Failed apps should teach something.
App Graveyard is a curated archive of honest postmortems from failed, stalled, and abandoned apps — built to help founders avoid repeated mistakes and discover projects worth reviving.
Most failed apps disappear quietly.
Every year, thousands of apps launch and fail. The founders move on, the landing pages go dark, and all the hard-won knowledge about demand, distribution, pricing, retention, scope, burnout, and timing vanishes with them.
App Graveyard exists because that knowledge is too valuable to lose. Every dead app contains real data about what the market actually wanted, what builders actually tried, and why it didn't work. We collect, review, and publish those stories so the next builder doesn't have to learn the same lesson from scratch.
Three audiences. One archive.
Builders looking for lessons
Study real failure patterns before you start building. See which pricing models broke, which markets rejected products, and which distribution strategies fell flat — so you can plan around them.
Founders with dead apps
Turn your failed project into something useful. Submit your story, stay anonymous if you want, and help other builders avoid the mistakes you already paid for.
Operators looking for revival opportunities
Browse dead apps with validated demand, transferable assets, and willing founders. Find projects worth acquiring, rebuilding, or partnering on.
Honest, reviewed stories.
- Honest postmortems with specific details and timelines
- Anonymized founder stories when requested
- Self-reported metrics, labeled as self-reported
- Lessons and failure pattern analysis
- Revival opportunities when the founder allows it
- Editorial scores — assessments, not scientific measurements
Nothing unreviewed or harmful.
- Private user data or confidential business details
- Personal attacks, doxxing, or naming people negatively
- Unreviewed accusations or unverified claims
- Promotional content disguised as postmortems
- Anything submitted without editorial review
- Anything the original founder asks us to remove
Three steps.
Fill out a short intake form with what you built, what happened, and what you learned. Anonymous submissions are welcome.
Our team reviews every submission, follows up if needed, and structures it into a detailed postmortem. Nothing auto-publishes.
The postmortem goes live on the site for anyone to read. No account required. Free to browse.
How we write.
Real numbers, honest timelines, and concrete details — not vague lessons or hand-wavy conclusions.
The graveyard metaphor is witty, not mocking. Failure is learning. We document, not judge.
The story matters, not the byline. Builder identity is always optional.
Every postmortem is editorially reviewed and structured before it goes live.
Early archive examples are illustrative composites. Founder-submitted stories are labeled clearly.
Some current examples are anonymized composites based on common indie-app failure patterns. Founder-submitted stories are reviewed before publishing and labeled clearly. As real submissions are approved, composites will be replaced.
Submitting does not mean exposing yourself.
You do not need to attach your name, handle, or identity to the case study.
Share what you are comfortable with. Revenue, users, and cost fields are all optional.
Decide whether people can reach you about revival, partnership, or acquisition — and change it anytime.
Changed your mind? Removal requests are processed promptly, no questions asked.
For corrections or removal, email hello@appgraveyard.com. See our Privacy & Removal page for details.
Turn a dead app into a useful lesson.
Your failed project can save someone else months of wasted effort. Submit your story or browse what others have shared.