How to find app ideas in App Store reviews

The hardest part of a new app is knowing if anyone wants it. App reviews help with that. They are thousands of people telling you, in public, what they wish an app did better. You just have to read them with the right eyes.

This guide shows you a simple way to mine reviews for ideas, and how to check an idea before you spend months on it.

Why are app reviews a good place to find ideas?

Reviews show real problems from real users, in their own words. Nobody writes a 2-star review for fun. They write it because something got in their way. That pain is the seed of an idea.

Reviews also tell you a lot about the market:

• People already use this. If an app has lots of reviews, lots of people use it. If it sells a plan, some of them pay.
• You can see what's missing. Wishes and complaints point to the gap.
• You get the words to use. The exact phrases users write make great copy for your own landing page.

Which apps should you study?

Pick a category you know or care about. Then study three kinds of apps in it:

1. The leaders. The top apps in the category. Their reviews show what the whole market wants and doesn't get.
2. The middle. Apps with a fair number of ratings but not at the top. They often have one clear weakness.
3. The fading. Apps whose recent reviews are worse than old ones. Something broke, and users are looking for a way out.

You can browse apps by category on our app category pages, or browse recent teardowns to see what users say about popular apps.

What should you look for in reviews?

Look for phrases that repeat across many reviews. One person's wish is a data point. The same wish from many people is a pattern.

Pay most attention to 2- and 3-star reviews. 1-star reviews are often about one bad day. 5-star reviews tell you what to keep. The middle is where people say "I like this, but..." That "but" is your idea.

How do you turn a complaint into an idea?

Rewrite each complaint as a job the user is trying to get done. This is called a job to be done. Use this form:

When I [situation], I want to [action], so I can [result].

Here's a made-up example. Say many reviews of a meditation app say: "I just want a timer and bells. Why do I need a subscription?" The job might be:

When I sit down to meditate, I want a simple timer with a soft bell, so I can focus without paying monthly for courses I don't use.

Now the idea is clear. A tiny, calm timer app with a fair one-time price. You didn't invent the need. You found it.

How do you know if the idea is worth building?

Check the gap from a few angles before you write code. Use this list:

• Many people raise the same pain, not just a few.
• The pain shows up in more than one app.
• The big apps have ignored it for a while, or can't fix it without hurting their business.
• People already pay to solve the problem, even badly.
• You can reach these users, for example in a subreddit or a forum.
• You can build a first version in weeks, not months.

If you tick most boxes, the idea is worth a test. If you only tick one or two, keep looking.

A free App Teardown speeds this up. It reads an app's latest reviews and lists what users love, hate and want. It ends with the opportunity it sees. Run it on three or four apps in a category, and the gaps jump out. You can also compare two apps to see where each one falls short.

How do you test an app idea fast?

Test the promise before you build the product. Here are three quick ways:

1. A landing page. One page that names the pain in the users' own words and offers a waitlist. If people sign up, you have a signal.
2. An honest post. Describe the problem in a community where these users hang out. Ask how they handle it today. Don't spam links. Read the replies.
3. A rough prototype. A clickable mockup or a tiny first version. Show it to five people who have the problem. Watch where they get stuck.

Keep notes on what people say. Their words will shape your app, your store page and your first reviews.

What mistakes should you avoid?

A few traps catch a lot of makers:

• Copying features. Users don't want a clone. They want the one thing the big app gets wrong, done right.
• Chasing one loud review. A long, angry review can be very persuasive. Check that others feel the same.
• Ignoring why the big app chose that path. Maybe ads pay for the free tier. Your fix needs a business model too.
• Building too much. Solve the main pain first. Add more only when users ask.

For more ideas pulled from real reviews, see our app ideas page.