Success stories

Skitch’s Three Million Downloads Highlights Android Appeal: Technology

Aussie start-up Skitch hits 3m downloads following US acquisition

By Michelle Hammond
Wednesday, 14 December 2011

Australian start-up Skitch has reached three million downloads of its Android app, four months after being acquired by US app-maker Evernote.

Skitch is a photo manipulation app that allows users to grab their images, crop their size, add graphics or text, place them in documents and then share the finished product with others.

The business was started last year by Melbourne-based entrepreneur Cris Pearson, who spun the idea off another website he founded, Plasq.

In August, US app-maker Evernote acquired Skitch for an undisclosed amount, prompting Pearson and COO Keith Lang to relocate to California to work more closely with Evernote.

“All the existing skitch.com services will continue… We’ll be working alongside the great Evernote crew to make Skitch and Evernote work seamlessly together,” