SubHub by Adapty.io (EN)

In this episode, Ben Gohlke sits down with Kevser to break down the world of Apple Ads and how indie developers can actually use it to grow. Spoiler: it’s not just about buying downloads.

We’ll cover:

- Why ASA is a market research tool, not only a UA channel

- How to avoid wasting budget on low tap-through campaigns

- The role of keyword research (and why your gut isn’t enough)

- Why post-install metrics matter more than installs

- How to align ASA with ASO for long-term success

- Where MMPs and AI fit into optimizing your strategy

Kevser shares what works, what doesn’t, and why patience and data always win in the competitive app market.

Subscribe for more episodes with experts shaping the future of subscription apps.

Kevser on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevser-imirogullari/

OtherWayAround: https://www.otherwayaround.co/

Adapty on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/adaptyio/ and on X: https://x.com/adaptyteam

In this episode, we talk with Evelin Herrera, mobile growth strategist and M&A advisor. She shares how to set your app up for a successful exit, whether you’re planning to sell now or just want to be ready when the time comes.

We’ll cover what app buyers actually care about (and the red flags they won’t ignore), how to diversify your stack and user acquisition to reduce risk and boost valuation, why AI apps are hot today but risky for long-term exits, and how organic growth, especially on TikTok, can make your app 10x more attractive to buyers.

In this episode of SubHub, we chat with Steve Young, founder of App Masters, about practical strategies for growing mobile apps without massive marketing spend. Steve explains how indie developers and small teams can drive downloads and revenue through smart tactics like review prompts, lifetime offers, and optimized paywalls.

We also dive into how to keep growth going after the initial boost, the value of targeting both niche and broader audiences, and why keyword research is critical for App Store Optimization . Whether you're just launching or scaling, this episode is packed with actionable insights.

In this episode of SubHub, I’m joined by Alex Vech, the founder of Boost App Social, a social media toolkit app that scaled to $100K in monthly recurring revenue and ultimately sold in a 7-figure acquisition.

We dive into Alex’s journey from an early web app that didn’t stick to a thriving iOS business, the creative and financial decisions that fueled massive growth, and the rigorous testing and cash flow strategy that made a high-dollar exit possible. Now working on ScreensDesign.com, Alex shares tactical lessons for any indie founder aiming to build a high-growth, high-value app business.

• Startups evolve fast: Boost App began as a web tool for Instagram hashtags before pivoting to iOS when user behavior demanded it.
• Adding value brings pricing power: By bundling features into a full toolkit (AI content gen, templates, profile optimization), Alex raised perceived value and improved paid acquisition economics.
• Meta ads work, but only at scale: It took tens of thousands in ad spend and deep creative iteration to unlock Meta’s algorithm and scale to 1,000+ trials/day.
• Ad creative is everything: Influencer UGC from TikTok, paired with a strong understanding of psychology, made the biggest impact, far more than ad platform tweaks.
• A hard paywall + targeted niche = high conversion: Boost App’s early paywall converted over 10% of installs into trials thanks to audience fit.
• Relentless optimization at the top of the funnel: A/B testing onboarding and pricing with Mixpanel led to significant downstream gains.
• Managing cash flow is a growth unlock: Understanding Apple payout delays and leveraging Meta’s invoicing helped fund aggressive spend without stalling operations.
• It all added up to a 7-figure exit: driven by product clarity, growth focus, and operational discipline.

• https://screensdesign.com/
• See what Adapty can do for you by scheduling a demo

In this episode of SubHub, I’m joined by Daniel Layfield, founder of The Subscription Index, to talk about one of the most important transitions in any app’s journey: going from having something people love to building a business that makes money.

We dig into how early-stage teams can confidently measure product-market fit, avoid the most common monetization traps, and align acquisition, usage, and monetization into one cohesive engine for growth. Whether you’re pre-revenue or gearing up for scale, this episode is packed with real-world strategies for building a sustainable, high-retention app business.

