29 Innovative App Ideas for Startups

Woman on mobile phone.

Are you ready to develop your own app? As an aspiring entrepreneur, it’s time to take a look at some different app startup ideas to get an idea of what you want to do. Of course, many people don’t understand where to start when researching business ideas, but we’ve done the heavy lifting for you.

Coming up with the perfect app isn’t easy, and conceptualizing your startup might be hard right now. That’s why we put together this list of innovative app ideas for startups. Get inspired and start on the path of your entrepreneurial journey!

Best Mobile App Startup Ideas

People love using their cell phones, so what better way to make money than to create a mobile app? If you can’t come up with a unique app idea right now, don’t worry. We’ve put together this list to help you ideate, brainstorm, and get to work.

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1. Personal Finance Assistant App 

Are you tired of struggling with budgeting and financial planning? An artificial intelligence (AI)-powered personal finance assistant could be the solution. This app would use machine learning (ML) algorithms to analyze spending habits, provide personalized savings recommendations, and even predict future expenses. By offering tailored advice and automated money management, your startup could help users achieve their financial goals with ease. Moreover, the personal finance software industry is seeing promising growth with an expected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.1% from 2023 to 2030.

2. Interior Design AR App

If you’ve ever looked at a piece of furniture and wanted to know if it would fit in your space, you know how great an interior design AR app could be. Why not solve the problem once and for all with your own interior design AR app startup? 

With your app, you could suggest different styles of furniture or make it easy for someone to take a photo and place it into their room virtually. Make sure the measurements match up for the best VR experience, and the app will thrive.

3. Social Media for Authors

If there is one thing that authors and writers know, it’s that they often don’t have time to do more writing after their day is over. Your business can come in to help in a pinch by offering to take one major task off their hands: social media management. 

Creating an app that makes it simple for authors to promote their new books is an awesome way to build a community that relies on your company. To succeed in this industry, make sure you make social media easy—consider adding templates and having agents ready to assist.

4. Fuel Delivery App

Sometimes, businesses need gas or diesel delivered to them. What better way to take advantage of this need than to provide an app that helps them get the deliveries they need? 

You can choose to make an app that connects with major fuel providers and schedules deliveries or set up an app that compares prices to help them find the best deal. Either way, it’s all a win-win. Consider joining an accelerator program that supports mobility startups, such as Plug and Play Tech Center or IMPACT Accelerator, to help scale your startup during the early stages.

5. AR-Powered City Exploration App

Imagine exploring a new city with a virtual tour guide right in your pocket. An augmented reality (AR) navigation and city exploration app could overlay real-time information about landmarks, restaurants, and hidden gems as users walk around. This startup idea combines the excitement of discovery with cuttin-edge technology, making it perfect for both tourists and locals looking to uncover the secrets of their own city. Consider joining an accelerator, such as MARL Accelerator, to help scale your idea quickly.

6. Vacation Planning App

Planning a vacation is hard. Not only do you have to think about where you want to go, but you also have to think about what you need to take and how much money you’ll have to spend. Take the guesswork out of the game by creating a vacation planning app for your startup. Your app can tackle issues like the itinerary or help people find savings on hotels or flights. 

A good vacation planning app will need to compete with (or work well together with) major companies, so good organization and partnerships can help it all come together. Whether the app schedules an itinerary for someone or just has simple organization techniques, vacation-goers will be entranced.

7. Dog Training App

Not everyone can afford to take their dog to training classes or hire a trainer, but your venture could offer a fantastic solution. Dog training apps can have videos, tutorials, tips, and tricks to help train dogs. 

You might also consider offering virtual training sessions or pairing up with dog food or dog treat companies to offer training aids. There are plenty of avenues for success with this kind of app — especially as the pet tech market grows at an expected CAGR of more than 13.5% from 2024 to 2032.

8. Carbon Footprint Tracker

With growing awareness about climate change, many people want to reduce their environmental impact. But, they often don’t know where to start. A sustainable living and carbon footprint tracker app could help users understand and minimize their carbon footprint. By gamifying eco-friendly choices and providing personalized recommendations, your startup could make sustainable living accessible and engaging for everyone. Plus, with the myriad of venture capital (VC) firms dedicated to social startups, your potential for financing is promising.

9. Interests-Based Dating App

There are plenty of dating apps out there, but one based on interests could be the next big thing. For your startup, consider a dating app that is niched down into specific interests only some people share.

Try a surfer’s dating app, one for those with dogs, or an option for those with chronic health conditions. The options are endless.

10. Food Freshness Checker

Almost everyone has run into a time when they weren’t sure if their food was still good. Maybe they opened the milk a week ago and forgot on which date, or they put canned goods into storage and forgot about them. The nice thing about this kind of app is that it helps cut down on food waste while encouraging people to eat what they’ve already purchased.

To make an app like this one successful, consider adding a way to track all the food in someone’s panty. Also, consider adding recipe plans or spaces for expiration dates, so they know what they can do with the food they have (and when they need to use it by). You could also try to work with specific grocery stores or food companies to get your app promoted.

11. Tenant Finder

As a landlord, one of the hardest parts of the job is making sure to have good tenants. However, good tenants can be hard to come by. To find them, landlords are likely to need to run background checks, seek out application fees, and more. 

With the right startup app, though, your company could become wealthy by helping landlords match up with the right kind of tenants. Consider an app that helps landlords search for prospective tenants that already passed a background or credit check, for example. A fee-based platform might make the most sense and allow everyone to get the access they need to both rentals and potential tenants.

12. EV Charging Station Locator

Anyone who drives an electric vehicle knows the struggle of finding an EV charging station. With the emergence of more electric vehicles, you’d think that they’d be easier to find, but they’re not located in typical places. 

Help people solve the problem by creating a startup that tracks all the latest EV charging station locations. To make the tool useful, consider using mapping technology and GPS to help them find the closest stations to them.

13. Party Planning App

Whether it’s a wedding or a birthday party, there are challenges when event planning. Your potential business could take advantage of the lack of know-how and help people get on the path to a perfect party with the right app. Hooking them up with decorations, a checklist, and invitation templates? All great ideas. 

Good party planning is all about organization. If you want to make your app successful, remember to do what you can to make it as organized as you can. Think of all the little things people need for parties, and figure out how to deliver them (or make them easier to find).

14. Food Donation App

Hunger is a real issue, but an app can be the solution. With a food donation app, your startup can help food get into the hands of the people who need it.

There’s a great opportunity to help neighbors connect, spread out food supplies, and make sure people don’t go hungry. Using a delivery service, pickup, or drop-off options could help this become a success.

15. Legal Document Assistant

Legal documents can be confusing and expensive to create. An AI-powered legal document assistant could help users draft common legal documents, explain legal jargon, and even provide basic legal advice. Plus, you can take advantage of the robust legal technology market that’s expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.7% through 2034. While not a replacement for lawyers, your startup could make basic legal services more accessible and affordable for individuals and small businesses.

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16. Food and Health Tracker

Dieting is hard, but a simple, easy-to-use food tracker can help. Your company can help people get healthy by not only tracking the foods they eat but also the improvements in their health.

Consider adding educational materials, organization tools, and other products to the app. When your app is a resource, people will keep turning to it.

17. Tutoring App

Everyone needs to learn throughout their lifetimes, so it makes sense to run a tutoring startup. You can niche down into specific industries, too. 

Consider tutoring adults, those with disabilities, children, or other specialties to make your app stand apart from the competition. You might try live or recorded tutoring sessions, too.

18. AI Fitness Training

Not everyone has the money or time to hire a human to help them train. Fitness lovers will adore working with an AI fitness trainer who can keep them on track, though.

For your venture, consider building an AI that helps walk people through common exercises. From yoga to basketball, AI fitness trainers can do it all.

19. Price Comparison App

Want to compare prices on the go? You’re not alone.

Creating a price comparison app helps people identify when they’re getting a deal (and when they’re paying too much). Consider adding coupons and information on sales to make the app even more beneficial.

20. Carpool App

Carpooling is great for the environment, but not everyone has someone to drive with. A carpooling app helps pair people up so they drive together.

Consider a location-based app with GPS. Background checks can help minimize risk.

21. Cloud-Based Chatting

Chatting with anyone, at any time, anywhere? That’s cloud-based chatting. 

Design an app for teams, individuals, or those who want to chat privately—it’s up to you. Best of all, the chat service is accessible from any device.

22. Health and Beauty Tips App

Everyone can use health and beauty reminders. Creating a health and beauty tips app gives your startup the opportunity to help people thrive. 

Offer beauty tips, exercise tips, or forums where people can talk about their goals and how they’re reaching them for an inclusive experience. There is a lot of variety in this app niche.

23. Ecommerce App

An ecommerce app is a great tool for selling. Your business can take advantage by selling your own products or routing people to other businesses as they search for products through your app.

A good ecommerce app shows pricing, is easy to navigate, and is based on a niche. Offer help finding clothing, food, vehicle rentals, or other products through your startup app.

24. Pet-Friendly Location Finder

Whether it’s finding a pet-friendly hotel or a dog park, it can be hard to travel with pets on the go. A great app can help identify pet-friendly locations and rate them based on positive experiences.

You might consider a location-based app or choose one to show reviews. Either way, you’ll help pet parents find more spaces for their animals.

25. AI-Driven Career Coach and Job Matcher

Navigating the job market can feel overwhelming. An AI-driven career coach and job matcher app could analyze users’ skills, experience, and career goals to provide personalized career advice and job recommendations. By leveraging AI to match candidates with their ideal roles, your startup could revolutionize the job search process. With this vast market valued at $17.6 billion in 2023, it’s ripe for innovation. 

26. On-Demand Veterinarian

When a person gets sick, they can call an ambulance or telehealth provider. But what about animals? That’s where an on-demand veterinarian can come in.

Consider creating a startup that helps animals anywhere they are. People can speak directly with a vet or request a call at home, saving time (and potentially lives).

27. Mental Health/Therapy App

Accessible medical care is a vital aspect of getting everyone the support they need in the United States (and beyond). One app your startup could run is a mental health or therapy app that brings telehealth providers into clients’ spaces. You could also consider an AI mental health app that uses automation to talk people through meditation or relaxation techniques, for example. 

There are plenty of options in this space, so consider a mental health app that offers support to those in need. From issues like dealing with ADHD to seeking help for depression, there are dozens of niches to consider.

28. AR Clothes Shopping

Not everyone likes to try on clothing. Whether they’re just feeling uncomfortable or they’re limited on time, trying on every little thing can be exhausting. 

Your AR clothes shopping app could offer a solution. With AR, people can take a photo of the item they want to try on (or search for items in your own catalog). They’ll have that item projected onto them, so they can see what it looks like. Bonus points if the measurements match up and they can see if the item will fit.

29. Blockchain-Based Voting and Civic Engagement

Voter turnout and civic engagement are crucial for a healthy democracy. A blockchain-based voting and civic engagement app could offer secure, transparent voting for everything from local initiatives to national elections. By making voting more accessible and trustworthy, your startup could play a role in strengthening democratic processes. Strengthen your startup idea during the early stages by joining a blockchain accelerator program like a16z’s CSX accelerator or Alliance’s startup accelerator program. 

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