Ideas for Apps to Develop

You can run a business like a pro but lack creativity when it comes to finding new app ideas. Which is perfectly fine and explains why articles like this one exist.

So you see yourself as an appreneur and can’t wait to roll into the app industry. And suddenly, you stumble on the question:

How to come up with ideas for an app?

In the ideal world, two factors must coincide: your passion for something and the demand for this something from people. For example, you enjoy rock climbing and you see that it is a popular pastime among a certain audience. A climbing guidebook app can be your solution.

However, it is not always that simple to choose what app to develop. The market is overcrowded with all kinds of apps regarding pretty much everything you can imagine. There is even a demand for clones of popular solutions. The number of Uber-like, Airbnb-like, Tinder-like, and [insert yours]-like apps proves it.

Even considering the above, you still have a chance to introduce something new to the market, something people will need and appreciate.

Find a problem and give a solution

This section will not take long – soon we will pass to the actual mobile app ideas. It is here to remind you how crucial it is that your app startup is not just there but there to solve a particular problem of users.

For instance, that very same app for rock climbers can help enthusiasts organize trips, find climbing spots near them, sort routes by difficulty, etc. in one place. Before they found the app, they had to check several resources before going for trips, and the app manages to simplify this process. A win for all!

How to identify what the market needs? Here is a couple of advice for you:

• Analyze popular queries using Google Trends. It is an easy-to-use tool that highlights the popularity of keywords of interest and simplifies your search for creative app ideas.

• Research app development agencies and their portfolios. Usually, portfolios feature the most successful and relevant projects. Study them well, and if some case study particularly catches your eye, think about how you would alter that app idea to improve it.

• Visit data.ai, a website synchronized with app stores that shows the demand for apps in different countries and their rating. This way, you will see what is trendy exactly to a day.

As a mobile app development company, in this post we will be focusing on best app ideas for real-life practical applications.

Best app ideas

Eventually, what apps to create? We prepared a comprehensive listing for you.

Mind there are apps falling into several categories at a time. We decided not to eliminate repetitions in case you are only interested in one category and do not read the whole article.

AI/ML driven app

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in app development are now more available than they ever were. These technologies have a great scope of applications in business and life – here are just a few of them:

• Voice assistants help find information online, recognize language and music;

• ML-based image recognition tools trained on large data sets can detect objects in a picture and translate them into text;

• Trained chatbots are widely used in user support to guide and help people navigate through any topic, from legal matters to chess game rules;

• AI assists in eLearning by checking answers and giving relevant information on the topic;

• AI-powered chats can support people struggling with depression and help them take control of their emotional state;

• AI-driven tools check policies, process user requests, and collect analytics for management apps.

Health app

Healthcare in app development is a niche where a division between apps for healthcare professionals and average consumers exists. It is important that first you decide which of the two categories you choose.

If it will be an app for medical practitioners, here is a few application ideas:

• Telemedicine app for remote consultations with a doctor;
• EMR/EHR app, or medical/health records of patients;
• App for medical workflow automation that includes medication tracking, incidents & accidents, drug management, and so on;
• App for a dental clinic with every patient’s tooth pictured and described.

For average users willing to take a better care of their health using the smartphone, we suggest you building one of the following app startups:

• Healthy habits tracker and reminder;
• Medication intake reminder;
• Treatment journal;
• Baby health tracker;
• App for men’s or women’s health.

Mental health apps for therapists and patients deserve a special mention. App development ideas in this area are:

• App for finding a therapist and online counseling;
• Stress management app;
• App for meditation and breathing techniques;
• Positive affirmations app;
• Therapy journal;
• Sleep tracker;
• Trigger checker;
• Educational app to learn more about specific conditions are receive useful advice.

Travel app

Again, will it be an app for travel agents or travelers? If the first, build one of those:

• Travel agency customer relationship system (CMS);
• Billing, invoicing, and accounting app for travel agents;
• All-in-one travel operator’s app;
• Taxi, flight, hotel booking app to organize trips for the clients.

In their turn, travelers will make use of apps built following these apps ideas:

• Booking app like Airbnb;
• Travel organizer for people planning their vacation by themselves;
• Travel diary to mark visited places;
• Wi-Fi map to be online anywhere in the world;
• Public transportation guide to not get lost in a foreign country;
• Guide for traveling with an animal to indicate pet-friendly hotels, cafes, and activities around the city.

