How I Pick Profitable Indie App Ideas: 5 Key Traits

As a self-funded indie app developer, my goal isn’t just to build cool apps—it’s to build profitable, cash-flowing apps that can sustain my business. With no venture backing, no massive marketing budgets, and no team of engineers, every app I choose to work on needs to have a real shot at making money.

But not all app ideas are created equal. Some are much harder to build, market, and monetize than others. A great idea on paper might flop if no one’s searching for it. A super useful app might not be viable if people aren’t willing to pay for it.

Over the past year, I’ve launched three apps, each with very different levels of success. With each launch, I’ve refined the criteria I use to pick my next project. Now, before I commit to building something, I evaluate it against five key characteristics to see if it has real potential.