iPhone app developer Pinger's line of texting apps have handled over one billion messages since they appeared in the App Store less than a year ago, the company announced today.
Textfree, Pinger's core app, lets users send and receive unlimited texts for a year for the $5.99 download price. The company also offers an ad-supported free version that limits users to 15 texts per day.
14 of Pinger's apps built around Textfree have hit the top 100 (free or paid app, depending on the app) list on the iTunes store, and in December Pinger had 10 apps in the top 100 at once. Across all apps, Pinger has racked up 15 million downloads. Co-founder Greg Woock says that cross-promotion from this large install base makes it possible for the publisher to launch new top-selling apps "almost at will."
Pinger isn't releasing any revenue figures, but says it has been profitable for several months now. Given that the company has 19 employees and pays roughly a dozen more for outside work, that isn't a small claim. They also claim to have served well over 300 million ad impressions last month, though paid downloads are a significantly larger source of revenue. The company also makes money from referrals and in-app purchases.
Pinger was founded by Greg Woock and Joe Sipher, veterans of Handspring and Virgin Electronics. They have received $11 million in two rounds of funding from Kleiner Perkins and DAG Ventures.
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