These days, it feels like every business wants its own app.
Buy a bag of potato chips? There's an app for that — maybe to play a branded mini-game. Need toilet paper? Yup, there's an app where you can scan the barcode and unlock fun fact messages about toilet paper roll. It sounds absurd, but it's real. And it’s part of a growing problem: mobile app sprawl.
From banks to barbershops, it seems like every company wants a spot on your phone. But this app overload is becoming a burden for both users and businesses — clogging up devices, draining resources, and often delivering very little value.
For Users: Phones Are Slowing Down, Not Aging Out
If you’ve ever struggled to install an update or ran out of storage just trying to take a photo, you're not alone.
The average smartphone user has 100–150 apps installed, but only uses 9 daily. That means your device is stuffed with dozens of apps that rarely get touched — all consuming storage, battery, and attention.
What’s worse:
- Pre-installed apps (often ad-driven) can’t be removed.
- Each app adds to your digital noise: logins, notifications, permissions.
- Older phones struggle to keep up — not because the hardware is broken, but because the software load has become unreasonable.
In essence, app sprawl makes perfectly good phones feel outdated, forcing upgrades that shouldn't be necessary.
For Businesses: High Cost, Low Reward
From the outside, building an app may seem like a smart digital move. But under the hood, it's a major commitment — especially for small businesses.
Here’s the reality:
- Development Costs: Building a stable, cross-platform app requires a team of developers, designers, testers, and infrastructure.
- Store Fees: Google charges a one-time 25€ fee to list apps. Apple charges 99€/year, every year — just to stay on the store.
- Ongoing Maintenance: Every OS update, bug fix, security patch, or user complaint means more work (and more cost).
🧾 How Apple and Google Make Money from the App Store & Play Store
When a developer launches an app, they often need to offer in-app purchases, subscriptions, or paid downloads. Every time a user pays for something through the app, Apple and Google take a cut — usually 15% to 30%.
That means:
- If you pay $10/month for a service through an iOS or Android app, up to $3 goes directly to Apple or Google.
- For paid apps, a percentage of the purchase price also goes to the platform, not the developer.
This applies to:
- Subscriptions (like fitness, news, or productivity apps)
- In-app purchases (like game upgrades or digital goods)
- Paid app downloads
Even if you build the app yourself, you're still paying:
- A 25€ one-time fee to list on the Play Store (Google)
- A 99€/year fee to list on the App Store (Apple)
This system works great — if you're a massive company with millions of users. But for smaller businesses and independent developers, the costs can quickly outweigh the earnings.
A small number of companies — just 1% of all app publishers — make over 90% of the total money across both app stores.
That leaves most smaller developers making very little, or nothing at all.
Alternatives: Do You Really Need Your Own App?
Instead of building a full-fledged app, there are smarter, lighter, and cheaper ways to reach your customers:
💬 Use Messaging Platforms
Engage customers where they already spend time: WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, or even SMS.
Pros:
- No installation required
- Real-time communication
- High engagement rates
- Lower development and maintenance costs
Cons:
- Limited UI/UX for complex workflows
- Dependence on external platform policies
- Not ideal for content-heavy or media-rich services
🌐 Go with a Progressive Web App (PWA)
A PWA runs in a browser but behaves like an app — works offline, can be added to home screens, and doesn't need app store approval.
Pros:
- No app store fees or commissions
- Same codebase for all devices
- Easier to maintain and update
Cons:
- Slightly limited access to native device features (though this is improving)
- May not feel as “official” to some users
🧩 Integrate with Super Apps or Aggregators
Rather than going solo, small services can live inside bigger apps like Google Maps, Instagram, or payment apps via plugins or links.
Pros:
- Instant reach to existing users
- No need to convince users to download another app
Cons:
- Less control over branding and user experience
- Dependency on platform updates and policies
Final Thoughts: Less Is More
We’ve reached a point where having an app isn’t always the smartest move — for your business or your users. Unless your app provides unique, frequent, and meaningful interaction, chances are it's adding to digital clutter more than it’s solving a problem.
So before you invest time and money into launching “just another app,” consider this:
Would you install a full app just to scan a potato chip packet or read toilet paper trivia?
Exactly.
Want help exploring messaging-based services or lightweight digital tools for your business? Let’s chat — no app required.