• Don’t rush into monetization optimization before achieving product-market fit. Focus on delivering value first, then work on capturing it.
• Use the Sean Ellis Survey or retention curve analysis to determine whether you’ve hit baseline PMF.
• Freemium products only work at scale. If you’re relying on paid ads for growth, you’ll need high conversion rates and LTV to match.
• Early complexity kills momentum. Avoid unnecessary pricing tiers, referral systems, and features that slow down your team.
• Focus on two to three meaningful metrics like trial starts, activation, and paid conversions. Be sure to iterate intentionally.
• Shipping does not equal progress. Real progress is improving the product in a way that moves the needle on retention and revenue.
• Churn matters. Use proven tactics like ML-based payment retries, cancellation win-backs, and tier switching to keep users around.
• Your best users hold the key. Collect persona data early and use it to personalize pricing, onboarding, and messaging.

📊 Explore insights from The Subscription Index

• 📈 Optimize your monetization with Adapty

In this episode of SubHub, I’m joined by Charlie Ryan, co-founder of App Peak, an M&A company specializing in mobile apps. Charlie shares insider knowledge from the front lines of mobile app acquisitions: what drives valuations, how subscription apps stand out, and how founders can prepare their businesses for a successful, high-value exit.

We also dive into insights from App Peak’s 2024 Valuation Report, including the most common deal structures, monetization models, and what makes buyers say yes. If you’ve ever thought about selling your app, or just want to build a more valuable one, this episode is for you.

• Subscription apps command higher valuations thanks to recurring revenue, predictable cash flow, and more reliable forecasting.
• Valuation isn’t just about revenue: it’s about retention, growth, and positioning within your market.
• Founders often overestimate their app’s worth due to rumors or emotional attachment. Use data, not gut.
• Optimizing your pricing, paywalls, and onboarding can double your LTV and significantly boost your valuation.
• High churn = low value. Buyers want to see strong retention and upsell potential before paying a premium.
• Apps with useful analytics, solid P&Ls, and A/B testing history sell faster and for more.
• Even if you’re not selling today, build like you might. It will make your app healthier and more profitable either way.

• App Peak’s 2024 Valuation Report
• Connect with Charlie on LinkedIn or X/Twitter
• Buy an app with App Peak
• Try Adapty to optimize your app’s subscriptions and pricing

In this episode of the SubHub Podcast, we sit down with Lou Zell, co-founder of AIProxy, to explore how developers are harnessing AI APIs to build smarter, more profitable apps. Lou shares his insights into the shifting landscape of AI integration, which APIs developers are loving right now, and how tools like AIProxy are enabling powerful functionality with minimal friction. Whether you’re a solo indie dev or part of a larger team, this conversation is packed with practical takeaways on app monetization, technical architecture, and future-forward development strategies.

We also dive into the current limitations of building agentic AI apps on iOS, and why deeper integration with reasoning and vision models remains an untapped opportunity. Tune in for a look at where AI app development is headed and how you can stay ahead.

Want to get more tips and even personalized advice on how to build and grow your app? Join our Discord community!

Takeaways

• Most popular AI APIs among developers include OpenAI, Replicate, and Fal—with Azure’s OpenAI APIs gaining traction due to free Microsoft credits.
• Anthropic models are widely used by web developers but are surprisingly rare in iOS apps.
• Underutilized APIs like Google Gemini’s vision model and tool-calling interfaces represent missed opportunities for richer integrations.
• AI development ranges from simple chat wrappers to complex agentic workflows—most developers stop short of the latter.
• iOS platform constraints like privacy and sandboxing hinder agentic AI apps.
• AIProxy offers a unified Swift SDK and backend protections to streamline AI integration.
• Pairing AIProxy with Adapty enables developers to monetize AI features via in-app purchases and enforce rate limits by tier.

