By: Hillel Fuld

The mobile app landscape is becoming a really exciting space right now. The two leaders, Apple and Google, are both pulling out all the tricks to maintain their lead, and we, the users, are eating the fruit. With hundreds of thousands of apps across various app stores, there is no shortage of apps in every category. Apple said it best in its famous iPhone campaign. No matter what you are trying to accomplish with your smartphone, there is most likely “an app for that”.

Having said that, the competitive nature of the whole app ecosystem also presents some major challenges for both users and developers. Users who are trying to find one specific app, or an app that provides one specific functionality, are finding it increasingly difficult, especially on the Android Market. You don’t believe me? Try searching the Market for a term such as “Angry Birds” or “Task Manager”. You will be presented with hundreds if not thousands of results, some apps, some themes, some widgets, and other unknown entities.

From a developer’s perspective, this mess also creates a major problem. With so many apps out there, how do you stand out and get your app noticed? While the app you have created might be great, with all the competition, it needs a lot more than just greatness to succeed. How are you going to get it in front of enough people to download it, use it, and spread the word about your app?

In addition, the fact of the matter is that over 80% of mobile apps are free. Users now have the ability to find almost any app on the app stores without spending a cent! Given those numbers, a developer that charges for an app is essentially creating a major barrier for that app that will deter most people from downloading it. Which begs the question, if developers cannot charge for an app, how can they expect to ever get paid for their hard work?

The above issues of app discovery and monetization are the primary challenges developers now face. Of course, the market is filled with companies that attempt to solve these problems, but I am fortunate enough to be working with two of the leaders in this space, who both came up with “Out of the box” solutions to app discovery and monetization.

Appboy

While Appboy began as a social network for mobile developers, it has since shifted its focus to help developers get their apps noticed. There are many discovery companies out there but Appboy is the only one that focuses on the developer. So how does Appboy solve the discovery issue? App checkins.

When a user open a mobile app with the Appboy+ SDK, they are offered the ability to check in to that app. If they comply, they can notify all their friends what app they are using at that moment. The basic assumption is that if you are connected to a person on the social web, whether through Twitter, Facebook, or Linkedin, you share some common interests. It is therefore relevant information if that user is regularly using a certain mobile app. It provides a simple and effective way to find new apps.

In addition, the Appboy+ SDK offers developers the ability to interact with their users by rewarding top users with awards and exclusive promotions. This is yet another tool to increase engagement and build a loyal user-base, which is exactly the extra value developers need to succeed in this competitive market.

The Appboy SDK is available for iOS but Android is on its way.

inneractive

If Appboy leads the way in app discovery, inneractive offers developers a simple and effective way of generating revenue from their free apps. Users who have chosen the in-app advertising route have a few options available to them. inneractive took all those options into account and created the most comprehensive solution for developers that requires close to no effort on the part of the developer.

inneractive partners with over 70 ad networks and agencies around the world, so developers do not have to choose one specific network with whom to launch its mobile advertising campaigns. Not only that, but inneractive manages all the aspects of the advertising so the developer can focus his or her energies on creating their next app.

With over 70 ad networks, inneractive offers developers three times the amount of revenue that other advertising companies offer. This is possible due to inneractive’s global coverage, which means more relevant ads and ultimately, more clicks. inneractive, unlike other companies is not focused on one country or region, it operates in over 200 countries. Additionally, inneractive does not expect a developer to know which network they want to work with, so the campaigns are managed and launched based on which ad will generate the most revenue for the developer.

inneractive has cross-platform SDKs, so no matter what your platform of choice is, with inneractive, you can make the most money.

With Appboy and inneractive, a mobile developer can rest assured that they are getting the maximum exposure for their app, and the maximum revenue for that exposure. Both SDKs are simple to integrate and will yield immediate results.

Feel free to let me know what you think on Twitter at @hilzfuld or reach out to the companies mentioned above at @Appboy and @inneractive.