10 Shopify App Success Stories [2024]
Here are some real life success stories of starting a shopify app:
1. SuperLemon ($348K/year)
After 2 failed startups, the founders set their sights on working on something people want and are ready to pay for. Their priority even before they had decided on the idea for the product was to find an audience, a group of people who faced a problem, and who currently pay for a software tool to solve their problem. App marketplaces were a way to mitigate some of this risk.
They had some prior experience with building a Shopify store, and also had a friend who built a $20k/mo Shopify app without any employees.
To find problems worth solving, they browsed the entire Shopify app store, which at the time had 3,000+ apps. Going through every single app, jotting down interesting ones, especially ones that had poor reviews indicating that they could do a better job at solving the same problem, and picked 5 out of the 100s of those ideas they identified, based on their goals and constraints:
- An existing problem that people were already paying for
- Existing apps weren’t doing the best possible job at solving customer’s needs
- The app had the potential to grow to at least $3k in MRR, which after costs would allow the founders to live comfortably in Bengaluru
How much they make: $348K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
Current team size: 0
SuperLemon, a WhatsApp plugin for Shopify eCommerce stores, crossed $29,000 in MRR as of July 2020, with 20,000 users from 50+ countries and 1700+ paying customers, all acquired through organic marketing strategies and a relentless focus on customer service and satisfaction.
2. Cinquanta Cox-Smith ($120K/year)
Cinquanta Cox-Smith, a Multipreneur from South Carolina, stumbled upon the Print On Demand industry 12 years ago when she wanted to create a unique shirt and discovered Spreadshirt.com. Through her creativity and networking skills, she found success in designing and selling catchy, conversation-starting shirts. This eventually led her to create multiple POD brands on various platforms, generating an impressive $120k per year in revenue.
How much they make: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
Current team size: 1
A multipreneur shares how she built a successful print on demand side hustle, generating $120,000 per year through multiple brands spread over various platforms.
So... can you actually make money with a shopify app?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
3. Analyzify ($144K/year)
DataPack, the founder's productized offer for data-analytics-related projects, had received too many requests from Shopify stores. So they decided to create a standalone product for the Shopify market.
How much they make: $144K/year
How much did it cost to start: $6K
Current team size: 3
Analyzify.app is a Shopify app that helps enable accurate and reliable data tracking and generates $12K+/month with over 350 stores empowered, thanks to a freemium version on YouTube and exceptional customer support.
4. Exto.io ($1.15M/year)
market research and validation before launching our product. We assumed that the demand would be there based on our own beliefs and experiences in the industry, but it turned out that we needed to make adjustments and improvements based on customer feedback. This taught us the importance of listening to our customers and constantly iterating on our product to meet their needs.
How much they make: $1.15M/year
How much did it cost to start: $80K
Current team size: 10
Exto.io's CEO and founder shares how they grew their flagship product, Recom.ai, into a full-fledged marketing tool with a $96K monthly turnover, attracting a diverse range of customers from small mom-and-pop shops to enterprise companies using a performance marketing approach and prioritizing customer feedback.
So... can you actually make money with a shopify app?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
5. Rush - Ship, Track, Notify ($240K/year)
providing value and a unique experience through our app. We listen to our ideal customers and constantly work to improve and meet their needs. We also prioritize building strong customer relationships and offering exceptional customer support. As a result, we have received positive feedback and reviews, which has helped to attract new customers and retain existing ones. Additionally, our blog has been a valuable resource for e-commerce-related topics, further attracting traffic and potential customers to our website.
How much they make: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $300K
Current team size: 9
Rush co-founder Kiril Kirilov has developed an all-in-one post-purchase solution for Shopify businesses that has achieved $20k in monthly recurring revenue, boasting impressive last mile updates and notifications, customizable tracking pages, and upselling and cross-selling options.
So... can you actually make money with a shopify app?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
6. Widebundle ($480K/year)
He used Shopify Facebook Groups and communities to read people’s problems and questions, add comments, and start conversations. It’s a long job that only a few people want to do, but it works.
At some point, Matt found 3 people who wanted the same thing but it didn’t exist in the Shopify App Store. They wanted features from a bundled app that didn’t exist. And if 3 people want it, maybe there are more.
How much they make: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $300
Current team size: 5
WideBundle is a Shopify App founded in May 2020, that has grown to making over $40,000 monthly, with 5 people working full-time, and helps Shopify merchants create bundles and offers to increase their average order value.
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
