How to Sell an App (Where to Sell It and What It's Worth)

By Phillip Mitchell, Founder & Chief Brokerage Officer, AIExchange.club

App Store and Google Play rules and fees are as of October 2026 and change often. Tax notes are federal-only. This is general information, not tax or legal advice.

"How to sell an app" means three different things, and only one of them is what this guide covers:

• Selling the app business: the app, its users, its revenue and its store listings go to a new owner for a lump sum. That's this guide.
• Selling copies of the app: pricing, subscriptions and getting downloads. That's app marketing, not a sale of the business.
• Selling an app idea: very hard without a working product, users or revenue. Buyers pay for results, not concepts.

If you have a live iOS, Android or web app that makes money and you want to know whether you can sell it, where, and what you'll walk away with, read on. If your app is a web SaaS with no store listing, our guide on how to sell a SaaS business goes deeper on that side.

Can you sell your app? What buyers look for

You can sell almost any app that makes money. The question is who buys it and at what price. Buyers of small apps are mostly individual operators, small holding companies and app studios, and they all check the same things:

• Profit, not downloads. An app with 10,000 users and no revenue is hard to sell. An app with 800 paying subscribers is easy to price.
• Revenue they can verify. Store reports from App Store Connect and Google Play Console, or your payment processor for web apps. Screenshots don't count.
• Retention. For subscription apps, buyers look at churn and net revenue retention to see whether the revenue will still be there in a year.
• Owner hours. An app that runs on a few hours a week is worth more than one that needs you every day.
• Where users come from. Organic search and App Store search are valued above paid ads, because ads can stop working.
• Platform risk. Dependence on one store, one ad network or one AI model provider gets discounted.

How much is your app worth?

Small apps are valued the same way as small SaaS businesses: a year of owner profit times a multiple. The profit figure is SDE (seller's discretionary earnings): what the app makes after store fees and running costs, before paying you. The multiple depends on size, growth, retention and risk. Our guide to how app and SaaS businesses are valued covers the full method, and the free valuation tool gives you a range in a couple of minutes.

Worked example: an AI writing app at $9k MRR

Here's an illustrative subscription app on iOS and Android, making $9,000 a month in store revenue.

Businesses at this size usually sell for about 2.0x to 3.2x SDE, based on our read of marketplace activity (see the multiple ranges by size). That puts this app at roughly $144,000 to $230,000. Strong retention, organic growth and low owner hours push it toward the top. Heavy ad spend, high churn or one big platform risk push it toward the bottom.

The 15% store fee assumes Apple's Small Business Program and Google Play's reduced rates, which most apps this size qualify for. Check your own fee rate before you use these numbers.

AI apps: why retention and model costs move the price

Buyers look harder at AI apps for two reasons. First, retention: ChartMogul's billing data puts median gross revenue retention for AI-native products at 40%, and at just 23% for AI products priced under $50 a month (ChartMogul, December 2025). Second, margins: if model costs rise or a provider changes its pricing, profit can fall quickly. An AI app with retention well above those numbers and stable model costs stands out. Show both with a cohort chart and a 12-month cost history. For the buyer's view, see what buyers check in an AI business.

Where to sell your app

You have three options, and each trades effort for reach:

• A broker. A broker values the app, writes the listing, finds and screens buyers, and runs the deal. You pay a success fee when it sells. Best when you want help with pricing, buyers and the purchase agreement.
• A marketplace. You list the app yourself, and buyers contact you. Fees vary from listing fees to success fees. Best when you're comfortable running the sale.
• Selling direct. You approach a competitor, a company whose users overlap with yours, or someone who has already asked about buying. No fee, but you only reach buyers you already know about, and you handle the negotiation and contracts alone.

AIExchange.club is both a marketplace and a brokerage for AI-powered businesses that are already making money. Listing is free, the success fee is a flat 10% paid only when the deal closes, and the deal room, escrow and contracts are included (see fees and pricing). We don't list pre-revenue apps. If you want help instead of listing yourself, talk it through with us or browse our marketplace to see how listings look.

Selling your app to a bigger company

Most small apps aren't bought by Google, Apple or big tech companies. Those companies buy apps for a team, a technology or a very large user base. A more realistic direct buyer is a company in your category whose users would want your app: a competitor, a company whose product your app adds to, or a studio that runs similar apps. Make a list of 10 to 20, find the person who runs product or partnerships, and lead with your numbers, not your story.

How to sell your app, step by step

1. Get your numbers in order. Twelve months of monthly revenue and costs, store reports, subscriber counts and churn. Separate business and personal accounts if you haven't already.
2. Get a valuation. Know your range before anyone makes an offer. Start with the valuation tool.
3. Choose how to sell. Broker, marketplace or direct, using the trade-offs above.
4. Prepare a listing and a data room. Keep the app's name and URL private until a buyer signs an NDA. Share the numbers first, then the details.
5. Take offers in writing. A letter of intent sets the price, structure and timeline. If part of the price is paid later depending on performance, read our guide to the earnout before you accept.
6. Get through due diligence. The buyer checks your store reports, code, accounts and costs. Answer quickly and completely; delays kill deals.
7. Sign the purchase agreement. Most app sales are an asset sale: the buyer takes the app, code, accounts and brand, and your company keeps its own history. The buyer pays into escrow.
8. Transfer everything. Move the store listings, code, domain and accounts (details below). Escrow releases the money once the buyer confirms the transfer.
9. Support the handover. Agree a support period, often a few weeks, so the buyer can ask questions while they take over.

