Should You Pursue iPhone App Ideas that are Already Taken?

Since I created my first iPhone app, I find myself consistently trying to come up with new app ideas that might be unique to the iPhone app store. Over the past two weeks I have had some great ideas and some not so great �?? but the one thing I am finding out is that no matter how unique your idea is; in many cases it has already been done. My question to you is �?? if you have an app idea that you feel strongly about but it already exists on the app store, should you pursue making your own version to compete with the current app?

My initial instinct tells me that if there were more than 3 or 4 similar apps, I would not pursue trying to compete with an already diluted market. If there were only 1 or 2 similar ideas and I felt that I could make a better version then what is currently available �?? I would definitely try and compete. Also, if there is no current free version of your idea, you could be the first to make a free version and chances are that it will get many more downloads than the paid versions of your competitors. Below is a list of ideas that I have had over the past two weeks and then a sample of the same idea that has already been taken. Would you pursue any of these?

iLie: A Gag Lie Detector App | Competition: 26 similar apps

iTaser: A Gag Taser Gun | Competition: 15 similar apps

iFakeID: Create Gag Fake ID�??s for Various States | Competition: 3 similar apps

iCoffeeWarmer: A Gag Stove Coil that Warms Your Coffee | Competition: 1 similar app

iTrafficLight: An App That Lets You Change the Traffic Lights | Competition: 2 similar apps

iSight: An Eye Test App that Show the Letters of an Eye Exam | Competition: 3 similar apps

These are just a few ideas I have had. To be honest, there are 3 or 4 other ideas that I am hesitant to mention, because I might actually pursue one of them. The traffic light idea is already made by Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income, which is funny because we both are in the same blogging world and the day after I had the idea I went to Pat�??s blog only to see that he had already made it! What are the odds of that?

As of now I have one app that is being created that has NO competition. It is a completely unique idea and that fact alone gave me the confidence to have it made by my app developer. But it took a lot of brainstorming to come up with that one idea that has no competition. Once this unique app is live on the app store, I will announce it on the Residuals and Royalties blog. I plan on marketing it using AdMobs in hopes of making it a best seller.

If you have made an app even though similar versions already existed on the app store – please comment below and let us know about your results, sales, etc. Or if you have had app ideas that you later found out were already taken – let’s hear about them!

Best regards,

Michael-John Wolfe

Tags: make money online, residual income, royalties

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7 Comments to “Should You Pursue iPhone App Ideas that are Already Taken?”

George185 5 May 2010 at 11:36 am #

Good luck with your new app. I think that offering something for free that isn’t free elsewhere is a great idea, just as long as the upfront costs are not too much.
MJ Wolfe 5 May 2010 at 5:52 pm #

Luckily, my costs were very low on this one! But that won’t stop it from being a high quality app! I am pumped for the release of this one!

MJ
Pat 11 May 2010 at 1:27 am #

Hey MJ,

Beyond the traffic light changer app, which was a totally brand new idea and have climbed the ranks because of it (sorry, I didn’t realize you had the same idea too, crazy odds!), we put out a “Anti-Theft Alarm” / security application, which definitely already had some competition. I think there are at least 10, and we came in and now we’re ranked above most of them and earning about $175-200 a day with it, at least for now.

We did put a “twist” on it (the “viper-like” alarm system), but that just shows you that you don’t have to have a totally unique idea. Plus, if there’s others out there, chances are yours will get noticed right beside theirs in a keyword search in iTunes, especially if you have a better looking iPhone app icon (which is hugely important).

I think taking existing apps that don’t have free versions, and making them free and running ads on them is very smart too, although like George said, you gotta check your development costs to see if it’s worth it.

How’s your app coming along? Has it been approved yet, and which category did you put it in?

Good luck with it! Time to have some fun!
MJ Wolfe 11 May 2010 at 4:45 am #

Hi Pat, Wow – nice earnings! I can only imagine $175 a day! My first app, iTimeOut is pretty basic and it only cost me $125. I am only making like $1 to $2 a day between downloads and AdMobs. This was more of a learning process for me. I now have a second app that, like the traffic change app will be the only one of it’s kind. I should have it out next month – it is being built right now. That is a great idea to find apps that do not have a free version and make one!

MJ
Rick M. 11 May 2010 at 7:56 am #

I don’t see a problem with submitting the same idea but with something that adds value or improves on the original. Pat’s idea of taking existing ones that aren’t free and adding ads is a great idea.

I’ve submitted a couple of ideas to Elance, but so far my ideas have been too complex. One would be a good video game for networked players. I’ll keep trying.
mhoganca 17 April 2011 at 8:14 pm #

Where can I find the actual database of apps already submitted?
Caddin 31 August 2011 at 3:42 pm #

How do you submit your idea and did you have to actually design it first? I have a great idea for an app and don’t see any competition out there with similar apps an I believe that it is an app idea that would greatly change how we use this technology.