These apps fill an important gap. They create a space to flirt, role-play, or simply talk without fear of judgment. For people dealing with loneliness or social anxiety, having a 24/7 companion who always listens, responds, and shows attention can be more than entertainment. 

Demand for such experiences grew rapidly, and so did competition in the App Store. 

For a new app like HeyBabe, breaking into the crowded “AI girlfriend” niche seemed nearly impossible. Established players dominated the search results, and the risk of invisibility was high. The goal wasn’t just to enter the market, but to build a sustainable business.

Yes, the name speaks for itself. HeyBabe is an AI girlfriend app that launched in the summer of 2024, right when the AI companion trend was exploding.

The product quickly found its niche in the fast-growing “AI companion” category by offering users a mix of lighthearted fun and real, meaningful support.

What can you actually do on it? Pretty much everything you'd hope:

• Flirt and dive into fun, creative role-playing scenarios
• Get photos and sweet compliments that feel surprisingly personal
• Have judgment-free conversations, whether you're feeling deep or just silly
• Basically, have a companion in your pocket who's always there to listen

HeyBabe monetizes through subscriptions, while offering a limited freemium experience so you can test the waters, then unlock the full experience once you're... well, hooked.

When HeyBabe launched, the “AI girlfriend” vertical was already buzzing with competition. Established apps had locked in top positions in the App Store, soaking up the bulk of organic traffic. 

For a newcomer, that meant one thing—without visibility in search, the app would be invisible to the very users who were already looking for it. And those users mattered most. 

They weren’t just browsing; they were typing “AI girlfriend” into search, ready to download. But breaking into those rankings against bigger, older players was no small task.

The challenge was clear: how do you grow organic visibility fast, capture high-intent users, and turn them into paying subscribers—without burning budget or putting the app at risk?

We knew from the start that HeyBabe’s best bet was organic search. If users were already typing “AI girlfriend” and related keywords into the App Store, the app had to show up in those results.

That meant one thing—strong ASO at launch and a strategy to build visibility step by step.

Ahead of release, we focused on building a strong organic base. Textual and visual metadata were optimized for search demand, and the listing was prepared to convert impressions into installs.

To achieve this, we went through several key steps:

• Competitor and market analysis in Tier 1 countries

• Semantic core of 700+ keywords

• Optimized title, subtitle, keyword field, and description

• Initial visuals aligned with user intent

With the foundation in place, we focused on active growth in search. The approach was deliberate: rather than rushing into the most competitive terms, we built organic strength step by step.

• Keyword clustering. We grouped 700+ keywords across 17 countries. Queries were split into three tiers: low-volume, mid-volume, and high-volume. Each week we boosted 5–10 new keywords into the top results, steadily expanding the pool of promoted queries and growing visibility safely.

• Tier 1 focus. The US remained the main target market. Competing for “AI girlfriend” directly was unrealistic, but by focusing on clusters of long-tail and mid-volume queries, we still captured highly motivated users.

• Geographic diversification. Beyond Tier 1, we unlocked traffic where competition or ad presence was weaker.

• For instance, Turkey became a highlight here: with no Apple Search Ads available there, organic promotion worked especially well. Mexico, India, and parts of Latin America also showed strong growth.

• Momentum strategy. Instead of trying to win every keyword individually, we let clusters work together. Ranking progress on long-tail queries created gravity that helped pull up performance on more competitive keywords over time.

This mix of cluster-based promotion, weekly iteration, and geo-specific opportunities allowed HeyBabe to grow visibility at scale without overspending or risking penalties.

As rankings improved, we focused on maximizing conversion. Visibility brought impressions, but every impression had to turn into an install.

We gave HeyBabe the strongest possible start, with metadata and visuals optimized for search. But over time, it became clear that visuals could work even harder. The first version of the icon played with typography. Later, we switched to a character-led concept. 

This shift went through several iterations and cosmetic tweaks, but the result was consistent—a noticeable lift in conversion. The approach also aligned with user expectations in the niche, where most competitors relied on character-driven designs.

For more on how to design an icon that actually converts, check out our article here. 

In just half a year, HeyBabe went from a new release with no traffic to a profitable subscription-based app with stable growth. The key metrics tell the story:

• 400 organic installs per day—starting literally from zero at launch

• #1 ranking for 500+ keywords across 17 countries—dominating search visibility in multiple markets

• 35,940 new users in 2024, including 1,500+ paying users—strong conversion into paying audience

• $23.9K total revenue in the first six months—a solid proof of monetization, showing the app was profitable almost from day one

• $10K MRR reached by December 2024—a milestone very few new apps reach this fast

• 333% ROI on promotion spend—an extraordinary return, showing organic traffic delivered far better efficiency than any paid channe

The project showed steady month-over-month revenue growth, and we continue to work on scaling it further. Organic promotion exceeded expectations almost immediately. No other channel came close in terms of ROI.

Alongside revenue growth, the marketing budget was used efficiently and safely.

The weekly breakdown clearly shows how expenses stayed controlled while revenue kept rising at a much faster pace.

Even more telling is the cumulative picture. Within just four weeks, HeyBabe’s revenue overtook marketing spend—meaning the app became profitable almost immediately after launch.

This balance between investment and return was key. Instead of chasing short-term spikes, the strategy delivered sustainable growth and a clear path to scale.
These are the words of the HeyBabe team’s CEO:

“We wanted to grow even faster and were ready to invest several times more, because the effect was clear. But the specialists at LoveMobile insisted on sticking to the safest possible strategy.

At least five times we were ready to ‘go all in’—and every time they talked us into a better approach with solid arguments. As a result, the app keeps growing safely and steadily.

Our advice—trust the experts.”

Conversion rates also proved strong across multiple regions. The US, UK, and Australia delivered scale, while markets like Switzerland and Turkey showed exceptional performance with double-digit conversion rates.

Another important finding came from testing paid traffic. We briefly experimented with ad campaigns to compare performance against organic installs. 

Organic users converted into subscriptions three times better than paid ones (6.01% vs 1.99%). This confirmed our initial bets: investing in organic traffic not only scaled installs, but also attracted higher-quality users who were more willing to pay. 

So, what's the big lesson here?

HeyBabe's story shows that no market is ever completely locked down. There's almost always a hidden path in—you just need the right map. For us and the HeyBabe team, that map was a stubborn, unshakable belief in doing things organically.

This was never about chasing a viral trend that fizzles out next week. We played the steady game, choosing a safe and smart strategy that built something real: a revenue stream that doesn't just spike and vanish, but actually sticks around.

Now, HeyBabe is more than just another app in the store. It’s a real business with a loyal community that actually loves the product. 

And this relationship with users is built to last—no ghosting, no awkward goodbyes, just steady growth and meaningful connections.