Research Sources & Search Patterns

Reddit Research

Reddit surfaces unmet demand that App Store charts never show.

High-Value Search Queries

Use web search with these patterns:

site:reddit.com "is there an app" {category/problem}
site:reddit.com "looking for an app" {category/problem}
site:reddit.com "I wish" {competitor app name}
site:reddit.com "switched from" {competitor app name}
site:reddit.com "alternative to" {competitor app name}
site:reddit.com "{category}" app recommendation
site:reddit.com "I'd pay" {category/problem}
site:reddit.com "why is there no" {category/problem}

Key Subreddits by Category

What to Extract from Reddit

• Unmet needs: Posts asking "is there an app that..." with no good answer
• Pain points: Complaints about existing apps (features, pricing, UX)
• Switching triggers: Why users left one app for another
• Willingness to pay: Comments about pricing ("I'd pay $X for...")
• Feature requests: Highly upvoted feature suggestions on app subreddits
• Subscription fatigue: Complaints about subscription pricing ("not worth $X/mo")

Google Trends Validation

Before committing to an opportunity, verify search demand:

1. Navigate to: https://trends.google.com/trends/
2. Search the core problem keyword (e.g., "sleep tracker app", "habit tracker")
3. Check 5-year trend: Rising = green light, declining = caution, stable = okay
4. Compare related terms: See what variations are growing fastest
5. Check seasonality: Fitness peaks in January, tax apps in spring, etc.
6. Compare against competitor brand names to gauge relative interest

Interpreting Trends

• Rising >50% YoY: Strong signal — growing demand, may not be saturated yet
• Stable: Proven demand, but competition is likely established
• Declining: Avoid unless you've found a specific underserved angle
• Seasonal spikes: Plan launch timing around peak interest (launch 2-4 weeks before the spike to build momentum)

Web → Mobile Gap Detection

Look for opportunities where demand exists but no quality iOS app serves it:

Product Hunt → iOS Gaps

1. Search Product Hunt for recently launched web tools in the category
2. Check if they have a native iOS app
3. Popular web tools without iOS apps = opportunity (especially if the use case is mobile-native: on-the-go, quick capture, location-based)

AlternativeTo Discovery

1. Browse https://alternativeto.net/ — search for competitor apps
2. What users are looking for alternatives to (dissatisfaction signal)
3. Which alternatives have the most "likes" (demand signal)
4. User comments explaining why they switched

International → US Gaps

1. Check App Store charts in other countries (UK, Germany, Japan, South Korea)
2. Identify top apps not available or not localized for the US market
3. Successful international apps with no US presence = validated concept
4. Pay attention to apps trending in Japan/Korea — trends often come West 6-12 months later

Indie Hacker Revenue Intelligence

Real revenue data beats estimates. Search these sources:

IndieHackers.com

site:indiehackers.com {category} revenue
site:indiehackers.com {category} ios
site:indiehackers.com {app name}

Browse: https://www.indiehackers.com/products — filter by revenue range and category.

Twitter/X Revenue Reports

site:twitter.com "{category} app" "revenue" OR "MRR" OR "ARR"
site:twitter.com "{category} app" "$" "month"

Indie devs frequently share monthly revenue screenshots. Search for:

• #buildinpublic {category}
• #indiehackers {category} revenue
• #iosdev {category} revenue

Other Sources

• MicroConf talks: Search YouTube for microconf {category} — founders share detailed revenue breakdowns
• Starter Story: https://www.starterstory.com/ — founder interviews with revenue data
• AppFigures / Sensor Tower blogs: Sometimes publish free category revenue reports
• RevenueCat blog: Publishes "State of Subscription Apps" reports with real aggregate data
• Sub Club podcast (RevenueCat): Indie devs share revenue numbers and growth strategies
• Indie Dev Monday newsletter: Weekly indie iOS dev profiles with revenue data