Model 1: C‑End Subscription (Monthly / Annual) This requires consistent delivery of features, content and services; otherwise users will not renew. Revenue streams generally include monthly, quarterly and annual membership plans. It demands ongoing R&D and operational investment and brings heavy user‑retention pressure. Users may churn without feature updates. Typical examples are utility, knowledge‑sharing and video‑editing apps.

Model 2: Platform Matchmaking Onboard B‑end service providers to connect supply and demand sides. Revenue streams: Annual onboarding fees / membership fees (charged to merchants), transaction commissions, traffic promotion fees.

Its advantage lies in not delivering services in‑house; third‑party providers perform the actual work. Marginal costs drop as the platform scales. The biggest challenge is cold‑start growth: you need to acquire both C‑end users and B‑end merchants simultaneously. Representative cases include service‑ordering, local‑life and skill‑trading apps.

Model 3: In‑App Mall Sell physical or virtual goods and earn profit from price margins. This covers physical e‑commerce as well as virtual products such as templates, materials and digital collectibles. Monetization is direct — revenue is generated once an order is placed. Physical‑goods operations require inventory management, supply‑chain coordination and logistics support, while virtual‑product businesses need continuous creation of digital assets.

Model 4: In‑App Advertising Ideal for free utilities, news feeds and communities with large user bases yet low individual willingness to pay. Ad formats include splash‑screen ads, feed ads, interstitial ads, and rewarded videos (unlock features by watching ads). Profit depends heavily on user volume; little revenue comes with a small user base. Many apps adopt a hybrid strategy: “free access + ads + ad‑free membership”.

Model 5: B‑End SaaS Subscription Target enterprise and business clients rather than individual consumers. Pricing models include annual fees per account, tiered package plans, and custom development service fees. Examples are store‑management, site‑inspection and enterprise office apps. Unlike C‑end subscriptions, payments come from corporations. Unit prices are higher, yet sales cycles are longer and custom requirement alignment is necessary.

Model 7: User Diversion for Offline / Private‑Domain Monetization The app itself generates no direct profit. It serves purely as a customer‑acquisition gateway, funneling users to WeChat or offline stores for final transactions. The app remains free, functioning for display and lead collection only, while actual deals are completed outside the app. This model suits traditional industries such as home renovation, education and consulting, where the app acts as a marketing tool instead of the core profit driver.

Model 8: Paid Downloads Users pay upfront to download the app. This model is largely obsolete in the domestic market but still adopted by certain utilities and games on the overseas App Store. Many premium games follow this approach, as did the once‑viral “Sileme” app earlier this year.

These are the most prevalent app monetization models. Feel free to share innovative models I may have overlooked for discussion, so all followers can learn from each other.