Achieved in just 7 months since its official launch , surpassing 51 million cumulative users.
With an average of 4.8 mini-apps being added daily, gaming is driving initial growth.
Indie game “Doldoldi,” which was struggling financially, surpassed 200 million won in monthly sales after partnering with Appintos.
Toss (Viva Republica)’s mini-app platform, “Apps in Toss,” is establishing itself as a new growth platform for indie game developers. Within seven months of launch, the number of affiliated mini-apps surpassed 1,000, demonstrating rapid growth.
Exceeded 1,000 new users in 7 months… 4.8 new users per day on average
Viva Republica, the operator of Toss, announced on the 9th that the number of affiliated mini-apps on its mini-app platform, “AppinToss,” surpassed 1,000. This achievement comes approximately seven months after its official launch in July of last year, and approximately 10 months after the first mini-app was introduced within the Toss app.
Since its official launch, an average of 4.8 mini-apps have been added to the Toss ecosystem each day, and the cumulative number of users has surpassed 51 million. This figure far surpasses Toss’s 30 million cumulative subscribers, demonstrating a high rate of return visits.
What is ‘Appintos’?
Appintos is a mini-app platform that provides partner services within the Toss app in an app-in-app format. Its greatest advantage is that it allows users to directly offer services to Toss’ 30 million cumulative subscribers without requiring a separate app installation.
Beyond simply providing a service space, Toss also provides a comprehensive infrastructure necessary for growth, including development tools, design systems, marketing solutions, and data dashboards, all of which have been accumulated over the past decade. This supports the entire process, from service planning to launch and user acquisition.
Early growth driven by gaming… “Doldoldi” surpasses 200 million won in monthly sales
The “gaming” sector, which drove AppIntos’s initial growth, has established itself as a solid growth model for the industry. The convenience of being able to run games immediately without installing a separate app, intertwined with the needs of game developers, is leading to a string of success stories.
A prime example is Manababa, the developer of the game “Doldoldi.” At the time, the company was struggling financially and even considered closing its offices. However, after partnering with Appintos , it surpassed 210 million won in monthly sales, laying the foundation for a major leap forward.
Previously, Superjoy, a small developer with 5 people, recorded 1 million users and 150 million won in cumulative sales in just 70 days after launching without any marketing costs, and 800,000 users in just a month and a half after entering Appintos, achieving results that took 4 years in the existing app market in a short period of time.
Non-gaming sectors are also growing rapidly, accounting for 60% of the total.
Non-game sectors are also rapidly expanding. Currently, non-game mini-apps account for over 60% of all apps, expanding into diverse areas such as daily life, health, and AI.
An indie developer who introduced a total of 20 services using ‘Vibe Coding’ technology that implements code using only natural language descriptions, and a solo developer who achieved monthly sales of 25 million won by releasing 5 mini-apps in one month are also cited as examples of successful startups through Appintos.
Cosim (overseas eSIM roaming service), developed by one developer in two weeks, generated 2.6 million won in sales in its first week of launch without spending a single penny on advertising, and Dispot (discount coupon service), developed by a two-person team in five days, achieved 10 million won in sales in its first month.
95% of affiliates continue to operate services, proving a stable ecosystem.
Beyond simply expanding its partnerships, AppIntoss has also demonstrated notable success in terms of service sustainability. Of the partners who partnered with AppIntoss over the past ten months, 95% are still operating their services.
This can be interpreted as a result of resolving the problem of securing initial users, which is the biggest obstacle in the app development and startup process, and providing a stable operating foundation.
A Toss official said, “In the case of the ‘Dujonku Map’, which has recently become a hot topic, everything from partnership discussions to mini-app development and launch was accomplished in just one day.” He added, “We will continue to create an ecosystem where anyone with an idea can quickly and easily launch an app, contributing to creating a social atmosphere that makes it easier to start a business.”
AppIntos is a new game distribution channel that can reach a large number of users without the burden of marketing costs. It is especially providing meaningful opportunities to indie game developers who lack financial resources and is being evaluated as contributing to the revitalization of the domestic game ecosystem.
We are also working on improving the development environment and diversifying our revenue models.
Toss is also committed to building a developer-friendly environment. It supports widely used game development engines like Webview, React Native, Unity, and Cocos, and offers the Toss Design System (TDS) to help create a consistent user experience.
Monetization methods are diverse. Partners can freely generate additional revenue through in-app purchases, in-app advertising, and other means. The revenue is returned to the game company after deducting a commission. We actively support the growth of our partners, including by exempting some commissions for early-stage partners.
Expectations for revitalizing the indie game ecosystem
The industry predicts that AppIntos will have a positive impact on the domestic indie game ecosystem. In the existing mobile game market, marketing costs often exceed development costs, creating a high barrier to entry for indie developers with limited financial resources.
However, Appintoss is evaluated to have created an environment where it can compete on the quality and fun of the game by being able to secure users without initial marketing costs by leveraging Toss’ large user base.
However, some developers point out that understanding React and TypeScript is essential and that the SDK documentation is unfriendly, as areas for improvement. Games developed with Unity, in particular, require JavaScript bridge implementation, which creates additional work.
Appintos is a new game distribution channel that enables users to reach a large audience without the burden of marketing costs. It offers a meaningful opportunity, especially for indie game developers with limited financial resources, and is contributing to the revitalization of the domestic game ecosystem. It remains to be seen whether further success stories will emerge as the development environment improves in the future.
