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Pattern · 16 of 110 stories

Phone apps sold through app stores

These are mainly iPhone and Android apps. Apple or Google collects the payment in the app and keeps a commission. All of them sell subscriptions.

Phone apps sold through app stores holds 16 of the 110 stories on Aiolum: 6 run by a solo founder and 10 by a team of 2 to 10. Together they report US$66M in verified outcomes; the largest is Cal AI, Sold to MyFitnessPal, price not disclosed, December 2025. 10 headline numbers carry evidence grade A (disclosed or verified), 1 grade B (independent press) and 5 grade C (founder claim). The median story reached its headline number 14 months after launch. The founders are in 8 countries, most often USA and Canada. The most common main channel is creators and short videos (10 of 16). The tools named most often in their sources are Apple App Store (16), TikTok (11) and Google Play (10).

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The revenue trend compares the latest months in the sources with the months before them. Falling means revenue is about 15% or more below the best recent months, or the sources report a fall. The headline number is the yearly figure or the sale value on each card.

16 of 110 stories shown

AI meeting and call note-taker app · USA

Wave AI

Evidence A
US$4Mstill running, revenue flat · 16 months after launch
The product

An app for iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and the web that records meetings, phone calls and lectures, writes a transcript with the speakers identified, and then a summary with action items. A user can also ask questions about a recording. It is free for 30 minutes a month; Pro costs US$100 a year in the app stores.

Why it worked

It reached the App Store early, in July 2023, with the simplest form of the idea: press one button, get a transcript and a summary. The founder paid for Meta ads while they still worked for a new kind of app, tested paywalls constantly and moved buyers to annual plans. He works alone with AI coding tools, so in his own 2026 account about US$3 million of about US$7 million a year stays as profit.

Evidence strength3/4
Copyable pattern2/4
Capital needed2/4
Launch 26 July 2023Status November 2024Channel Paid ads Read the story
Voice notes and dictation app · Spain

Letterly

Evidence A
US$3Mstill running, revenue flat · 29 months after launch
The product

An app for iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows and the web that records speech and returns finished text: a clean note, an email, a list, a social post or a meeting summary split by speaker. A phone keyboard and a desktop dictation tool let users speak into any other app. It handles more than 90 languages and recordings of up to 90 minutes.

Why it worked

The first apps that combined OpenAI's Whisper and ChatGPT for voice notes appeared in 2023, and the founder found them "not implemented well enough". His team built a simpler one, collected early users and feature requests through lifetime deals on AppSumo in 2024, and in 2025 grew with advertising and paywall tests measured in Adapty's subscription data.

Evidence strength3/4
Copyable pattern2/4
Capital needed2/4
Launch November 2023Status April 2026Channel Paid ads Read the story
AI makeup try-on app · Canada

GlowUp

Evidence A
US$1Msold · 5 months after launch
The product

An iPhone app for makeup. The user uploads a selfie without makeup and a photo of a makeup look, for example from TikTok or Instagram. The app's AI applies that look to the user's own face, then gives a step-by-step routine and a list of products to buy. It is free to download and paid for with subscriptions through the App Store.

Why it worked

Its result is a before-and-after picture of the user's own face, which a short video shows in seconds. The founder chose TikTok as the channel before he built the app, then tripled revenue from almost the same installs by moving and testing the paywall with Adapty.

Evidence strength3/4
Copyable pattern2/4
Capital needed1/4
Launch 15 October 2024Exit March 2025Channel Creators and short videos Read the story
AI calorie tracker app that estimates the nutrition of a meal from a photo · France

Calyra

Evidence A
US$506,567still running, revenue falling · 14 months after launch
The product

An iPhone and Android app that estimates calories, macronutrients and micronutrients from a photo of a meal, with a barcode scanner for packaged food and a log of weight and BMI. It is free to download; the service needs a subscription after a 3-day free trial, at US$9.99 a month or US$49.99 a year in the US store.

Why it worked

One founder released it in August 2025, after Cal AI, released in April 2024, had shown that photo calorie counting sells. It has a hard paywall, a short trial and cheap yearly plans. It appears to have started in France: the French App Store shows 598 ratings against 138 in the US store. The owner lists TikTok as the only marketing channel.

Evidence strength3/4
Copyable pattern2/4
Capital needed2/4
Launch 12 August 2025Status October 2026Channel Creators and short videos Read the story
AI boxing coach app that scores training video · USA

Brawler

Evidence A
US$271,200still running, revenue growing · 5 months after launch
The product

An iPhone app that coaches boxing. The user uploads a video of shadowboxing, bag work or sparring, and the AI scores the technique in seven areas (stance and balance, guard, footwork, punch selection, combinations, head movement, range control) with corrections and drills. It also has an AI chat coach, training programs, a punch callout mode with audio cues, a round timer, AI food logging from a photo, a barcode or voice, and a weight-cut mode. Every feature needs a subscription.

