Every good app deserves to be found.
Most of them aren’t. The App Store has millions of apps and one way in — a search ranking nobody outside Apple can explain. Build something people love and you can still watch it sit at nothing, beaten by an app with a bigger budget for reviews.
01The problem with discovery
Getting seen is supposed to be about quality. In practice it is about ASO consultants, review velocity, keyword stuffing and paid installs. All of it is invisible. You never learn what the app above you did, what it cost, or why the ranking moved overnight.
The alternatives are not much better. Directories have editors with taste. Launch sites have upvote rings. Ad networks will sell you a placement but not tell you what anyone else paid for theirs.
02One rule, in public
AppBonk is one board with one rule: your bid is your rank. That is the whole algorithm. There is nothing else to optimise, nothing to game, and nothing to appeal.
Every position has a price and that price is on the screen. You can see exactly what #1 costs before you spend anything, and if you get outbid you can see precisely what it would take to go back up. Bidding starts at $5.
No editorial. No moderation taste. No algorithm that changes while you sleep. The board is just money, sorted — and everyone can read it.
03What it costs
You pay once for the position you take. Raising later costs only the difference — go from $40 to $65 and you pay $25. There is no subscription, no monthly minimum and no auction to wait for. The board runs continuously and you can leave your bid alone for as long as it holds.
You can also bid on an app you did not build. Putting a friend’s app on the board is allowed. If you are the developer and you would rather not be listed, email us and it comes down.
The full mechanics — tie-breaks, refunds, removals — are in the rules.
04Who made this
AppBonk is built and run by one person. If something is broken, if you want a listing removed, or if you just want to argue about the ranking rule, the fastest way to reach me is email.