The app development market is booming as people go increasingly mobile, sometimes choosing their smartphones as the only devices for personal and professional use. In 2023, the mobile app development industry was priced at $240.4 billion, and it’s expected to reach $666.1 billion in 2032.
These numbers don’t tell the price of competition, though: for every app that becomes successful, many others quickly get forgotten. Most of the well-recognized markets are already fully covered, so approaching them would be unwise. That’s why forward-thinking entrepreneurs have been focusing more on discovering the niche markets that satisfy specific users’ needs. But how to get app ideas that will stick, and how not to get lost in this constant noise?
In this article, we will explore the existing trends in app development and explain how to come up with app ideas if you haven’t yet finalized your dream niche. We will list diverse ideas in various niches just to offer you a glimpse of what you can try for your own application. Stay for this read to learn about a few creative startup app ideas.
Current market trends in app development
How to come up with an app idea in such a diversified environment? You have to tap into the existing well and go farther, looking beyond what exists already. It means taking the best out of the current tendencies and carving your place in it. Keeping track of all the trends would be impossible, but understanding the key ones will help you come up with unique app ideas that will suit your business objectives.
AI and ML
The growing popularity of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) is now both a tool and an appealing central feature for many apps. Today, the size of the AI market is $184 billion. Brands use AI to improve analytics, introduce chatbots, and personalize users’ experiences.
This trend will only grow — some of the most profitable app ideas have emerged from this trend specifically. Currently popular in e-commerce, healthcare, and entertainment, it’ll soon become an integral part of every niche.
AR and VR
In a spur of technical growth, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) also come into the picture. In 2024, revenue in the AR and VR markets is expected to peak at $40.4 billion. These technologies are no longer limited to gaming; they are being integrated into education, retail, and real estate applications.
Their primary goal is to ensure a more immersive experience for users, and they are becoming increasingly on-demand. No longer accessible only to a limited number of entrepreneurs, AR and VR become instruments benefiting a broad range of users.
Wellness and Fintech
As more people are getting preoccupied with their well-being, healthcare and finance app development ideas meet such needs. Just in the U.S., revenue growth in the health & fitness segment of the app market will increase by $591.5 million from 2024 to 2027.
The industry is filled with wellness and fitness apps, also catering to a growing interest in individuals’ health. Fintech apps are similarly dominating the market, responding to a global push for financial inclusivity and digital payment solutions.
The list of such trends is just the tip of the iceberg, though: due to how diverse our current world is, trends are constantly evolving. You can’t always run after each trend. Your main goal is to find your niche and find your perfect app idea.
Why develop a niche app?
You might be wondering why people are chasing mobile app development ideas in a certain niche. After all, nothing in this world is new, and it includes business areas. That might be one of the cases when you’ll be happy to be wrong — all because of the opportunities it gives to you.
Targeted audience
Who doesn’t want a highly specific audience waiting for one’s product? Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, niche apps focus on addressing particular needs or pain points that broader apps often overlook. That’s why some of the best app ideas are the ones that no one thought about which solve unique problems among a particular group of people.
Less competition
Already overcrowded markets with trending app ideas make it difficult for a new company to enter it, even if it has an outstanding product. But when you have a niche app, you don’t face such a high level of competition. You can even set yourself as a leader if you’re the one discovering the niche.
Greater customer loyalty
Niche apps naturally build trust and loyalty among their users. That depends on two factors: first, your users simply have a smaller range to choose from; second, companies that perform in a niche area are more likely to know how to focus on their specific customer. Plus, a specialized niche is also about tapping into the specific expectations that your app can solve.
Community building
One of the most fascinating features of niche apps is their ability to build a community around them. Users want to contribute to the product that appeals to them, and you will have active and engaged buyers around it. When presented with a great app idea that allows them to find like-minded individuals, they grow even more loyal.
Scalability
Perhaps one limitation that might scare a few brands is the fear of having a lack of growth: app ideas with a narrow niche, some might say, aren’t suitable for further expansion. But this is exactly the opposite: you’re getting a strong starting point that allows you to refine your application’s features first. Once established, a niche app can expand by introducing complementary features and branching into related niches.
Top niche app development ideas
Healthcare app ideas
Chronic disease management
Many people today are struggling with chronic diseases as the global population gets older and more individuals need personalized health tracking. Need a more precise mobile app idea to understand it better? It can be anything from diabetes to asthma — just make sure your team can provide professional assistance to such a vulnerable population.
Features typically include medication tracking and reminders, diet and activity recommendations, and even contact with medical professionals. If the app integrates wearable device data, it helps its users keep track of vital health metrics in real time.
Senior wellness apps
This kind of app is specifically designed to suit the elderly group of users with functionality and design. There will be 1.6 billion senior citizens in 2050 worldwide, and this group is an appealing audience. Such innovative app ideas have emerged as a result of the growing aging population that is now more autonomous due to technologies.
Still, they need to adjust to the usage of applications, which necessitates large fonts, simplified navigation, and voice commands. Such a program can feature anything from tracking medication to connecting contacts of one’s family members.
Explore the innovative mobile apps in our portfolio, built to drive growth and deliver exceptional user experiences. Discover our mobile app portfolio
Education app ideas
Skill-sharing platforms
Some good ideas for apps stem from the inherent human desire to learn and share knowledge with others. These programs feature users’ teaching skills, from woodcarving to advanced programming, to others.
The material is usually provided via online classes, prerecorded videos, or live Q&A sessions. The sharing of expertise becomes, in this case, the real value attracting more users.
Gamified lessons for children
Education for children is on the rise now, with more parents planning to teach their children more prior to even starting formal learning. Apps catered to a younger audience include puzzles and games teaching a certain subject.
