Make Money Designing Widgets: Sell on the WidgyKit Creator Marketplace
If friends keep asking where you got your home-screen setup, you already have the most important skill for selling widgets: taste. Turning that taste into a small digital product is now realistic without learning Swift or Kotlin. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme. It is a creative side project that can earn something when you make things people actually want on their phones.
WidgyKit is an app that puts every home-screen widget (clocks, weather, calendar, events, habits, countdowns, quotes and photos) into one app with one matching style. For designers, the interesting part is the Creator Marketplace, where community-made widgets are offered free, unlocked with coins, or sold in bundles, and the tool behind it: WidgyKit Studio on the web.
This guide covers the whole path: design, pricing in coins, bundles and promotion, plus what to check before you invest your time.
How the WidgyKit Creator Marketplace works
Based on what widgykit.com describes:
- Users install WidgyKit for free. Free widgets need no account. Premium widgets are unlocked with coins, bought as bundles, or all unlocked with a WidgyKit Pro subscription.
- Creators design widgets in WidgyKit Studio, set a price in coins and publish to the Marketplace. You can sell individually, in bundles, or give widgets away for free.
- A dashboard lets creators track installs and revenue.
Becoming a Creator is an upgrade that includes full Studio access, coin pricing, the earnings dashboard and a public creator profile. The upgrade price, revenue share, payout method and payout threshold are not stated on the homepage, so see WidgyKit’s creator terms before you commit.
Step by step: from idea to Marketplace
1. Use WidgyKit as a regular user first
Install the app and try free widgets in Small, Medium and Large. Notice what you can read in a one-second glance and what gets lost. That is the bar your own widgets need to clear.
2. Open WidgyKit Studio and upgrade to Creator
Go to studio.widgykit.com through the “Become a Creator” button on widgykit.com. Read the creator terms, especially revenue share and payouts, before upgrading.
3. Design with drag and drop
Drag in text, shapes, icons and progress rings, then bind live data: time, weather, calendar, events and countdowns. No code is needed.
4. Preview all three sizes, light and dark
Studio previews S, M and L in light and dark mode. Give each size its own layout instead of scaling one design up or down.
5. Submit for review and publish
When it looks right, submit the widget for review and publish it to the Marketplace. Prepare a searchable name, a clear description of what data the widget shows and polished preview images.
6. Watch installs and revenue
The dashboard tells you which widgets get installed and which ones sell. Let that, not guesswork, decide what you make next.
Design tips that help widgets sell
- One job per widget. A clock should make the time huge. A countdown should make the remaining number the hero.
- Check contrast everywhere. Test light mode, dark mode and several wallpapers. Pale grey on pastel rarely survives a busy background.
- Design in sets. WidgyKit’s promise is one matching style. A clock, calendar, weather and habit widget sharing colors, type and corner radius is more appealing than four unrelated pieces.
- Pick a clear theme. Minimal, retro, pastel, study, productivity, holidays. Themes help buyers find you and give your bundles a name.
- Make each size earn its space. Small keeps only the key value, Medium adds one supporting line, Large is where a month view or event list belongs.
- Only use assets you have rights to. Fonts, images and icons must be licensed for commercial use.
Pricing strategy in coins
Buyers purchase coin packs, and every premium widget shows its price in coins. Unlocked widgets stay with the buyer. Some practical principles:
Lead with free
One or two free widgets work as a storefront. People try your style with zero risk, and if they like it they look for more from the same creator.
Keep single widgets reasonable, make bundles the better deal
A bundle is a themed set sold in one purchase, paid once and kept forever. Price it so buying the set is clearly better value than buying pieces one by one. That raises the value of each purchase and encourages buyers to adopt your whole style.
Adjust from data, one change at a time
If free widgets get installs but paid ones do not sell, test one variable: the price, the preview images, or the gap in quality between free and paid. Change one thing, wait, then compare.
Remember WidgyKit Pro
Pro subscribers unlock every premium widget while their subscription is active. How, or whether, creators are compensated for Pro usage is a question for WidgyKit’s creator terms.
Promotion ideas that do not need an ad budget
- Before and after home screens. This is the most shareable format on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest and Reddit setup communities.
- Short process videos. Record a widget going from an empty canvas to finished in WidgyKit Studio.
- Seasonal drops. Back to school, Halloween, winter holidays, Lunar New Year. Publish a few weeks early so people find it in time.
- Matching wallpapers. Give away a free wallpaper that pairs with your bundle and links back to it.
- Use your creator profile as a portfolio. Put it in your social bio.
- Treat requests as a roadmap. “Is there a blue version?” is your next widget.
Realistic expectations
Like any digital product, results depend on quality, consistency and whether you reach the right audience. Your first widgets may only get a handful of installs. Treat the Marketplace as a portfolio, a way to sharpen UI skills and a possible extra income stream, not a guaranteed paycheck. Read the creator terms first so you know exactly what you earn per sale.
Building your own app instead? Our guide on how indie developers make money from apps compares ads, in-app purchases, subscriptions and coins, and uses WidgyKit’s coin and Pro model as one example.
Summary
The WidgyKit Creator Marketplace lets you design widgets with drag and drop in WidgyKit Studio, bind live data, preview S, M and L in light and dark, submit for review and sell in coins, individually or in bundles, while tracking installs and revenue in a dashboard. Start small, design in sets, lead with free and learn from your numbers. Explore WidgyKit and design your first widget.
FAQ
Do I need to code to sell widgets on WidgyKit?
No. WidgyKit Studio is a web-based widget designer. You drag in text, shapes, icons and progress rings, bind live data such as time, weather, calendar, events and countdowns, and preview every size without writing code.
What revenue share does WidgyKit pay creators?
The revenue share, payout method and payout threshold are not published on widgykit.com's homepage. Check WidgyKit's creator terms in WidgyKit Studio and the site's Terms page before you start.
Can I give some widgets away for free?
Yes. Creators can sell widgets individually, in bundles, or give them away for free. A few free widgets are a good way to show your style before someone pays.
Clocks, weather, events, calendar, habits, countdowns… every home-screen widget in one app, in one matching style. Free to start on iOS and Android.