platform through which they could share their valuable experience on food.

1. Grocery list app
2. Food delivery service app
3. Recipe book app
4. Meal plan app
5. Associate app for the restaurant industry
6. Local restaurant guide app
7. Restaurant menu design app for cafes/small business

Health, wellness, and fitness industry mobile app ideas

Let’s face it: each of us has a busy life, that we don’t have the time to go to the gym 4–5 times a week. We need something more straightforward. And this is where mobile fitness apps can help users like us. Your app will make it easy for users to access gymming and training guidance.

1.  Gymming and weight loss app
2. Dining out diet app
3. Sleep tracker app
4. Tracking your food diary app
5. Selfcare and journaling apps
6. Yoga app
7. Diet and calorie checker application
8. Workout buddy application
9. Fitness tracker app
10. Healthy recipes app
11. Meditation app

Finance and banking industry mobile app

It’s hard to believe for people who aren’t part of the financial and banking industry. Still, the technology used in these industries is impossible to understand for those unfamiliar with it. 

In most cases, traditional mobile applications cannot be helpful to all categories of customers due to a lack of customization that fits every customer group’s needs. This is why you should create a mobile application adapted not only for employees of banks but also for customers.

Mobile phone banking is not about replacing existing banking services provided by banks.

It is about offering a convenient, anytime, anywhere channel where financial services are extended to customers 24/7 for quick and easy transactions. Mobile application development for the finance and banking industry has been growing at a rapid pace in recent years.

1. Monthly budgeting tool app
2. Personal budget manager
3. Spending tracking app
4. Mobile banking app for businesses
5. Money currency converter app
6. Online trading platform app with stock trade tools
7. Expense account keeping system app and online receipts storage for business
8. Debt payment calculator and online payment tracking system app
9. Cryptocurrency trading app
10. Person to person (P2P) wallet app
11. Tax calculator app

Miscellaneous app Ideas

1. Donation apps
2. Water or pill reminder apps
3. Fantasy sports app
4. Sudoku app
5. Voice calling apps
6. Celebrity look-alike finder app
7. Beauty filter app
8. Digital locker app
9. Virtual private network app
10. Photo editing and retouching app
11. Pets care services app
12. Car wash app
13. Short-form video and image sharing apps
14. Shopping tip calculator app
15. To-do list mobile app
16. Notifications blocker mobile app
17. Laundry service app
18. QR code reader app
19. Carpenter and repair services app

How to build a mobile app?

The biggest obstacle in developing a mobile app is the development process. 

Of course, you can go for readymade mobile app development services, but that will probably leave you with a costly and sub-par product. You are probably asking yourself how to build a mobile application from zero, not just a cheap and effective one. 

The good news is that technology has advanced enough over the years, giving you all the tools you need to make an impact with your mobile app with little or no knowledge of coding. 

But here’s a catch, it’s a tricky road to take. Especially, if you need custom features and spot-on customization. That’s where outsourcing comes in handy. Go for a remote development team that will turn tables and make your app come to life! As a matter of fact, you can avail app development at the cheapest packages, say starting from $2000 USD, if you outsource.

Android or iOS app platform: which is better?

“Which one to choose for my business?”

It’s a common question we get on a regular basis.

You’re probably here because you are an entrepreneur or thinking about becoming one. You want to launch your own product and get people from all over the world to use it. So, you went ahead and decided to develop an app for either Android or iOS. Then you started wondering which mobile operating system would be better (more profitable) for your business to develop for Android or iOS app?

Too much is never enough, as they say. I’ve found that finding the perfect app for your business can be quite a challenge. 

So should you go with Android or iOS? 

Hybrid or native? 

There are many factors to consider when you’re dealing with apps. It’s not just about looks anymore – performance is what matters now. Never before have two mobile platforms been so closely matched in both quality and functionality. Both Android and iOS house incredible tools for creating powerful applications, and which one you choose depends solely on your type of business.

How to market your app on autopilot?

Broadly the following 4 tactics are common for any app marketing activity:

1. Utilize both online and offline marketing strategies to gain more leads
2. Start your mobile app marketing by getting the word out to people in your social circle about your new venture
3. Identify the best time of the day to launch your mobile app for maximum impact
4. Monitor and track your results

Let’s break it down into detailed mobile app marketing strategies:

1. Launch a ‘beta’ app
2. Build own website
3. Leverage on social media
4. Create landing pages using marketing automation tools
5. Try paid advertising
6. Work with affiliates
7. Use crowdfunding platforms
8. Exploit in-app purchases
9. Create a mobile app community
10. Write a blog to build an audience
11. Get word of mouth advertising going strong for you
12. Make sure to keep content fresh inside the discovery panels

Now that you have 100 mobile applications concepts, what’s next?

DEVELOPMENT!

You need to turn your idea into a reality. And that is where you will need to connect with app developers. They will help you sort out the nitty gritties of app development. Long story short, they will do the heavy lifting for you. Hence, all you have to do after that is; launch your ready-to-made application to the world! (…and then enjoy the cash profits rolling in!)

A quick wrap up:

The mobile app market is hugely competitive, and it’s not as simple as an idea anymore. There is a lot of money to be made for the right apps, but there are a lot of people fighting over it. Every day new apps are created, which makes it a highly competitive market. The worldwide mobile application market is expected to double over the next two years, and the fitness industry is expected to be the fastest-growing sector. 

If you’re thinking of taking the plunge into business, you’ll need to make sure your app idea will make you stand out from the crowd. If you need assistance in turning your app vision into reality, contact Idea Usher experts today!