Verify retention before growth
Review cohorts, active users, uninstall or churn behavior and the difference between downloads and durable engagement. A large install base can be economically weak if retention is poor.
Understand revenue model quality
Separate subscriptions, in-app purchases, advertising and services. Reconcile store or payment-system records to reported revenue and inspect refund rates.
Use the live marketplace to compare real listings against the criteria in this guide.
Check platform compliance
Review app-store standing, policy warnings, account ownership, developer-account transfer rules and dependence on platform APIs. Confirm what can actually move to a buyer.
Inspect the codebase
Review repositories, build process, dependencies, security, technical debt and deployment documentation. Identify whether the seller is the only person capable of shipping updates.
Measure support and product workload
Map bug frequency, support volume, review management and required product cadence. A seemingly passive app can require continuous compatibility work.
Assess concentration
Platform, geography, feature, customer and acquisition-channel concentration all matter. The more the business depends on one external rule set, the more downside scenarios deserve attention.