Tracking app

Trackers have a great potential because responsible users use the app on a daily basis providing for a high in-app retention. Here is just a small list of trackers for every occasion:

• Habit tracker;
• Women cycle tracker;
• Calorie tracker;
• Activity tracker;
• Internet connection tracker;
• Package tracker;
• Spending tracker with bank account integration;
• Baby care tracker;
• Mood tracker.

Fitness app

Fitness apps boomed in the middle of the Covid era and are not losing popularity now. If you are into the fitness app market, we can suggest you next fitness app development services:

• Workout with equipment app;
• Workout without equipment app;
• Workout programs for different age groups;
• Workout programs for different body zones (glute muscles, abs, arms, etc.);
• App to lose weight;
• App to gain weight;
• Yoga app.

Service app

Ordering on-demand services from home has long been many people’s daily routine. What services can they possibly request via mobile applications?

• Delivery app (food delivery, flower delivery, cargo, etc.);
• App to call all a plumber, a repairman, an electrician;
• Taxi app like Uber;
• On-demand dog walking app;
• On-demand car wash app;
• App to call a doctor.

eLearning app

eLearing solutions range from wide-scale ecosystems to automate the studying process at schools to mobile apps for personal use. Here, application ideas to develop are:

• Self-education app for any skill: foreign language, physics, music, programming…

• App for educators for administration, tracking, and reporting at the workplace;

• App to automate regular administrative tasks: scheduling, classroom management, curricular building, tracking student performance, etc.;

• Exam simulators in a handy virtual environment;

• Corporate learning platform for employee education.

The eLearning industry welcomes all forms of gamification to reward user progress. Practically any educational app can be gamified for higher user retention and more exciting user journey.

Management app

Management is a broad term with multiple meanings. What types of management apps are there? Namely, you can build:

• Customer relationship management app;
• Task management app;
• Warehouse management app;
• Construction management app;
• HR management app.

Smart parking app

Finding a parking spot is a pain for many people living in cities. Thus an app for reserving one in advance can save drivers lots of time and nerves.

The working principle of a car parking app is the following: the driver enters their vehicle plate number in the app to book a spot, and once reached the spot, a sensor will read the plate and send it in the database. Then the driver will be guided to their spot via the app, and payment will be processed through the app too.

Marketplace app

Traditionally, a marketplace is an eCommerce platform that allows multiple sellers to sell through it. Amazon, eBay, Etsy are the brightest marketplace examples.

You will hardly compete with these three. To gain a competitive advantage when building a marketplace app, find a niche and develop it until you gain enough users to grow.

What eCommerce marketplace to build? Perhaps a one for handicrafts, furniture, sports gear, geek stuff, books, and more. Test the demand for every app idea you have following the advice from earlier in the article.

If none of eCommerce ideas speaks to you, consider starting an on-demand marketplace. An on-demand marketplace is any platform that allows professionals in any sphere to register and find clients. Uber, Airbnb, Upwork easily fall into this category.

Shopping app

From horse riding ammunition to antiques, people are willing to buy anything online. App creating ideas for buying and selling are only limited to the number of categories of goods. If you run a physical store, moving online is a good idea to grow your audience. You can either use an eCommerce app builder or request a custom app from a mobile application development company.

Financial applications

To save and multiply their capital, people willingly use money-related apps:

• Spending tracker app;
• Budget planner app;
• Cashback system;
• Trading app;
• App for loans and investments;
• Money transfer app.

Apps to rent sports equipment and find game companions

People enjoying sports will appreciate an app to organize their activities and find teammates. A great thing is this is applicable to all sports, from soccer to cybersports or chess. Allow your users to hold tournaments, form teams, find and book places to play sports.

Live streaming app

People use live streaming apps to go live themselves, communicate with other streamers, chat, create groups and get together. These are social networking platforms with a strong video component. Users can become popular on a platform if they stream regularly, get high ratings, or actively communicate with others.

Pet owner app

A great variety of pet tech apps is waiting to be created yet. Does any of the following draw your attention?

• App for a vet office, or practically an app for a medical center but for pets;
• Store/marketplace for pet goods;
• Walk tracker;
• App for finding a dog sitter;
• Dog dating app - they exist and are quite popular!
• Dog training app featuring advice, recommendations, and guides on training;
• Pet health journal;
• Music app to calm a dog;
• Apps for animal show participants;
• ML-driven breed recognition app.

Ready, set… build!

Let’s assume you found some promising app idea – it is great if you did! Now you probably want to know how much does it cost to create a mobile app. Request a free quote from an app development company for a personalized response.