Quick recap of the previous 2 parts of this series:
- part 1 - I explained why you should consider launching an app on the Google Workspace Marketplace. I then decided to look for opportunities by analyzing what sort of apps are out there on this marketplace.
- part 2 - I came up with some criteria that enabled me to quickly narrow down from 5.3k apps listed on the marketplace, to about 205 apps which are worth investigating.
In this part, I’ll be going through one kind of app I found that’s a legitimate business - form limiters.
It’s featured right at the top of my list of apps (when you order it by download counts), with formLimiter. This extension automatically closes Google Forms based on response limits, deadlines, or custom cell values.
How formLimiter looks like
It’s completely free, and mainly used by educational institutions; I wouldn’t usually consider such an app. But it has a whopping 93 million downloads, and it’s been broken for a while.
Startup opportunity?! Not so quickly - if you search for alternatives on the marketplace, you’ll find aplenty.
There’s something odd about them though. Many are different variations offered by the same 2 businesses.
Developed by AddonForge:
Developed by Everest Web Deals:
All of them have a free trials with short time durations (1-2 weeks). So, one entrypoint for a competitor could be to offer a free tier that isn’t time-bound.
CAPY pricing options
Even if you do make it work, however, you’ll struggle getting a decent amount of revenue. The price tags for the current options is small - you can get an annual subscription for Form Response Limit for less than $30!
Form Response Limit pricing options
All things considered, I’ll have to pass on this opportunity. Too much effort for too little return. On to the next one!