How to Find Mobile Apps for Sale (2026)
By AppAcquire · 6 October 2026 · 8 min read
Buying an existing app skips the cold start: you inherit a store listing, users and, ideally, revenue. The hard part is finding listings worth your time. This guide covers where mobile apps are sold, how to filter a noisy browse, what separates a serious listing from a vague one, and how to move from shortlist to due diligence without chasing ghosts.
Key takeaways
- Start on marketplaces built for app sales, then use category, platform, price and verified filters before you open every listing.
- A public App Store or Play link plus revenue you can see at the source beats screenshots and adjectives.
- Decide your budget, category and payback target first, so you can ignore 90% of the catalogue quickly.
- Treat asking price as a starting point. Comps and a payback check tell you whether a deal is even worth diligence.
Where mobile apps are actually listed
Most serious iOS and Android sales show up in one of a few places. General classified sites and random Twitter DMs produce more noise than closable deals.
- App-focused marketplaces such as AppAcquire, where listings are built around store links, asking price, revenue and downloads.
- Broader digital marketplaces (for example Flippa) that mix websites, SaaS and apps. Useful for volume, but you will spend more time sorting non-app inventory.
- Direct outreach to developers of apps you already like, when you know the product and want an off-market conversation.
- Communities (Indie Hackers, Discord groups, developer forums) for opportunistic posts. Treat these as leads, not diligence-ready deals.
Decide what you want before you browse
Without a brief, every listing looks interesting for five minutes. Write down four constraints first:
- Budget. What can you pay, including a buffer for diligence and a few months of runway?
- Platform. iOS, Android or both?
- Category. Productivity, Education, Games, Finance and the rest behave differently. Browse by category once you know your niche.
- Payback. How many months of profit are you willing to wait to earn the price back?
Use the payback calculator and market data to turn those constraints into a realistic price band before you fall in love with a title.
How to filter listings efficiently
On AppAcquire, start at all apps for sale and narrow fast:
| Filter | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Verified | Revenue or usage connected at the source, plus ownership proof and a public store link |
| Category | Keeps you in niches you understand how to operate |
| Platform | Matches your skills, ad stack and developer accounts |
| Price band | Stops you browsing deals you cannot close |
| Featured / new | Useful for deal flow, not a substitute for metrics |
Then open only listings that still clear a quick sniff test: clear description, recent-looking metrics, a real store URL and an asking price that is not fantasy relative to revenue. For what “normal” asks look like, read what small apps actually sell for.
- Apps for sale
- 108
- Verified revenue
- 17
- Median asking price
- $10,000
- Median revenue / month
- $127
- Added in 30 days
- 40
16% of listings
apps reporting revenue (54)
What a serious listing looks like
- A public store link you can open yourself, with a developer name that matches the seller story.
- Numbers with a source. Connected RevenueCat, Stripe, TrustMRR, AdMob or Play Console beats typed revenue and screenshots.
- Enough history to see a trend: ideally 6 to 12 months, not a single good week.
- Honest scope. What is included (code, backend, domain, support window) and what is not.
- A reachable seller who answers concrete questions instead of only repeating the pitch.
Read the numbers before you message
Asking price alone is meaningless. Compare it to monthly revenue or profit, then to live comps:
- Rough revenue multiple = asking price ÷ (monthly revenue × 12).
- Rough payback months = asking price ÷ monthly profit.
- Sanity-check both against the market data page and the app value guide.
Flippa sales data for H1 2026 puts app businesses around 2.6× annual profit on average, with stronger assets higher. If a listing asks for 10× thin, unverified revenue, that is a pass unless something exceptional is documented.
Off-market finds
Some of the best deals never hit a marketplace. If you already use an app that fits your skills:
- Note the developer name from the store page.
- Find a contact (support email, site, LinkedIn) and send a short, specific note: who you are, that you want to buy, and a realistic budget range.
- If they engage, move onto the same diligence you would use for a public listing. Do not skip escrow or transfer criteria just because the intro was friendly.
From shortlist to due diligence
Once you have three to five candidates, stop browsing and start verifying. Use the due-diligence checklist: revenue at the source, store ownership, retention, code and stack, then a written asset list and escrow. Only then negotiate.
When a deal is agreed, the stores have official paths to move the app. Plan for App Store and Google Play transfer early so closing does not stall on Account Holder access or missing criteria.
A simple search plan for this week
- Set budget, platform, category and max payback months.
- Browse apps for sale on AppAcquire, filter to Verified if you want proven numbers first.
- Shortlist five listings that clear the sniff test.
- Run each through the payback calculator and compare asks on /market.
- Message the best two with specific questions, then open diligence only on the one that answers cleanly.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is the best place to find mobile apps for sale?
- Start with marketplaces that specialise in apps or digital businesses and show store links plus revenue. AppAcquire lists iOS and Android apps with asking price, revenue and downloads on every listing. Broader marketplaces and direct outreach can add deal flow, but expect more sorting.
- Should I only buy Verified listings?
- Verified listings are the fastest path to trustworthy numbers because revenue or usage is connected at the source and ownership is checked. Unverified listings can still be good, but you should insist on live proof before you spend serious time.
- How many apps should I review before messaging a seller?
- Enough to know the market, not so many that you never act. A tight brief plus five strong candidates is usually better than fifty half-read tabs.
- Can I buy an app that is not listed anywhere?
- Yes. Contact the developer directly. If they are open to selling, run the same diligence, escrow and store-transfer steps you would on a public listing.
- What budget do I need to buy a small app?
- Many listings sit in the low thousands to low tens of thousands, but price follows revenue and proof. Use live comps on the market data page and a payback check rather than a round number from a forum thread.
Ready to buy?
Browse apps for sale with asking price, revenue and downloads on every listing. Filter to Verified to see only apps with revenue proven at the source.
Keep reading
Sources
Further reading and references used in this guide. Links open in a new window and are not affiliated with AppAcquire.