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How to Make Money Through Apps

The simplest way to start monetizing an app is by making it pay-to-access. The user will go through an onboarding process and, at the end of it, they’ll hit a paywall. When setting your pricing, you should experiment. But a good rule of thumb is:
  • If there are existing competitors, copy their pricing.
  • If your app is unique or there are no direct competitors, use your intuition.
    I personally frequently use: $9.99/month or $59.99/year, with a 3-day free trial attached to the yearly plan only.
This pricing structure encourages users to choose the annual plan, increasing upfront cash flow.

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What Onboarding Actually Is

Onboarding includes everything that happens before the paywall.
This stage should:
  • Educate the user about your app.
  • Tailor the experience to them.
  • Build desire and justification for why they need it.
The best way to create strong onboarding is by studying successful apps (Cal AI, Quitter, etc.). Borrow the strategies that work and adapt them to your product.

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My Recommended Onboarding Format

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1. Educate the user

Show quick 3–5 second visuals demonstrating each major feature of your app. Show how the app works, people won’t want to pay if they don’t know what the app does.

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2. Personalize the experience

Ask the user for their name and refer to them personally throughout onboarding.
Then prompt them with questions that lead them to the problem your app solves. Example from Cal AI:
“Have you tried other weight loss apps in the past?”
If they answer yes:
“Here’s why we’re different from traditional calorie trackers.”

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3. Use sunk-cost psychology

Draw out the personalization process just enough that the user feels invested. However, not too much where the user gets bored and clicks off the app. The more time they spend setting up the app, the more compelled they are to pay at the paywall.

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4. Tie their goals to the app

Ask them for their objective related to your solution.
Example (Cal AI):
“What is your weight-loss goal?”
Then, visually show a roadmap:
  • Their journey without your app
    vs.
  • Their journey with your app
This creates a clear internal logic:
“This app accelerates my progress.”

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5. Lock the final deliverable behind the paywall

For apps that analyze data or media (like athlete-training apps), the user uploads a video during onboarding.
Once it finishes uploading, they see:
“Profile complete.”
Then they finally get to the paywall. They’ve already gone through creation, personalization, and emotional investment.
Now they’re primed to convert.

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Study Other Apps

One of the most valuable things you can do is spend 1–2 hours downloading successful apps in your space and studying their monetization experience. Notice where you feel compelled to buy and why. There is no perfect formula:
  • Test,
  • Iterate,
  • Get creative,
  • And have fun with the process.