For how this looks from the other side of the table, see the buyer's side of the process.

How the App Store and Google Play transfer works

This is the part most guides skip. Both stores let you move a live app to another developer account without losing its users or reviews, but each has rules to plan for before closing.

Transferring an iOS app in App Store Connect

• Who starts it: only the Account Holder of the selling account can start the transfer, and the buyer accepts it in their own account.
• What moves: the app keeps its reviews, ratings and Bundle ID, and users keep receiving updates.
• What doesn't: TestFlight and Xcode Cloud data must be removed first. The buyer sets up new push notification keys and, if you use Apple Pay, a new merchant ID. Game Center settings have to be set up again.
• Subscriptions: you generate an app-specific shared secret and give it to the buyer before the transfer, so their servers keep validating receipts.

Source: Apple, Overview of app transfer.

One detail matters in negotiation. After a transfer, that year's App Store proceeds count toward the $1 million limit of both accounts in Apple's Small Business Program, which sets the 15% commission rate (Apple, Small Business Program). A buyer who already earns close to $1 million on other apps could be pushed over the limit and pay the standard commission on paid apps and in-app purchases. Their offer may reflect that.

Transferring an Android app in Google Play Console

• What moves: all users, statistics, reviews, ratings and subscriptions.
• What doesn't: earnings and sales reports, promotions and test groups stay with your account. Export your reports first; the buyer will want them for due diligence anyway.
• What you need: both accounts' registration transaction IDs. A new developer account for the buyer costs a $25 registration fee.
• After the move: Firebase projects and ad integrations must be relinked to the buyer's accounts.

Google says its team responds to transfer requests within about 2 business days (Google Play Console Help, Transfer apps).

Web apps and the rest of the stack

Beyond the stores, list every account the app depends on and how each one moves: the code repository, domain, hosting, payment processor, email provider, analytics, AI model API keys, social accounts and support inbox. Some move by changing the owner; others need a new account for the buyer and a data export. Agree this list in the purchase agreement so nothing is left behind, including the source code.

What it costs to sell an app, and what you net

Using the worked example, here's what a mid-range sale at $180,000 (2.5x SDE) leaves the seller with:

That assumes you've owned the app for over a year, built it yourself (so almost the whole price is gain), and that the 15% rate applies to your income. State tax comes on top. Any part of the price paid for consulting or a non-compete is taxed as ordinary income instead. Our asset sale vs stock sale guide explains how the structure changes the tax. Have a CPA run your actual numbers.

Selling a mobile app vs a SaaS: what's different

• The store takes a cut. 15% to 30% of revenue goes to Apple or Google before you see it, so a mobile app needs more revenue than a web SaaS to produce the same SDE.
• Platform risk is higher. A policy change or rejection can cut revenue overnight. Buyers discount for it.
• Churn is usually higher. Consumer apps lose subscribers faster than business software, which pulls multiples down.
• The transfer is more involved. Store accounts, keys and certificates need planning, as covered above.

The rest works the same way: valuation, buyers, the purchase agreement and closing. If your product is a web SaaS, our guide on how to sell a SaaS business covers it in full.

How to sell an app FAQs

Can I sell my app to Google or Apple?

Rarely. Google, Apple and other big companies buy apps for a team, a technology or a very large user base. Most small apps are bought by individual operators, holding companies, studios or companies in the same category.

How much is an app with 10,000 users worth?

It depends on what those users pay, not how many there are. Buyers value an app on a year of profit times a multiple, often around 2x to 3x for small apps. An app with 10,000 users and no revenue is hard to sell at any price.

Do I keep my App Store reviews when I sell?

Yes. On both the App Store and Google Play, reviews and ratings move with the app to the buyer's developer account.

Can I sell an app that isn't making money yet?

It's possible, but buyers will pay for the code and users, not a multiple of profit, so prices are low. AIExchange.club only lists AI-powered businesses that are already making money.

How long does it take to sell an app?

It follows the same stages as selling a small SaaS: preparing, listing, offers, due diligence and closing. See the stage-by-stage timeline in our guide on how to sell a SaaS business. Store transfers add a few days at the end.

Do I need a lawyer to sell my app?

For the purchase agreement, yes, even on small deals. It sets what you're selling, what you promise about the app, and what happens if something goes wrong after closing.

Next step: get a number, then list

Get a value range for your app in a couple of minutes with the estimator below.

If your app is AI-powered and making money, list it on AIExchange.club. It's free to list, and you only pay the 10% success fee if it sells.

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