30 Educational App Business Ideas You Can Start Today [2023]

30 Educational App Business Ideas You Can Start Today [2023]

Interested in starting a educational app business in 2023?

We put together 30 of the best educational app businesses you can start in today.

For each business idea, we’ll show you real-world examples of other educational app businesses to help you see what it really takes.

Here's the full list:

1. Start a language learning app ($224K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$9,000 — $13,500,000/month
Skills

Alex Chernikov from Berlin, Germany started Gikken ago, a language learning app.

  • Revenue: $18,635/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 1
  • Location: Berlin, Germany

Case Study

Gikken’s foundation was laid in 2011 or so. I don’t remember the exact year but I was in high school. I was amidst my most active English learning years. I was trying to read as many articles, blogs, essays, etc in English as possible. At some point, an idea that it’d be great to double click on words to get them translated right there struck me. It was the early days of Google Chrome that wasn’t the most popular browser yet. And, I think it already could translate pages entirely, but it was totally useless for me because when I can understand 80% of the text, why would I translate it entirely? It’s also terrible for mastering a language. Guessing the meanings of words from the context works better for memorizing new vocabulary. The more effort your brain takes, the stronger neural connections are.

So, physiology aside, I wanted a fast way to translate single words I didn’t understand or double-check sentences. The previous flow involved copying it, switching to a new tab with Google Translate opened there, translating it, and then switching back. Terribly inefficient and annoying when you have to do it 10 times per article, 100 times per day.

By the time I was obsessed with this idea, I could already easily implement anything I wanted on the web. I started coding at 13, so I had already at least 2 or so years of experience with copycatting news portals, trying to build my social network (who didn’t!), and reinventing a few popular JavaScript libraries. It was the early days of not only Google Chrome but also Chrome Web Store—the extension store. I made an extension that I needed for my own needs, called Instant Translate, and uploaded it to the Chrome Web Store. Uncunningly, the timing was perfect for organic growth through the store as Instant Translate happened to be one of the first extensions there. The 15-year-old me knew something only about building apps but absolutely nothing about turning them into a business. Thus, I relied on "organic growth". In other words, routinely checking analytics and praying that it grew. I did nothing more than that for the first few years.

how-we-started-a-18k-month-app-and-browser-extensions-development-business

2. Start a vocabulary app business

Examples of a successful vocabulary app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a vocabulary app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a vocabulary app business ➜

3. Start a flashcard app business

How Much Can You Make?
$13,500,000/month
Skills

Examples of a successful flashcard app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a flashcard app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a flashcard app business ➜

Case Study

In 2000, Luis von Ahn was starting his PhD in computer science when he attended a talk and happened to learn about one of Yahoo's biggest problems: automated bots were signing up for millions of free Yahoo email accounts, and generating tons of spam. Luis' idea to solve this problem became CAPTCHA, the squiggly letters we type into a website to prove we're human. He gave away that idea for free, but years later, that same idea had evolved into a new way to monetize language learning on the web, and became Duolingo. Today, the popular app is valued at $1.5 billion, and is seeing a big spike in growth while people are confined to their homes.

4. Start a study time app business

How Much Can You Make?
$3,735,000/month
Skills

Examples of a successful study time app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a study time app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a study time app business ➜

Case Study

In 2009, Sal Khan walked away from a high-paying job to start a business that had no way of making money. His idea to launch a non-profit teaching platform was ignited five years earlier when he was helping his young cousins do math homework over the computer. They loved his clear explanations and soon he was posting free tutorials on Youtube, where they started to attract the attention of thousands of users around the world. Sal realized he could help democratize learning by building a free platform to teach math, science, and the humanities. Today, Khan Academy offers hundreds of free recorded tutorials in dozens of languages. During the pandemic, its popularity surged to 30 million users a month. Order the How I Built This book at: https://smarturl.it/HowIBuiltThis

article

Read the full story on npr.org ➜

5. Start a dictionary app business

How Much Can You Make?
$13,083,333/month
Skills

Examples of a successful dictionary app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a dictionary app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a dictionary app business ➜

Case Study

During the dot com boom of the late 1990s, Jimmy Wales was running an internet search company. That's when he began to experiment with the idea of an online encyclopedia. In 2001, Wales launched Wikipedia, a website where thousands of community members could contribute, edit, and monitor content on just about anything. Today, the non-profit has stayed true to its open-source roots and is the fifth most visited website in the world. PLUS in our postscript "How You Built That," how Florence Wetterwald created Blabla dolls – eco-friendly knitted dolls made in Peru.

article

Read the full story on npr.org ➜

6. Start a cloud-based attendance app business

Examples of a successful cloud-based attendance app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a cloud-based attendance app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a cloud-based attendance app business ➜

article

7. Start a poem learning app business ($900K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$75,000/month
Skills

Examples of a successful poem learning app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a poem learning app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a poem learning app business ➜

Case Study

I’m Laura Bresko, an edtech entrepreneur for the past 25 years. I’ve had several successful companies during that time. My partner and I sold/exited our last edtech company in late 2017.