Why it worked

It moved the structure of the founder's first app, Wrestle AI, to boxing, a sport that people can train alone: an AI breakdown of a training video, a calorie tracker and a weight-cut mode, all behind a subscription at the same prices. Users came from Meta ads and influencers, according to the founder's TrustMRR profile, with a self-reported marketing spend of US$10,000 a month.

Evidence strength3/4
Copyable pattern2/4
Capital needed2/4
Launch 1 May 2026Status October 2026Channel Creators and short videos Read the story
iPhone app that turns voice memos into carousels and posts · Georgia

Draft AI

Evidence A
US$259,332still running, revenue falling · 14 months after launch
The product

An iPhone app that turns a voice memo of 30 seconds to 2 minutes into an Instagram or LinkedIn carousel, a reel or TikTok script, a thread for X, story scripts and hooks. It places the text on templates and exports PNG images or a PDF. It can also learn the user's writing style, suggest post ideas, and turn a pasted video link into the user's own carousel.

Why it worked

A carousel needs both writing and design. Draft AI asks for a minute of speech instead and returns finished slides, plus scripts, threads and hooks from the same recording. It charges before the first result, so everyone who uses it has subscribed or started the trial of a paid plan.

Evidence strength3/4
Copyable pattern3/4
Capital needed1/4
Launch 15 August 2025Status October 2026Channel Not stated Read the story
AI language tutor app · Canada

Verbi

Evidence A
US$250,824still running, revenue falling · 6 months after launch
The product

A phone app for practicing a foreign language by speaking. The learner talks out loud with an AI tutor in short voice lessons and free role plays, and gets feedback after each attempt. Around that sit a daily word feed, quizzes, verb drills, listening clips and a progress score. Nine languages. The download is free and the lessons need a subscription, listed in the US App Store at US$7.99 or US$8.99 a week or US$29.99 to US$79.99 a year.

Why it worked

The tutor is an AI model, so the company pays for computing and has no teacher to pay by the hour. That allows a yearly price of US$47.99 to US$79.99. Customers came from a very large number of short videos on TikTok and Instagram: first slideshows that the founder's own tool generated and that two people posted from about 12 accounts, then videos by paid creators. Yearly plans are paid in full on the first day, so the cash arrived early. Half of all revenue came in September 2026, and daily sales have fallen since.

Evidence strength3/4
Copyable pattern2/4
Capital needed1/4
Launch 2 April 2026Status October 2026Channel Creators and short videos Read the story
Calorie tracking from food photos · Poland

TrackAI

Evidence A
US$242,116still running, revenue falling · 16 months after launch
The product

You photograph a meal. TrackAI returns the dishes it recognises, an estimated weight, the calories, and the protein, fat and carbohydrates. You can correct an ingredient or a weight, and the totals update. The app also shows daily and weekly statistics, sends meal reminders and gives rewards for days in a row.

Why it worked

It built a product that already sold well in English for Ukraine and Central and Eastern Europe: Ukrainian language, local dishes and lower local prices. The model that reads the photo is rented and the billing is a ready-made service. The only growth channel the founder names is paid advertising on Meta.

Evidence strength3/4
Copyable pattern2/4
Capital needed2/4
Launch June 2025Status October 2026Channel Paid ads Read the story
AI sprint coach app that analyses running video · USA

3AK Track & Field

Evidence A
US$162,777still running, revenue growing · 10 months after launch
The product

An iPhone app for sprint training. You film a sprint, and the AI splits it into phases (reaction, drive, acceleration, top-end, speed and finish) and says what to fix. It also has an AI coach, adaptive sprint plans, a daily readiness check, strength workouts, a "Sprint Age" fitness score and calorie logging from meal photos. Every feature needs a subscription. It started as a track-and-field app and in August 2026 added a path for everyday people who want to get fit.

Why it worked

Two college track athletes already had about 150,000 Instagram followers who asked them every day for a training plan. They built that plan into an app without writing code, promoted it inside their own race videos, and priced it for teenagers.

Evidence strength3/4
Copyable pattern2/4
Capital needed1/4
Launch 15 December 2025Status October 2026Channel Founder's posts and audience Read the story
AI photo restyling app · Turkey

Boothie

Evidence A
US$141,030still running, revenue flat · 4 months after launch
The product

A phone app for iPhone and Android. The user picks a look, such as digicam flash, golden hour or vintage photobooth, and takes or uploads a selfie. The app sends the photo to Google's Gemini image model and returns the same person in that look within seconds. A free editor with film filters runs on the phone without AI. AI pictures cost credits, which come with a weekly subscription or in packs.

Why it worked

The demand existed before the app: photos that look as if a compact digital camera from the 2000s took them have been a trend on TikTok since at least 2022. Boothie sells that look without the camera, for a small weekly price, to the people who already post such photos. The founder says every user came from TikTok picture posts made by about a dozen accounts in three countries, with no paid advertising. One person could build it because the image model is rented from Google and paid for by the picture.

