As of 16 October 2026, the category that earns the most for recent apps from small publishers is Entertainment: it takes 29% of the estimated revenue of 1,339 apps released since 2025 that make at least $10,000 a month. Productivity follows with 11%, then Utilities with 10%: they are the most numerous, at 202 apps, but their median revenue is lower. For your odds of passing $100,000 a month, Entertainment leads too (33% of apps), ahead of Business (32%, from only 22 apps), Photo & Video and Productivity (24% each).
This article doesn't follow one app. It compares App Store categories: where the money goes, where it is most widely shared, and what that means when you pick your niche.
How did we count?
We started from non-game apps released since January 1, 2025 whose publisher has at most five apps, with between 100 and 50,000 ratings and at least $10,000 a month in revenue according to Victoire's October 2026 estimates. That gives 1,403 apps. We removed 60 listings created before 2023 and re-released since, which aren't really new apps, three apps from large groups and one app that has since been reclassified as a game. That leaves 1,339 apps, grouped by their current primary App Store category.
These revenues are rounded estimates of worldwide gross revenue over one month, not measurements. Together, the 1,339 apps make about $106 million a month; median revenue is $30,000, 249 apps (19%) pass $100,000 and 11 reach at least $1 million.
Which app category makes the most money?
- Entertainment28.6%
- Productivity10.6%
- Utilities10%
- Photo & Video8.7%
- Health & Fitness7.2%
- Lifestyle6.3%
- Education6%
- Books4.4%
Entertainment alone takes more than a quarter of revenue, about $30 million a month across 172 apps. Two kinds of apps dominate it: short drama series made for phones, and AI-driven chats with characters or interactive stories. Of the 20 top-earning Entertainment apps, 16 belong to one of these two families, such as BlinkDrama for short dramas or Heyyyy for stories that text you back.
Productivity comes second, driven by AI assistants and tools. Utilities follow closely, but their revenue is more spread out: 202 apps, the most crowded category, for 10% of revenue. Next come Photo & Video, led by image and video generators, and Health & Fitness.
Which category gives you the best odds of earning well?
A category's total doesn't tell the whole story: a few big hits can inflate it. Median revenue and the share of apps above $100,000 a month give a better idea of what to expect.
| Category | Apps | Share of revenue | Median revenue | Apps at $100,000+ | Median revenue per download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entertainment | 172 | 28.6% | $40,000 | 33% | $3.00 |
| Productivity | 101 | 10.6% | $40,000 | 24% | $1.50 |
| Utilities | 202 | 10.0% | $30,000 | 14% | $1.00 |
| Photo & Video | 94 | 8.7% | $40,000 | 24% | $1.50 |
| Health & Fitness | 120 | 7.2% | $30,000 | 22% | $2.00 |
| Lifestyle | 126 | 6.3% | $30,000 | 15% | $1.71 |
| Education | 98 | 6.0% | $30,000 | 15% | $1.60 |
| Books | 52 | 4.4% | $40,000 | 12% | $2.62 |
| Social Networking | 71 | 3.4% | $40,000 | 17% | $2.00 |
| Business | 22 | 1.9% | $40,000 | 32% | $2.00 |
| Finance | 23 | 0.7% | $20,000 | 4% | $0.80 |
| Navigation | 25 | 0.7% | $20,000 | 0% | $1.00 |
Three takeaways:
Entertainment ticks the most boxes. One of the highest median revenues ($40,000), the largest share of apps above $100,000 (one in three) and the best revenue per download in the table, $3 at the median.
Utilities are plentiful but earn less per user. Their median revenue per download is $1, a third of Entertainment's: you need a lot of installs to earn well.
Some small categories surprise. Business has only 22 apps, but 32% pass $100,000 (document scanners, fax apps, printing from your phone). With so few apps, that figure is fragile. Finance and Navigation, on the other hand, have a median revenue of $20,000 and almost no app above $100,000.
Revenue per download is the median ratio of estimated revenue to estimated downloads for the month, two rounded figures: it gives an order of magnitude, not a price.
Which apps earn the most in each category?
- 1BlinkDrama - Short Dramas≈ $3MEntertainment
- 2Pocket - AI Personal Assistant≈ $3MProductivity
- 3Scroll The Bible≈ $2MBooks
- 4Shots: Photo & Video Generator≈ $1MPhoto & Video
- 5Midoo: Learn English & Spanish≈ $900kEducation
- 6WHIF: Romance AI Chat≈ $600kLifestyle
- 7MeAgain: GLP-1 Tracker App≈ $500kHealth & Fitness
- 8myCar: Car Widgets & Dashboard≈ $500kUtilities
The category a publisher picks doesn't always say what the app does. WHIF, filed under Lifestyle, is a romance chat with characters, very close to the Entertainment apps. A single app can also weigh heavily in a small category: Scroll The Bible alone accounts for 43% of the Books category's revenue. So look at what the winning apps do, not just the label on their category.
What about apps aimed at France?
Of the 1,339 apps, 36 have France as their main market. They cluster in Health & Fitness (8 apps) and Education (7), such as Campus Coach, a running and trail coach, or Baobab, a revision tool for students. The top earner reaches $200,000 a month: the French market alone can support a good living from an app, but rarely a big hit.
How to choose your category in 5 steps
Start from median revenue, not the total. A category with a big total can hide two or three hits. Median revenue and the share of apps above $100,000 tell you what an ordinary app earns there.
Look at revenue per download. At $1 per download, as in Utilities, you need three times as many installs as at $3 for the same revenue. Plan your acquisition accordingly.
Go down to the niche. Within one category, short dramas and character chats have nothing in common. Write down the five top earners for your exact idea, then follow the ones rising on the trends page.
Check the cost of running it. A short-drama app has to pay for filmed episodes; an AI chat pays for every message it generates. A utility is cheap to run but sells for less.
Pick your App Store category carefully. It decides which charts you appear in. A character chat app can go under Entertainment or Lifestyle: look at where your competitors are and where competition is thinnest.
What are the risks?
The most profitable categories are also the most scrutinized
Character chats and dating apps draw Apple's attention to content and user age. The App Store guidelines require moderation of user-generated content (guideline 1.2) and an accurate age rating (guideline 2.3.6): build them into your first version.
A big total can hide fierce competition
Short dramas earn a lot, but the genre is dominated by publishers who buy rights and film episodes at scale. Without a content budget, a clone has nothing to show.
Estimates are still estimates
The figures in this article are rounded estimates over one month. A handful of apps can shift a small category such as Business; use them to compare orders of magnitude, not to forecast your revenue.
Frequently asked questions
Which app category makes the most money in 2026?
Entertainment: 29% of the estimated revenue of the 1,339 small-publisher apps released since 2025 that make at least $10,000 a month, driven by short dramas and character chats. Next come Productivity (11%), Utilities (10%) and Photo & Video (9%).
Which category gives the best odds of passing $100,000 a month?
Entertainment, with 33% of apps above that line, then Business (32%, but from only 22 apps), Photo & Video and Productivity (24% each).
Are utility apps still a good idea?
Yes, if you aim for volume. It's the most crowded category (202 apps) and takes 10% of revenue, but median revenue per download there is only $1.
How much does a recent small-publisher app make?
Among the apps in the sample, which all make at least $10,000 a month, estimated median revenue is $30,000 a month. 19% pass $100,000 and 11 apps reach at least $1 million.
Which category should you target for a French audience?
Among the 36 apps in the sample whose main market is France, Health & Fitness and Education are the most represented, with 8 and 7 apps.
