Build in Public
I Built 12 iOS Apps in 2 Months as a Solo Developer
April 8, 2026 · 8 min read
In February 2026, I set out to build a portfolio of simple iOS apps. Not a startup. Not a SaaS. Just useful, well-designed tools that solve small problems — and make money through ads.
Two months later, I had 12 apps live on the App Store. Here are the real numbers, the strategy behind it, and what I'd do differently.
The Timeline
I shipped the first 7 apps in 9 days (Feb 16–24). Yes, that's fast. After that, I slowed down intentionally to avoid Apple's 4.3 spam detection.
| # | App | Category | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Score Counter | Sports | Feb 16 |
| 2 | SnapPDF | Productivity | Feb 17 |
| 3 | Signo | Business | Feb 19 |
| 4 | Profito | Finance | Feb 20 |
| 5 | TypeBlitz | Education | Feb 20 |
| 6 | Paletta | Lifestyle | Feb 24 |
| 7 | Mycora | Food & Drink | Feb 24 |
| 8 | FlagWhiz | Games (Trivia) | Mar 7 |
| 9 | Cozy Focus | Productivity | Mar 17 |
| 10 | NaeTon | Lifestyle | Mar 18 |
| 11 | Bald Clicker | Games (Casual) | Mar 20 |
| 12 | Weather Capy | Weather | Apr 3 |
How I Built This Fast
1. Flutter for everything
Every app is built with Flutter. One language, one framework, one build pipeline. I reused components across apps — navigation patterns, ad integration, settings screens, share functionality. After the third app, new apps took 2–3 days instead of a week.
2. AI-assisted development
I used Claude Code for almost everything: writing Flutter code, ASO keyword research, generating app descriptions, debugging. It didn't replace thinking, but it removed the friction of typing boilerplate and searching docs.
3. Keyword-first approach
I didn't build apps I wanted. I found keywords with low competition and decent search volume, then built the simplest app that solves that search intent. “score counter” (popularity 21, difficulty 43) had only 1 exact-match competitor in the top 9. That's a gap worth filling.
4. Category diversification
Apple flags accounts that publish many similar apps (Guideline 4.3). So I deliberately spread across 10 different categories, used different color schemes, and wrote unique descriptions for each. Sports, Productivity, Business, Finance, Education, Lifestyle, Food & Drink, Games, Weather — no category has more than 2 apps.
The Real Numbers (First 2 Weeks)
Here's what the first batch of 7 apps looked like after 2 weeks. I'm sharing real data because Build in Public means showing the unglamorous truth too.
| App | Impressions | Downloads | Conv. Rate | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SnapPDF | 9,050 | 366 | 6.2% | $0.06 |
| Score Counter | 1,810 | 89 | 6.8% | $0.06 |
| TypeBlitz | 2,820 | 81 | 4.9% | $0.64 |
| Signo | 1,800 | 80 | 6.1% | $0.08 |
| Paletta | 1,030 | 36 | 5.0% | $0.12 |
| Profito | 962 | 17 | 2.5% | $0.01 |
| Mycora | 930 | 10 | 1.4% | $0.01 |
Total AdMob revenue after 2 weeks: $0.98.
Yes, less than a dollar. That's the reality of AdMob with new apps and zero marketing. But this is day 14 of a long game.
The Surprising Lesson: Downloads ≠ Revenue
SnapPDF had 4.5x more downloads than TypeBlitz. But TypeBlitz earned 10x more revenue. Why?
It comes down to one metric: ad impressions per session.
- SnapPDF (utility): User opens app → converts photo → saves PDF → leaves in 30 seconds. Ad impression rate: 1.4%.
- TypeBlitz (game): User plays round → sees interstitial → plays another round → repeat. Ad impression rate: 88.2%.
The revenue formula isn't downloads × eCPM. It's:
revenue = downloads × sessions_per_user × ad_rate × eCPM
Score Counter had the highest retention (7.96 sessions per user) but low ad rate. TypeBlitz had moderate retention but near-perfect ad rate. The lesson: build apps where users stay, not just visit.
What I'd Do Differently
- Start with games and quizzes — Round-based apps naturally support interstitial ads between rounds. Utility apps fight against their own efficiency.
- Slow down the launch pace — 7 apps in 9 days was risky for 4.3 Spam. I got lucky. A safer pace is 1–2 apps per week with 2–3 week breaks.
- Invest in ASO earlier — I treated ASO as an afterthought for the first batch. The apps I optimized keywords for (Score Counter, Signo) had 2–3x better conversion rates.
- Don't judge at 2 weeks — ASO experts say rankings take 6 months to stabilize. Mycora looked dead in winter, but mushroom foraging is seasonal. Patience matters.
What's Next
I'm not stopping at 12. But I'm shifting strategy: less “build more apps” and more “market existing apps.” The bottleneck isn't development — it's discovery. Nobody finds your app if you don't tell them it exists.
My focus for the next 3 months:
- ASO optimization across all 12 apps (long-tail keywords)
- This blog — sharing honest numbers and lessons
- Short-form video content (YouTube Shorts, Reels)
- Improving ad placement on high-retention apps (Score Counter, TypeBlitz)
If you're an indie developer thinking about building an app portfolio, I hope this gives you a realistic picture. It's not passive income on day one. But with the right strategy, each app compounds over time.