Getly
An Android app template is sold on one promise: you download a project, open it, change the name, the colours and the content, and ship an app in days instead of months. Whether that promise holds depends entirely on what is inside the file. A buyer cannot open a zip before paying, so the listing has to tell them. This is a checklist for reading one, and for writing one if you sell templates.
We also read the Android App Templates shelf on Getly, measured 26 September 2026, and the result is the best argument for the checklist.
What the shelf actually holds
The category holds 140 active listings. The name suggests project source code. The files say something different:
| What the listing's files contain | Share of listings |
|---|---|
| No archive and no APK at all | 82.1% |
| At least one image file (PNG, JPG) | 45.7% |
| At least one PDF | 23.6% |
| At least one archive (ZIP, RAR, 7z) | 16.4% |
| An installable APK | 1.4% |
And the descriptions agree. The share of listings whose name or description mentions each term:
| Term | Share of listings |
|---|---|
| "source code" | 1.4% |
| Java | 0.7% |
| Gradle | 0.7% |
| Android Studio | 0.7% |
| Kotlin, Flutter, Firebase, AdMob, admin panel | 0% |
Most of the shelf is app screen designs, mockups, printables and other graphics that sellers filed here. That is not a scandal; a category is a label the seller picks. It does mean the word "template" tells you nothing about whether you are buying a project you can compile or a set of pictures of one. The median listing's files add up to 0.70 MB, and nine in ten stay under 7.9 MB. A real Android project with its resources rarely fits in the median.
What a real source template contains
If a listing promises code, this is what you should expect inside the zip, and what a good description names:
- A complete project folder that opens in Android Studio:
settings.gradleorsettings.gradle.kts, a root build file, theappmodule with its own build file, and the Gradle wrapper (gradlewplus thegradle/wrapperfolder). Without the wrapper you are guessing which Gradle version the author used. - The language and UI toolkit stated plainly: Kotlin or Java, Jetpack Compose or XML layouts, or Flutter or React Native if it is cross-platform. These are different skill sets; a Kotlin developer buying a Flutter project has bought a learning curve.
- Versions: the minimum SDK and target SDK, and the Android Studio or Gradle version it was last built with. Old projects often need an afternoon of upgrades before they build at all.
- A setup document: how to rename the package, where to change the app name, icon and colours, and which keys you must supply yourself.
- External services, named: if the app uses Firebase, an ad network, a payments SDK or a backend, the description should say so, and the project should ship with placeholders, never with the author's own keys.
- The backend, if there is one: an "admin panel" is a separate web project with its own hosting cost. A listing that mentions one should say what language it is in and whether it is included.
Six questions to ask before you pay
- Does the file list show a project? Look at the file names and sizes on the listing. A single PNG or a one-page PDF is a design, not code.
- Kotlin, Java, Flutter or something else? If the description does not say, ask the seller before buying.
- Is there a demo? A screen recording, or an APK you can install, shows the app runs. On Getly a seller can add a free demo download or a link to a trial next to the price.
- What can you do with it? Publishing an app built from a template is commercial use. On this shelf, 86.4% of listings have no licence set. If you plan to ship to Google Play, get the answer in writing.
- How recent is it? Ask which Android Studio version it last built in. A template that has not been touched for years may not build on current tools.
- What happens with support? A template is code you will own; bugs in it are yours after purchase unless the seller offers updates. Getly lets sellers ship new file versions, and buyers of the product can download the latest one.
Prices on the shelf
The median paid listing costs $5.00. A quarter cost less than $2.13, a quarter more than $19.74, and the top tenth start at $50.00. Only 1.4% are free. At $5, the median buys a screen design. A full project with a working backend is a different product and tends to sit at the top of that range, which is fair: it replaces weeks of work.
If you sell Android templates
The measurement is good news for anyone with real source code: on this shelf, a listing that clearly says what is inside stands out immediately. The median description here is about 440 characters, too short to answer the questions above. A description that does will be read by developers who were about to leave.
- Put the stack in the title: "Habit tracker, Kotlin and Jetpack Compose, full source".
- List the folder structure and the build versions in the description.
- Add screenshots of the running app and, if you can, a demo APK or a short video.
- Set the licence and say in one line whether publishing to Google Play is allowed.
- If you are selling screen designs rather than code, say "UI design, no source code" in the title. That buyer exists too, and an honest title keeps the one looking for code from asking for a refund.
Sellers on Getly keep 80% by default and pay no listing fee. Rates are on the pricing page, the shelf itself is at Android App Templates, and you can open a shop in a few minutes.
