Monetization and infra question rolled together: is building a mobile app for your tube worth it? the pitch is that an app gives you a direct channel, push notifications you own, better retention, and monetization outside the browser and its adblockers. the reality is that adult apps mostly cannot live in the official stores, so you are into sideloading and APK distribution, the build and maintenance is real ongoing cost, and getting people to install an app for content they can already reach in a browser is a hard sell. so does a tube app actually pay for itself through the retention and direct-channel benefits, at what scale does it start to make sense, and for anyone who built one, did the install friction and maintenance cost end up worth the monetization and retention you got out of it?
being shut out of the stores means you own the whole install path yourself, the download, the scary warning, the sideload steps. all that friction filters you down to only your most committed users. so go in expecting the app to serve your superfans, not your casual traffic. its a retention and monetization play for people who already love the site, not a way to reach new eyeballs.
in app you get past the browser adblockers, so each user can be worth meaningfully more than the same person on the web. fewer people but higher value each. the real math is whether that smaller committed group at the higher per user number actually beats what it costs to build and keep the thing running.
which is exactly why its not a growth tool. it monetizes your loyal users well but it only reaches them, so if you dont already have a decent base of regulars theres no way that narrow slice covers the build. its a move for sites that already have a following, not one trying to get one.
an app is never a one and done build. os updates, new devices to test against, keeping the sideload distribution working, security patches, it all keeps coming. budget it as a permanent job, not a project with an end date. plenty of apps that pencil out on build cost alone turn into money pits once you count the forever upkeep.