How Google Play apps make money
Every Google Play listing says whether the app costs money, shows ads or sells things inside. APK Nimbus collects those facts for 4.1M apps, so you can see which model wins in a category before you pick one: paid up front, ad-supported, in-app purchases or all of them at once.
1,000 free tokens a month, no card needed.
- 1Meowdoku: Brain Puzzle GamesOakever Games
- 2Block Blast!HungryStudio
- 3Rotate RingsNebula Studio
- 4Gossip Harbor: Merge & StoryMicrofun Limited
- 5Magic Sort!Grand Games A.Ş.
Four ways to earn on Google Play
Google Play apps earn in a handful of ways, and the listing shows which ones an app uses. Put those labels next to installs and ratings for a whole category and the economics of that market become visible.
- Paid up front. The app has a price;
pricing.freeis false andpricing.priceholds it. - Ads. The listing carries “Contains ads”; the API returns
pricing.contains_ads. - In-app purchases. Subscriptions, items and unlocks, with the price range per item in
pricing.iap_range. - Grossing rank. The top grossing charts show who turns installs into revenue, country by country.
Ad-free hits that sell in-app
Most installed paid apps
Top grossing puzzle games in the United States
Full chart| # | App | Installs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Gossip Harbor: Merge & StoryMicrofun Limited | 100M+ |
| 2 |  Royal MatchDream Games, Ltd. | 100M+ |
| 3 |  Royal KingdomDream Games, Ltd. | 100M+ |
| 4 |  Toon BlastPeak | 100M+ |
| 5 |  FishdomPlayrix | 100M+ |
| 6 |  Match Factory!Peak | 10M+ |
| 7 |  Yarn LoopCombo Game | 1M+ |
| 8 |  Travel Town - Merge AdventureMagmatic Games LTD | 50M+ |
| 9 |  Pixel Flow!Loom Games A.Ş. | 10M+ |
| 10 |  Mystery Town: Merge GamesCedar Games Studio | 5M+ |
Comparing models with the API
- Get a key. Sign up on apknimbus.com with an email, no card; the key is in the cabinet with free monthly tokens.
- Pick a category. For example
category=HEALTH_AND_FITNESS&min_installs=100000. - Split by model. Run it with
free=false, then withads=true, then withiap=true&ads=false, and compare the totals. - Check revenue. Look the leaders up in
/charts?collection=grossingto see which model reaches the grossing top.
Who studies app monetization
- Founders and product managers choosing between a price, ads and a subscription.
- Ad networks and mediation platforms sizing the ad-supported part of a category.
- Investors checking whether a category actually pays.
- Analysts following how the mix of models changes over time.
Guides
All guides- Google Play monetization models compared with data
Paid, ad-supported, in-app purchases or a mix: how to measure which model dominates a category.
- Paid apps on Google Play: who still charges up front
Which categories still sell apps for a price, what they charge, and how to list them.
An independent Google Play data service
APK Nimbus on apknimbus.com is part of the APK API network: it reads the public Google Play listing for 4.1M apps and refreshes it every night. It is an independent service, not affiliated with Google, and it serves metadata only: apknimbus.com does not host, distribute or link to APK files. The brand main site is apkapi.com, where the same API, documentation and account live.
App monetization: questions
What is APK Nimbus?
APK Nimbus (apknimbus.com) is a Google Play monetization dataset built on the APK API. For 4.1M apps it shows whether the app is paid, shows ads or offers in-app purchases, with prices, installs, ratings and grossing chart positions.
Is apknimbus.com an official APK API site?
Yes. apknimbus.com is part of the APK API network, and the brand main site is apkapi.com. A key created on apknimbus.com uses the same APK API, so it works across the network for keys, billing and documentation.
Does APK Nimbus show how much an app earns?
No. Google Play does not publish revenue. APK Nimbus shows the business model from the listing and the position in top grossing charts, which tells you who earns most, not how much.
Where do the price and ad flags come from?
From the public Google Play listing. Developers declare ads and in-app purchases in the Play Console, the store shows them, and APK Nimbus records them every night.
Can I compare models across a category?
Yes. Run the same category query with free=false, ads=true and iap=true and compare the totals and the leaders. Each query is one list call of up to 100 apps for 2 tokens.
Is APK Nimbus free?
Yes, to start. An account on apknimbus.com includes free monthly tokens with no card; token packs raise the limits for large studies.
Can I download APK files from apknimbus.com?
No. APK Nimbus is a Google Play metadata service: prices, flags, installs, ratings and charts. It does not host, distribute or link to APK files; the answers are JSON, not binaries.