Students prefer to do their homework, classroom handouts, practice, etc. on TeacherMade because they get instant feedback on how well they scored. Educators love it because the app auto-grades student work and makes giving timely feedback to students a reality. Though we are still in the early days, TeacherMade is a fast-growing addition to the classroom.

creating-a-platform-for-digitizing-classroom-activities-and-making-900k-year

8. Start a grammar checking app business

Examples of a successful grammar checking app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a grammar checking app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a grammar checking app business ➜

article

9. Start a student's progress tracking app business

Examples of a successful student's progress tracking app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a student's progress tracking app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a student's progress tracking app business ➜

article

10. Start a calculator app business

Examples of a successful calculator app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a calculator app business:

Learn more about starting a calculator app business ➜

article

11. Start a tutor finder app business

Examples of a successful tutor finder app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a tutor finder app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a tutor finder app business ➜

article

12. Start an educational app development business

Examples of a successful educational app development business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a educational app development business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an educational app development business ➜

article

13. Start a preschool educational app business

Examples of a successful preschool educational app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a preschool educational app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a preschool educational app business ➜

article

14. Start a student's to-do list app business

How Much Can You Make?
$3,735,000/month
Skills

Examples of a successful student's to-do list app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a student's to-do list app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a student's to-do list app business ➜

Case Study

In 2009, Sal Khan walked away from a high-paying job to start a business that had no way of making money. His idea to launch a non-profit teaching platform was ignited five years earlier when he was helping his young cousins do math homework over the computer. They loved his clear explanations and soon he was posting free tutorials on Youtube, where they started to attract the attention of thousands of users around the world. Sal realized he could help democratize learning by building a free platform to teach math, science, and the humanities. Today, Khan Academy offers hundreds of free recorded tutorials in dozens of languages. During the pandemic, its popularity surged to 30 million users a month. Order the How I Built This book at: https://smarturl.it/HowIBuiltThis

article

Read the full story on npr.org ➜

15. Start an ebook reading app business

How Much Can You Make?
$17,000/month
Skills

Examples of a successful ebook reading app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a ebook reading app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an ebook reading app business ➜

Case Study

In the year 2016, we had negligible revenue from the blog but the blog has grown substantially since then. Our average revenue is about $17K per month. Our gross profit margin is about 80% since we maintain a very small team and there are no physical products. Our target is to achieve 100% revenue growth by the end of next year.

how-i-started-a-17k-month-business-selling-project-management-ebooks-and-courses

16. Start an educational games & quizzes app business

How Much Can You Make?
$3,735,000 — $13,500,000/month
Skills

Examples of a successful educational games & quizzes app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a educational games & quizzes app business:

Learn more about starting an educational games & quizzes app business ➜

Case Study

In 2000, Luis von Ahn was starting his PhD in computer science when he attended a talk and happened to learn about one of Yahoo's biggest problems: automated bots were signing up for millions of free Yahoo email accounts, and generating tons of spam. Luis' idea to solve this problem became CAPTCHA, the squiggly letters we type into a website to prove we're human. He gave away that idea for free, but years later, that same idea had evolved into a new way to monetize language learning on the web, and became Duolingo. Today, the popular app is valued at $1.5 billion, and is seeing a big spike in growth while people are confined to their homes.

17. Start a homework reminder app business

How Much Can You Make?
$13,500,000/month
Skills

Examples of a successful homework reminder app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a homework reminder app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a homework reminder app business ➜

Case Study

In 2000, Luis von Ahn was starting his PhD in computer science when he attended a talk and happened to learn about one of Yahoo's biggest problems: automated bots were signing up for millions of free Yahoo email accounts, and generating tons of spam. Luis' idea to solve this problem became CAPTCHA, the squiggly letters we type into a website to prove we're human. He gave away that idea for free, but years later, that same idea had evolved into a new way to monetize language learning on the web, and became Duolingo. Today, the popular app is valued at $1.5 billion, and is seeing a big spike in growth while people are confined to their homes.

18. Start a career guidance app business

How Much Can You Make?
$15,000 — $50,000/month
Skills

Examples of a successful career guidance app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a career guidance app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a career guidance app business ➜

Case Study

Hi, my name is Biron Clark and I’m the founder of Career Sidekick. We’re a job search advice website that’s read by millions of people per year, and we’re a multiple six-figure per year business.

The website earns approximately $25,000 per month and I’m the only full-time employee.

how-i-started-a-25k-month-job-search-advice-website

19. Start an education app business for children with autism

Examples of a successful education app business for children with autism:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a education app business for children with autism:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an education app business for children with autism ➜

article

20. Start an exam app business

Examples of a successful exam app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a exam app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an exam app business ➜

article

21. Start a math problem-solving app business

Examples of a successful math problem-solving app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a math problem-solving app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a math problem-solving app business ➜

article

22. Start an AR-based educational app business

Examples of a successful AR-based educational app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a AR-based educational app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an AR-based educational app business ➜

article

23. Start a storytelling app business

Examples of a successful storytelling app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a storytelling app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a storytelling app business ➜

article

24. Start a student community app business

Examples of a successful student community app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a student community app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a student community app business ➜

article

25. Start a competitive exams app business

Examples of a successful competitive exams app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a competitive exams app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a competitive exams app business ➜

article

26. Start a self-note app business

Examples of a successful self-note app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a self-note app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a self-note app business ➜

article

27. Start a school bus app business

Examples of a successful school bus app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a school bus app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a school bus app business ➜

article

28. Start a puzzle app business

Examples of a successful puzzle app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a puzzle app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a puzzle app business ➜

article

29. Start a question & answer app business

Examples of a successful question & answer app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a question & answer app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a question & answer app business ➜

article

30. Start an audio book summary app business

Examples of a successful audio book summary app business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a audio book summary app business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an audio book summary app business ➜

article

Pat Walls,  Founder of Starter Story
Want to find more ideas that make money?

Hey! 👋 I'm Pat Walls, the founder of Starter Story.

Get our 5-minute email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.

meet the author
Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.