How to Buy a Mobile App Business in 2026: Prices, Multiples and What to Check
What subscription apps really sell for (2.7x annual revenue vs 3.6x for web SaaS), how to evaluate RevenueCat numbers, paid installs and churn, and how an App Store transfer works. Data from 323 apps for sale.
· 5 min read
Subscription apps are the fastest-growing part of the small acquisitions market. On TrustMRR, 605 of the 2,303 startups for sale are mobile apps, and they make up more than a third of the listings with real revenue. They are also cheaper than web SaaS, for reasons a buyer needs to understand before making an offer.
This guide uses the 323 apps for sale on TrustMRR with an asking price and at least $100/month of verified revenue (snapshot of October 9, 2026).
Key takeaways
- The median app asks $20,000 for $647/month of revenue: 2.7x annual revenue, vs 3.6x for web SaaS.
- At the stated margin, the median app pays itself back in 44 months, vs 56 for web SaaS.
- 86% of these apps bill through RevenueCat: that is where you verify the numbers.
- What decides the price: store commission, churn by plan, the cost of paid installs and a clean App Store transfer.
Why apps sell for less than web SaaS
| Mobile apps | Web SaaS | |
|---|---|---|
| Median asking multiple (annual revenue) | 2.7x (1.5x – 4.4x) | 3.6x (1.9x – 6.5x) |
| Median payback at stated margin | 44 months (25 – 72) | 56 months (30 – 115) |
| Median asking price | $20,000 | $30,000 |
| Median stated margin | 85% | 85% |
Middle half in brackets. 323 apps and 573 web SaaS for sale on TrustMRR, October 2026.
Three things push app prices down:
- The store takes 15–30%. Apple and Google keep a commission on every subscription (15% for small developers and for subscriptions after the first year). Ask whether the revenue shown is before or after that cut.
- Consumer churn. Weekly and monthly plans in health, AI photo or productivity apps churn much faster than B2B software.
- Paid growth. Many apps grow through Meta, TikTok or Apple Search Ads campaigns. When the ads stop, so do the new subscribers.
For a buyer, that discount is the opportunity: an app with low churn and organic installs priced like an average app is a real deal.
What apps cost, by category
Categories with at least 8 scored apps:
| Category | Apps | Median multiple | Median asking | Median revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Apps | 98 | 2.5x | $28,200 | $894/mo |
| Artificial Intelligence | 77 | 2.8x | $20,000 | $524/mo |
| Health & Fitness | 45 | 2.8x | $15,000 | $602/mo |
| Productivity | 15 | 3.2x | $12,000 | $619/mo |
| Education | 15 | 3.6x | $12,000 | $332/mo |
| Games | 8 | 6.1x | $39,500 | $722/mo |
| Utilities | 8 | 2.2x | $8,500 | $255/mo |
| Entertainment | 8 | 3.9x | $13,500 | $396/mo |
And by budget:
| Asking price | Apps |
|---|---|
| Under $10K | 94 |
| $10K – $25K | 74 |
| $25K – $50K | 49 |
| $50K – $100K | 38 |
| $100K+ | 68 |
iOS, Android, or both?
| Platform | Apps |
|---|---|
| iOS only | 176 |
| iOS and Android | 52 |
| Android only | 4 |
| Store not disclosed | 91 |
The market is overwhelmingly iOS-first: iPhone users pay for subscriptions more readily, so founders launch there. If you buy an iOS-only app with a proven paywall, an Android version is one of the most direct growth levers available to you.
How to evaluate an app before making an offer
1. Verify revenue in RevenueCat
On TrustMRR, 277 of the 323 apps (86%) report revenue through 
RevenueCat, 25 through Superwall and 16 through 
Stripe. Ask for read access to the RevenueCat dashboard and check:
- Revenue vs proceeds. RevenueCat shows both: proceeds are what's left after the store's commission. Rebuild the margin from proceeds.
- Active subscriptions by plan. Weekly, monthly, annual and lifetime behave very differently.
- Trial conversion and refunds.
- Churn by cohort. How many subscribers from three, six and twelve months ago still pay.
2. Understand where installs come from
| Source | What to ask | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| App Store search (ASO) | Keyword rankings, impressions, conversion rate | Ranking drops after an algorithm change |
| Paid ads | Monthly spend, cost per install, trial-to-paid, ROAS | Revenue stops when the budget stops |
| Social / UGC | Accounts and creators behind the traffic | Depends on one person or one viral video |
| Referrals, web | Share of organic signups | Low risk, rarely dominant |
An app growing on paid ads is worth the profit after the ad budget. Recompute it with the payback calculator.
3. Read the reviews
Of the 323 apps, 203 show App Store ratings: the median app has 37 ratings and a 4.6 average. Read the recent reviews: they tell you about bugs, paywall frustration and what users actually value.
4. Check the tech and the costs
- Stack: native Swift/Kotlin, React Native or Flutter? Can you (or a contractor) ship updates?
- Backend and API costs, especially for AI apps paying per request: they can eat the 85% margin claimed on the listing.
- Apple and Google policy risk: health claims, AI-generated content, subscription disclosures.
Our 40-point due diligence checklist covers the rest.
How the transfer works
| Asset | How it moves |
|---|---|
| iOS app (with reviews, ranking, active subscriptions) | App transfer from App Store Connect to your developer account |
| Android app | App transfer in Google Play Console |
| RevenueCat / Superwall | Project ownership transfer, or new project + migration |
| Backend, database, APIs | Account transfer or migration, new API keys |
| Ad accounts, creatives, social accounts | Ownership change or fresh accounts |
| Domain, landing page, email list | Registrar transfer, export |
On TrustMRR, the money goes through 
Escrow.com in a single payment: list every item above in the APA and release funds only once the store transfer is complete.
The best-scored apps right now
Our MRRdeals Score compares every app with other apps (multiple vs the median of apps in its category, store ratings instead of web traffic), so a cheap app isn't flattered by the higher multiples of web SaaS.
Top-scored mobile apps for sale
FitCal
Health & FitnessiOS · Android
Brawler
Artificial IntelligenceiOS app
Anonymous startup
Mobile AppsApp
SMSVia
UtilitiesiOS app
Baller
Artificial IntelligenceiOS app
Rewired: Screen Time Blocker
ProductivityiOS app
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to buy a mobile app?
Among the 323 subscription apps for sale on TrustMRR with at least $100/month of verified revenue (October 2026), the median asks $20,000 for $647 of monthly revenue. 29% ask under $10,000 and 21% ask $100,000 or more.
What multiple do mobile apps sell for?
The median app asks 2.7x its annual revenue, with the middle half between 1.5x and 4.4x. Web SaaS ask more: a median 3.6x. The gap comes from store commissions, higher consumer churn and the reliance on paid installs.
Is it better to buy an iOS or an Android app?
Most subscription apps for sale are iOS-first: of the 323 scored apps, 228 are on the App Store and 56 on Google Play (52 on both). iOS users pay more for subscriptions; an iOS app with a working paywall can often be ported to Android as a growth lever after the acquisition.
How do you transfer an app after buying it?
The seller starts an app transfer from App Store Connect (or Google Play Console) to the buyer's developer account. The app keeps its reviews, ranking and active subscriptions. The RevenueCat project, analytics, ad accounts, domains and backend are transferred separately, which is why every asset should be listed in the purchase agreement and paid through escrow.
Written by
Dimitri LandesFounder of MRRdeals
Dimitri runs MRRdeals, which scores every verified-revenue SaaS for sale on TrustMRR, and builds SEO-driven web businesses from France.
