I have an app that floats around the top 200 in the travel section but it doesn't really bring in much (i'm only using iAD and not charging for the app). I guess the travel section is probably a little easier to crack than some sections though.
I made really bad experience with iAD and other monetizing frameworks. 0,50$/day and >2k impressions. I think iAD works only with iOS games. Can you share a link?
I was hoping that the free version + IAP would generate significantly more revenue than the paid version, since I've read so many articles claiming that freemium is the future of the app store.
So far this hasn't been true though. Currently IAP revenue from the free version tends to be about 1/3 the revenue of the paid version even though free app downloads outnumber paid by at least 10 to 1 on most days. It does seem like IAP has been ticking up a bit over the last few weeks though. Maybe people have to play with the app for a while before they're willing to pay for it?
Personally I'd prefer to just do paid apps, since adding IAP + store transactions adds a fair bit of work.
I really wish Apple would just implement a trial period like Google's Play Store. I understand that people don't want to pay for an app without trying it but trying to solve this problem with IAP just pushes this responsibility onto developers and results in a more confusing and inconsistent experience for users.
My own iPhone photo app, Liquid Lens:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/liquid-lens-real-time-psyche...
actually briefly cracked the top 200 photo apps this month and pulls in more than $90 but is still only in the coffee money income bracket.
After four years of the indie iOS thing I'm tooling back up to do web dev again.