Evidence strength3/4
Copyable pattern2/4
Capital needed1/4
Launch 23 June 2026Status October 2026Channel Creators and short videos Read the story
Calorie tracking from food photos · USA

Cal AI

Evidence B
US$30Msold · 19 months after launch
The product

You photograph your meal. Cal AI sends the picture to a rented AI model and returns an estimate of the calories, protein, carbohydrates and fat. No search, no portion menus.

Why it worked

It sold speed to people who gave up on manual food logging, it paid 250 influencers fixed monthly fees to reach them, and it had a 30-dollar-a-year price. The rented model made the hard part cost almost nothing to build.

Evidence strength3/4
Copyable pattern3/4
Capital needed2/4
Launch May 2024Exit price not disclosedChannel Creators and short videos Read the story
AI companion chat app · USA · Funded

Kindroid

Evidence C
US$9Mstill running · 33 months after launch
The product

A chat app for adults in which the user creates an AI character, called a Kindroid, by writing its backstory, key memories, personality, appearance and voice. The user then talks to it by text, voice call or live video call, and the character can send generated pictures and short videos of itself. The character keeps a memory of earlier conversations. The app is for users aged 18 or older and runs on the web, iOS and Android.

Why it worked

It launched in June 2023, when open-source language models had become good enough for a small company to build a companion, and when users of older companion apps were looking for a new one. The user writes the character, so a character from another app can be moved in. The company sells a subscription, prices its add-ons at the cost of the extra computing, and published an update about every eight days in 2026.

Evidence strength1/4
Copyable pattern1/4
Capital needed2/4
Launch June 2023Status March 2026Channel Not stated Read the story
AI note-taker and study app for students · USA

Coconote

Evidence C
US$7Msold · 22 months after launch
The product

A phone and web app that records a lecture, or imports audio, video, a PDF, a document or a link, and makes a transcript, organized notes, flashcards, quizzes, a chat with the note and a short AI-narrated podcast of it. A student gets one free note; after that the app needs a subscription, which starts with a free trial.

Why it worked

Two former Loom staff built a premium-priced app for something students do several times a week, going to class, and sold it through short videos by a small group of contracted creators instead of paid ads. It charged from the first day, and revenue paid for growth with about 50% EBITDA margins until Quizlet bought it.

Evidence strength1/4
Copyable pattern2/4
Capital needed2/4
Launch April 2024Exit February 2026Channel Creators and short videos Read the story
AI language tutor app · United States · Funded

Pingo AI

Evidence C
US$6Mstill running, revenue growing · 15 months after launch
The product

A phone app for practicing a foreign language by speaking. The learner talks out loud with an AI tutor in everyday scenes and role plays, gets corrections on pronunciation and grammar during the conversation, and the app keeps a learning plan and remembers past mistakes. More than 25 languages. A free trial, then a subscription through the app stores.

Why it worked

Speaking is the part of language learning that most apps practice least, and the founders built the practice partner that they had been for each other. A short video format, in which the AI points out a creator's pronunciation errors, spread on TikTok through about 100 creators that the company manages, with no paid ads by the co-founder's account, and a simple subscription turned a small part of the free users into payers.

Evidence strength1/4
Copyable pattern2/4
Capital needed2/4
Launch January 2025Status April 2026Channel Creators and short videos Read the story
AI face-rating app · USA

Umax

Evidence C
US$5Mstill running, revenue falling · 12 months after launch
The product

A phone app that scores a selfie. The user uploads a photo of his face, and the app returns a score up to 100 with ratings of the jawline, the cheekbones, the skin and masculinity, and tips such as starting a skin care routine. The results are shown after the user subscribes, at about US$4 a week, or invites three friends.

Why it worked

Young men were already posting photos online and asking strangers to rate their looks. Umax turned that habit into a private score from an AI model. One founder built it at almost no cost on a rented vision model, and creators in one small niche spread it, because a score makes a before-and-after video easy to show. Revenue was highest within months of the launch and has fallen since.

Evidence strength1/4
Copyable pattern2/4
Capital needed2/4
Launch December 2023Status December 2024Channel Creators and short videos Read the story
AI wrestling coach app that scores practice and match video · USA

Wrestle AI

Evidence C
US$131,863still running, revenue growing · 5 months after launch
The product

An iPhone app for wrestlers. Upload a clip of a practice or a match and the AI returns a score, strengths and weaknesses, drills and strategy notes. It also has drill plans, a technique library, a match tracker, a calorie tracker and a weight-cut mode, and in April 2026 it added Brazilian jiu-jitsu, freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. Every feature needs a subscription.

Why it worked

The founder had wrestled in school and knew that wrestlers rarely have an expert to review their film, and in 2025 the App Store had no app like it. The video breakdown can be shown in under 10 seconds, so creators could sell the app in posts that look like training videos, not ads. A no-code builder kept the total spending at about US$1,100.

Evidence strength1/4
Copyable pattern2/4
Capital needed1/4
Launch 18 September 2025Status February 2026Channel Creators and short videos Read the story
More stories coming

The next verified one-person AI business goes here. Same structure, same evidence grades.

Every number on these cards carries an evidence grade. How Aiolum verifies explains the four grades and the five parts of each story.