On October 16, 2026 Cleanup, a phone storage cleaner, leads the US Utilities grossing chart at $3.2–13M a month by our estimate. All 20 leaders sell a subscription, and 9 have a weekly price, $9.99 at the median. Ranks 51 to 100 make $90–358K a month, our estimate, not Apple data.
Cleaners, remotes, VPNs
The top 20 come from four jobs. Storage and camera roll cleaning (Cleanup, AI Cleaner, Swipewipe, Cleaner Kit), a TV remote (TV Remote and its neighbors), VPN and security (NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Norton, McAfee) and calling (Robokiller, Burner). Cleanup at rank 1 makes $3.2–13M, the TV Remote app at rank 5 $1.6–6.5M.
The leaders have few ratings by App Store standards, a median of 166,332. The fewest belong to Authenticator ℠ App at rank 7, 5,896 ratings. It came out in 2025 and reached the top 10 within a year.
| Rank | App | How it charges | US ratings | Released | Our monthly estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cleanup: Phone Storage Cleaner | subscription with a weekly plan | 737,118 | 2020 | $3.2–13M |
| 2 | Blink Home Monitor | subscription | 502,766 | 2015 | long-running, method runs low |
| 3 | Cleaner Guru: Clean Up Storage | subscription | 148,523 | 2019 | method doesn't apply |
| 4 | Robokiller: Spam Call Blocker | subscription | 414,411 | 2015 | long-running, method runs low |
| 5 | TV Remote - Universal Control | subscription with a weekly plan | 622,976 | 2020 | $1.6–6.5M |
| 6 | NordVPN: VPN Fast & Secure | subscription | 708,926 | 2014 | long-running, method runs low |
| 7 | Authenticator ℠ App | subscription with a weekly plan | 5,896 | 2025 | $152–608K |
| 8 | Norton 360 Security & VPN | subscription | 182,882 | 2018 | major brand, method runs low |
| 9 | Burner: Second Phone Number | subscription | 94,005 | 2012 | $62–248K |
| 10 | ExpressVPN · Secure & Fast VPN | subscription with a weekly plan | 419,478 | 2014 | long-running, method runs low |
Apple, US top grossing chart, Oct 16, 2026. Ratings and release years from iTunes Lookup. Monthly range by our estimate for Sep 16, 2026–Oct 16, 2026, not Apple data.
How these apps charge
Almost half the leaders sell a week here. 9 of the 20 top grossing apps do, the other 11 keep monthly and yearly plans. Half of the free chart is different. 10 of its top 20 sell nothing on the App Store. These are carrier account apps from Verizon, AT&T, Xfinity, Spectrum and Starlink, plus Google Authenticator.
A week costs $9.99 at the median, a month $10.99 and a year $37.49. A week is almost a month's price, and a year costs only 3.4 months. People buy a utility for one job, and a weekly plan sells a quick fix. The paid chart is different, with tools for experienced users. Shadowrocket leads it at $2.99, with the Wipr 2 ad blocker nearby. The top 20 median is $5.49.
| What is sold | Median | Range | Apps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly subscription | $9.99 | $4.99–$9.99 | 9 |
| Monthly subscription | $10.99 | $2.99–$19.99 | 8 |
| Yearly subscription | $37.49 | $19.99–$119.99 | 12 |
| Paid upfront, top 20 | $5.49 | $0.99–$9.99 | 20 |
In-app purchase lists on the app pages, US App Store, Oct 16, 2026.
What a chart rank is worth
72 apps of the top 100 have an estimate once old large services and brands are left out, and 46 make $100K a month or more even at the low end. The top 10 median is $884K–3.5M, ranks 11–25 $381K–1.5M and ranks 26–50 $224–897K.
We show no range for old security and calling services. Robokiller at rank 4 came out in 2015 and has 414,411 ratings, Norton 360 sits at rank 8. Long-time subscribers add few new ratings and our method runs low for such apps, so they show only the rank and ratings. Ranks 51–100 make $90–358K.
How newcomers get in
Newcomers reach the top 10 here. 13 apps of the top 100 came out in 2025–2026, two of them in the top 20. Authenticator ℠ App came out November 19, 2025 and sits at rank 7, Camtro, the app for a camera doorbell, came out June 16, 2025 and sits at rank 13 with $1.1–4.5M.
The top 20 move. 16 of today's 20 leaders were there on September 24, 2026, while in most other categories 18–19 of 20 hold on. Over the same time 9 new apps entered the top 100, among them SmartClean AI and CarTV.
Niches inside the category
In Appto's research half of the utility niches dropped out, mostly over money. The chart shows where the money is. Storage cleaning, a TV remote, a second phone number, spam protection and one-time login codes. A narrow tool with no grossing rank, such as a sound meter, makes little no matter how many ratings it collects.
Related articles and breakdowns
- How to build a ringtone maker app and what the niche makes
- 16 iPhone app ideas with too little money in them
Niches of this category in the book
- Ringtones from your own songs, Ringtones Maker, over $3M
- All-day recording on your watch, Summary, $1–3M
- TV remote without a subscription, TV Remote, over $3M
- Swipe to clean your camera roll, Cleanup, over $3M
Niche leader and its monthly range by our estimate. Book 50 iPhone app niches, Oct 16, 2026.
Before you build a utility, Appto checks the niche on fresh App Store data and shows whether the leader sits in the grossing chart. Then Appto draws the screens, writes the code and prepares the App Store page, and after launch it shows every purchase as it happens.
Where the numbers come from
The US App Store snapshot was taken on October 16, 2026. Appto estimates revenue from 30 days of rating growth in six countries. In half of the cases the estimate is within 2x of the real figure, in four out of five within 3x, and for large apps it tends to run low. Ads, web sales and Google Play are not included. More on the method and on niches by category.
Questions
How much do utility apps make on the App Store?
By our estimate on October 16, 2026, Cleanup makes $3.2–13M a month, and ranks 51–100 of the US grossing chart have a median of $90–358K. It is our estimate, not Apple data.
Why do utilities sell weekly subscriptions?
9 of the 20 top grossing apps offer a week (October 16, 2026). It costs $9.99 at the median, a month $10.99. People buy a utility for one job, and short access is easier to sell.
Can a new utility reach the top?
It can. Authenticator ℠ App came out November 19, 2025 and on October 16, 2026 sits at rank 7 of the US grossing chart. The top 100 holds 13 apps from 2025–2026.
Why is there no range for Norton and Robokiller?
Our estimate counts revenue from rating growth. Old services with long-time subscribers add few new ratings, so the estimate runs low for them, and the page shows only their rank and rating count (October 16, 2026).
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