Infographic: Developers Hesitant to Abandon Struggling Apps

When the going gets tough, most app developers get going.

A new survey from app marketing firm App Promo has revealed that most developers are committed to their apps, even if they aren't exactly lucrative. In the survey of 365 "qualified" app developers across platforms, an overwhelming 81 percent said their app doesn't currently generate enough revenue to support a standalone business. Even so, the same amount also stressed that they are not considering abandoning their app.

While developers might dream of someday striking it rich with their app, a la Instagram, Summly, and Pulse, the truth is that most are struggling to earn any money at all. According to the survey, 67 percent of developers are not breaking even with the revenue they are generating compared to the costs of operating their app, up from almost 60 percent last year. Moreover, 68 percent of respondents said their app has earned less than $1,000 since launch and 29 percent said it hasn't even generated $1.

On a more positive note, it's good that app developers are willing to stick it out because the survey found that longevity often leads to greater success. Forty percent of developers who kept their app in market for at least three years have earned total revenues of more than $500,000 since launch, largely due to marketing efforts, the survey found.

"App developers that are committed to making their app successful are seeing success," App Promo CEO and Founder Gary Yentin said in a statement. "But this success is tied to taking the initiative to improve app discovery through ongoing marketing." To improve app discovery, developers should set up an online and mobile landing page for their apps, actively promote them through social media, try to get coverage from bloggers, and run price promotions, App Promo recommended.

Meanwhile, despite developers' commitment to their products, recent data revealed that 400,000 iOS apps currently sit idly like zombies in the App Store, gathering dust and remaining invisible to users.

For more, see the infographic below.