[078]Worth trackingApp Store · Google Play · TikTokWeekly subscription + credit packsData as of 2026-11-08
Don't: generic AI selfie / photo-retouch / video-generation apps, $7–15 weekly subscriptions
C
Skip generic AI selfie / photo-editing / video shells. The money is real, but these usually peak within about two months, and by the time you see one it's already at the top.13 generic shells with public revenue, 11 of which were below 55% of their peak within October (median 31%), and 11 are listed for sale. In the same period, those built for specific audiences (pets, makeup, car modding), 6 of them, 5 were still above 80% of peak. If you go into AI generation, go vertical.Worth studying · grade and headline drawn from the full article · next review 12-01
| Background | On TrustMRR, Boothie hit $56k monthly revenue in four months and listed for $1.5M. Similar new apps are also posting strong numbers. |
|---|---|
| Upside | Nothing here for small teams. Traffic comes from a repeatable TikTok account network or a paid-acquisition budget. A 'feel' gets copied within weeks. |
| Demand | Users want 'me, but better-looking.' Models often change the face. Reviews focus on 'this isn't me' and weekly subscriptions plus trial charges. |
| Competition | Turkish, Hong Kong and Vietnamese app factories buying paid acquisition; in the US store's Photo & Video Top Grossing top 200, 2026 are new launches, and 17 of 5 are from Turkish companies |
| Revenue | The median general shell peaked 2 months after it started earning, with 31% of peak left by October. Lenz has 60 million views and $35k cumulative. |
| Growth | Indie devs use TikTok persona-account carousels (self-reported zero ads). Factories re-invest heavily in Meta, and veterans self-report ROAS of 1.53 and CPA of $34. |
| Window | Doesn't exist for generic shells. A single style's window lasts a few weeks. Whether Boothie is over the top depends on November's full revenue. |
| Who it's for | App shops with an ad team and cash flow that can swap in a new batch of templates every two weeks. Solo indie devs should stick to vertical audiences. |
Latest
- 11-08GLOWY (glowy.pics, AI professional headshots and portraits, paid per credit pack) made $10,730,11-03 in its first 30 days, with daily revenue of $1,546–4,836 at peak. Over the last 7 days it rose from $5,692 to $10,726. Traffic comes from Instagram, TikTok, X, and Reddit, not Meta paid ads. Whether this is a launch spike or real retention will be clear by late November.
- 11-07GLOWY (glowy.pics) passed $10K in daily revenue for the first time on day 30 ($10,730). Before 11-02 it made only a few to a few dozen dollars a day, then from 11-03 it jumped to $1,546–4,836 a day, with traffic from Instagram, TikTok, X and Reddit, and it sells per-use credits rather than a weekly subscription. This looks more like a launch or ad-spend spike than retention; whether it's a spike or real retention depends on whether it falls back in late November.