App revenue calculator by Top Grossing rank

#How the calculator estimates revenue

Apple doesn't publish what any app earns. It does publish the Top Grossing chart, which ranks apps by how much money they make through the App Store each day. The calculator turns a rank into money with the same model Fledly uses everywhere it shows revenue:

• Overall #1 ≈ $70 million a month of gross US consumer spending.
• From #1 to #100, revenue falls as rank^−0.75: #10 makes about a sixth of #1, #100 about a thirtieth.
• Below #100, it falls faster, as rank⁻¹: #1,000 makes a tenth of #100. Apps deep in the chart earn less than a gentle curve would suggest.
• Every estimate is shown as a range from a third to three times the middle value.

The full reasoning, the sources for the two numbers and the honest error bars are in How much do iPhone apps make at each Top Grossing rank?

#Category ranks

Most apps never reach the overall top 100, but they do chart in their category. To use a category rank, the calculator first converts it to an overall rank, using the apps that were on both charts on October 27, 2026. For Health & Fitness, for example, #1 ≈ overall #47 and #10 ≈ overall #154.

That works for categories with several apps high on the overall chart: Entertainment, Games, Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, Photo & Video, Productivity, Social Networking and Sports. For the others, such as Food & Drink, Finance, Education or Utilities, no app reached the overall top 100, so the calculator says so instead of inventing a number.

#What the numbers don't tell you

• Gross isn't what the developer keeps. Apple keeps 15% in the Small Business Program (under $1 million a year) and on subscriptions after their first year, 30% otherwise. Refunds and taxes come off too.
• Revenue isn't profit. Many apps high on the chart spend much of what they earn on ads. Our guide on how to tell if an app buys its growth shows the signals.
• US only. Other App Store countries have their own charts and far smaller totals. Fledly's estimates cover the US store.
• Not calibrated against real sales. If you know an app's real revenue and its rank on the same day, that's the best check of the curve there is. We'd like to hear about it: hello@fledly.app.

Fledly applies this model every day to every app on the US Top Grossing charts, and lists the young apps that already earn and the app ideas they prove. Try Fledly free.

#Frequently asked questions

#How much does the #1 app on the App Store make?

By Fledly's model, the US #1 Top Grossing iPhone app takes in roughly $70 million a month in gross consumer spending, with a likely range of about $23 million to $210 million. Nobody outside Apple and the developer knows the exact number.

#How much does an app in the top 100 grossing make?

About $2.2 million a month at overall #100 in the US, by this model, with a likely range of about $740,000 to $6.6 million. At #10 it is about $12 million a month.

#What rank do I need to make $10,000 a month from an iPhone app?

Keeping $10,000 a month after a 15% commission takes about $11,800 a month in gross US revenue. That is roughly overall #18,800 by this model, far below the public chart. Most apps that earn this never appear on Top Grossing.

#Is this calculator accurate?

It gives an order of magnitude, not a figure. The real revenue at a given rank can easily be a third or three times the middle estimate, and it changes by day of the week and season. Use it to compare apps and markets, not to forecast your own income.