How to sell a mobile app: App Store and Google Play guide

To sell a mobile app, you prove its revenue, set a price, find a buyer and then transfer the app to the buyer's developer account using App Store Connect's and Google Play Console's built-in transfer tools. A transferred app keeps its listing, ratings, reviews and users, so the buyer takes over a live product rather than relaunching it. The hard parts are usually proving the revenue and making sure the app meets the stores' transfer rules before you agree a date.

This guide covers each step for a subscription app on iOS, Android or both, from the numbers a buyer asks for to what happens to existing subscribers on the day of transfer.

What do buyers look for in a mobile app?

Buyers of subscription apps look at the same things as buyers of any software business, plus a few that are specific to the stores:

• MRR and its trend. Recurring revenue from active subscriptions, after store fees, over at least the last 12 months.
• Churn and trial conversion. What share of trials turn into paid subscribers, and how long they stay.
• Where users come from. Organic App Store and Google Play search is worth more than paid installs, because paid acquisition stops the day the ad budget does.
• Platform risk. Reliance on one store, on a single keyword ranking or on an API that the platform could restrict.
• Code and maintenance. Native or cross-platform, how old the dependencies are, and how much work it takes to ship an update for each new iOS and Android release.
• Ratings and reviews. They move with the app, so a buyer reads them as a measure of how much fixing is needed.

How do you prove a mobile app's revenue?

Show revenue from the source, not a screenshot. For apps that use RevenueCat, that means giving the buyer read-only access to the RevenueCat project, or connecting it to a service that reads the figures directly. RevenueCat calculates MRR, revenue and churn from the receipts Apple and Google send it, so those numbers come straight from the stores.

Without RevenueCat, the evidence is App Store Connect's Sales and Trends and Payments reports and Google Play Console's earnings reports, matched to the payouts that arrived in your bank account. Give the buyer access as a user with a limited role rather than exporting spreadsheets.

Whichever route, make sure the buyer can tell:

• revenue after Apple's and Google's commission (that is what the business actually earns),
• subscriptions separately from one-off in-app purchases,
• and refunds, which the stores process on your behalf.

How much is a mobile app worth?

Subscription apps are usually priced the same way as small SaaS: a multiple of annual profit, or of annual revenue for fast-growing apps that reinvest everything in ads. As a reference point, Acquire.com's marketplace guidance for SaaS is around 3x to 5x annual profit or 1x to 3x annual revenue (Acquire.com). Apps that depend on paid installs, a single keyword ranking or a trend tend to land lower, because the buyer is taking on more risk.

Use net revenue after store fees as your revenue figure. A $10,000-a-month app in gross bookings that pays a 15% store commission earns $8,500 a month.

Where can you sell a mobile app?

The usual routes are:

• Startup marketplaces that accept apps, such as Acquire.com, Flippa, Microns and VerifyArr. VerifyArr connects to RevenueCat for App Store and Google Play apps, so buyers see verified MRR, growth and churn on the listing. Our comparison of where to sell a small SaaS covers fees and what each platform verifies; most of it applies to apps too.
• Brokers, for larger apps, typically above about $100k.
• Direct outreach to companies with a similar audience, or to app holding companies that buy portfolios.

How do you transfer an iOS app on the App Store?

Apple has a built-in app transfer in App Store Connect. The Account Holder starts it from the app's page and enters the recipient's Apple ID and Team ID; the recipient accepts it in their own account. The app stays on sale throughout and keeps its reviews and ratings, and users keep getting updates (Apple: overview of app transfer).

Before you start, check Apple's transfer criteria. The most common blockers:

• Both accounts must have accepted the latest Paid and Free Apps agreements and must not be in a pending or changing state.
• The app must have at least one version released on the App Store, and no version can be waiting for review, in review or pending release.
• In-App Purchase products must be in an approved or ready state, and their product IDs can't already exist in the recipient's account.
• TestFlight beta testing should be turned off before the transfer.
• Apps that use certain capabilities can't be transferred; Apple's criteria page lists them, and App Store Connect shows which ones apply to your app when you start the transfer.

What moves: the app, its bundle ID, its listing, ratings, reviews and users. What doesn't: your sales history. After the transfer you keep access to sales before the transfer date; the buyer only sees sales from then on. Download your reports first.

Subscriptions keep renewing, but apps with auto-renewable subscriptions need the app-specific shared secret handed over, and anything that verifies receipts (your server, or RevenueCat) has to be updated with the buyer's credentials.

How do you transfer an Android app on Google Play?

Google Play transfers are requested from the Play Console. Both developer accounts must be registered and active, the apps must comply with Play policies, and you need the transaction ID from the buyer's developer registration. If the app sells subscriptions or in-app products, the buyer's account needs an active payments profile. Google says its support team reviews the request within two business days (Google Play: transfer apps to a different developer account).

What moves: users, ratings, reviews, subscriptions, statistics and app content. What doesn't: previous orders, bulk export, payout and earnings reports, promotions, test groups and service integrations such as Firebase or AdMob links. Download the reports and plan to reconnect those services in the buyer's account.

What else needs handing over?

The store transfer is only one part. A complete handover list for an app usually includes:

1. Source code and the build setup (repository, signing configuration, CI).
2. Signing keys: for Android, the upload key (Play App Signing keeps the app signing key with Google); for iOS, the buyer creates new certificates in their own account.
3. RevenueCat project (transfer it or add the buyer and remove yourself), plus any other backend: Firebase, Supabase, your API server, push notification keys.
4. Third-party accounts: analytics, crash reporting, attribution, ad networks, paywall tools.
5. Domain and website, support email address and privacy policy URL.
6. Social accounts and email lists, if they are part of the sale.

Agree in the contract which of these are included and the order in which they move. A common sequence is: payment into escrow, then code and accounts, then the store transfers, then release of funds once the buyer confirms everything works.

Frequently asked questions

Do subscribers lose their subscriptions when an app is transferred?

No. On both stores, existing subscriptions carry over to the new owner. What needs care is the infrastructure around them: receipt validation, the shared secret on iOS and your subscription backend must all work under the buyer's account.

How long does a mobile app transfer take?

The store steps are usually quick once the app meets the criteria: the buyer accepts on iOS, and Google aims to review Android requests within two business days. Plan a couple of weeks for the whole handover, including code, backend and third-party accounts.

Can I sell just the iOS or just the Android version?

Yes. Each store transfers independently, but most buyers prefer both, and selling one separately can split a shared backend or brand awkwardly.

Is a mobile app worth less than a SaaS?

Often a little, because of store commission and dependence on the platforms, but the method is the same. Strong organic installs, low churn and verified revenue close most of the gap.

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If your app uses RevenueCat, you can connect it to VerifyArr with a read-only key and get a public page with verified MRR, growth and churn, plus a valuation range from comparable listings. Listing it for sale is free, with no commission.