Links

AIProxy - add AI to your iOS app

Download our latest playbook to learn how to recover lost revenue from refunds

In this episode we sit down with Patrick Falzon, CEO of The App Shop and a seasoned expert in the app economy. Ben and Patrick explore how subscriptions can be a game-changer for app revenue growth. Patrick’s insights are packed with actionable strategies to help you grow, retain, and monetize your app audience more effectively.

Want to get more tips and even personalized advice on how to build and grow your app? Join our Discord community here: https://discord.gg/subscriptions-hub?utm_source=soundcloud.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=10K-playbook&utm_content=podcast

Takeaways

* 20,000 subscribers equals $1M in gross profit. You can get to a very profitable, sustainable business with less than you might think.

* Subscriptions align incentives between businesses and customers, fostering long-term relationships.

* The pros and cons of monthly vs. annual subscriptions, and why offering both can maximize flexibility and appeal.

* Weekly subscriptions don’t act like other subscription lengths. Their retention is often less than 1 month, they end the year with under 4% retention, and 50% of users often cancel renewals.

* Want the best converting paywall? Introduce it early (like in your onboarding or very first interactions with users after download). 80% of conversions for apps happen on the first day of use. Also, don’t assume your design is perfect. Use A/B tests to check your assumptions and make data-driven decisions on what works.

* Pricing can be tough, but Ben and Patrick review the best practices. Use free trials to boost lifetime value (LTV). 2-3 options generally work better than a single offering. And consider offering a lifetime unlock carefully. Only use it if your app and business naturally support it.

* Be sure to proactively communicate with your customers. Many will be happy to provide feedback or suggestions for improvement, but you have to initiate the conversation.

* Experiment with ways to improve retention. You can get massive LTV gains by improving retention.

* The hard reality of conversion rates means improving all you can about your funnel will lead to better outcomes for you and your customers.

* Install-to-paid conversion rates: 2–4%.

* Install-to-free-trial rates: 3–7%.

* Trial-to-paid conversion rates: 25–35%.

Links

Download our latest playbook to grow your app's revenue from $1k to $10k MRR

https://adapty.io/ebooks/roadmap-to-10k-dollars-mrr/?utm_source=soundcloud.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=10K-playbook&utm_content=podcast

In this episode of the SubHub Podcast, host Ben Gohlke and guest Murat Menzilci chat about their developer stories, how they got where they are, and what role a developer advocate has in building and educating a community of builders around a product. Ben's second guest is Frank Foster, an iOS developer at Empyrean Healthcare and co-organizer of the virtual meetup, iOS Dev Happy Hour. They discuss the role of DevOps in enhancing development processes and provide insights into best practices for indie developers. The conversation also covers the significance of CI/CD in mobile development and offers practical advice for small teams looking to streamline their workflows.

Want to get more tips and even personalized advice on how to build and grow your app? Join our Discord community here: https://discord.gg/subscriptions-hub?utm_source=soundcloud.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=podcast-en&utm_content=podcast

Takeaways

* Developer advocacy is about building community and helping developers grow.

* Community engagement is key to fostering growth in the developer ecosystem.

* DevOps practices can significantly improve development efficiency.

* Indie developers should leverage tools like Xcode Cloud for CI/CD.

* Automating repetitive tasks is crucial for productivity.

* Understanding the connection between app store listings and paywalls is essential.

* Building a strong app architecture is foundational for success.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:07 Murat's developer story

04:28 Ben's developer story

06:02 How do we think about developer advocacy?

13:55 Guest #2: Frank Foster

17:32 Dev Ops for mobile developers

20:02 The importance of app architecture for scalability

26:08 Dev Ops isn't just pipelines

29:48 How does CI/CD work for mobile devs?

40:00 Get started with Dev Ops and CI/CD as an indie

44:41 iOS Dev Happy Hour

Links

Boost my Paywall Webinar - get practical advice on how to improve paywall designs

https://youtu.be/i-TNRxuVdMY

iOS Dev Happy Hour - monthly virtual meetup with technical talks and community

https://www.iosdevhappyhour.com