The variety of subjects to study maintains the attention of users and the repetitive nature of gamified sessions ensures retention.
Language learning apps
While this segment isn’t quite niche, their presence has transformed how businesses see education platforms and apps. The market isn’t overcrowded but would offer high competition regardless of the language to teach.
Read also: How to Build a Language Learning App: Essential Features and Best Practices
Finance and budgeting app ideas
AI-powered budgeting apps
AI has the perfect capacity to help users handle their expenses by analyzing how they spend their money and what categories are the most vulnerable to going overboard. It can predict future spending habits and suggest budget adjustments based on that.
Such analytics are becoming more and more accessible, integrating the already existing technologies with a more personalized attitude — this shift makes budgeting much more user-centered, which attracts more customers.
Read also: How to Develop an AI-Driven Budgeting App: A Comprehensive Guide
Micro-investment platforms
Unlike larger investment platforms, micro-investment is suitable for almost every potential user. The best mobile app ideas in this niche today focus on letting users invest small amounts in stocks, ETFs, or cryptocurrencies.
Individuals utilizing such an app are more likely to try different investments and receive a smaller return, which, nonetheless, integrates them into the investment system. Plus, they often learn about investment due to the educational resources many such apps provide.
Fitness and wellness app ideas
Demographic-focused fitness apps
It’s one thing to make a generic fitness app — everyone can make a general program for a (typically healthy) majority of users. But top app ideas are the ones that target specific demographics; it can be anything from pregnant mothers to busy office workers with limited time on their hands.
Workouts, then, focus on a certain level of physical impact deemed useful for the group in question. It can cover health suggestions and lifestyle tips from verified professionals to enhance the overall well-being of the app’s users.
Read also: How to Make a Fitness App? Strategies for Success in a $5 Trillion Market
Retail and e-commerce app ideas
Augmented reality shopping
A relatively recent idea for an app is AR shopping — it holds the most value for users who want to try whether the product will suit them before they purchase it. These applications help individuals visualize the potential item in their environment, whether it is a piece of furniture or an item of clothing.
Although lots of programs offer this option, many of them are yet to deliver a high-quality version that presents the virtual item in physical space reliably. This makes such a niche quite open to potential entrants.
Niche marketplaces
The complete opposite of all-in-one supermarkets that have already been dominating online selling, niche marketplaces specialize in product offerings based on a very specific product. The options are limitless, starting at sustainable goods and ending at hand-made clothing.
Sellers benefit from offering their products to a narrow and interested audience while buyers don’t have to look for what appeals to them among products not relevant to their search.
Read also: How to Create an Online Marketplace: A Guide to Building and Launching Your Platform
Entertainment app ideas
Local social networking
Today, people are growing more engaged in their local communities, perhaps tired of being chronically online without an option to meet their friends in a physical location. These cool app ideas open the door for users to coordinate meetups in their local area or discover location-based recommendations.
Local event discovery
Apps in this category help individuals find events nearby, such as concerts, workshops, or festivals. They use the location parameters to provide personalized suggestions based on recent news updates.
Storytelling apps for kids
Children comprise a high percentage of today’s app users, either with their parents’ involvement or without it. However, storytelling apps bring this opportunity to a productive and healthy level: children have access to stories based on their age and interests.
Such apps can be either concentrated on entertainment, education, or both — it all depends on the ultimate goal of the business owner and their app ideas.
Travel & lifestyle app ideas
Travel buddy app
Among the most promising apps to develop today are the ones that foster human connection. Travel buddy programs connect travelers with similar interests or relatively close locations to make potential traveling more comfortable for both.
Some features that such applications may propose are itinerary sharing and chat options, but every product is different. Solo travelers in search of a companion for the next trip are the target audience for such an app.
Local service finder
Local service apps help users find trusted providers for tasks like cleaning, repairs, or pet sitting. They offer details with reviews, prices, and booking options.
Such mobile application ideas are rooted in combining the support of local businesses while maintaining a larger geographical coverage to ensure that app creators receive their share of returns.
Read also: Uber for Home Services: Developing On-Demand Services Apps
Productivity app ideas
Virtual coworking apps
An overwhelming amount of remote jobs have made the online workspace a new norm, inspiring new ideas for app development. However, many individuals struggle with keeping focused on their jobs without having a shared workspace, which such applications provide.
They include features like time-tracking and virtual desks to enhance the feeling of working together. Users have the option to join focus sessions to feel more accountable for their daily performance.
Focus-enhancing apps
Apps in this niche help users stay productive with tools like Pomodoro timers, white noise, or task prioritization systems. Unlike the apps above, these ones focus on supporting people who try to keep their concentration when alone.
While the interfaces vary, these apps are highly appealing to those needing a distraction-free zone with additional positive reinforcements in the form of design features or rewards.
Final thoughts
Looking for the right niche out of all existing profitable app ideas is one of the most challenging yet fascinating processes. You decide for yourself how you want to distinguish your company from all the others — a prospect that takes more than just financial benefit. You find the problem and figure out how to solve it for your unique group of customers. And that’s the inspiration behind creating an unforgettable product.
Have an idea but don’t know how to launch it? Our team has experience with a great diversity of apps, and we know how to bring your vision to life. Feel free to reach out to us and start your journey today.
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About the author:
Alexey Shalimov, CEO at Eastern Peak
As CEO at Eastern Peak, a professional software consulting and development company, Alexey ensures top quality and cost-effective services to clients from all over the world. Alexey is also a founder and technology evangelist at several technology companies. Previously, as a CEO of the Gett (GetTaxi) technology company, Alexey was in charge of developing the revolutionary Gett service from ground up and deploying the operation across the globe from New York to London and Tel Aviv.
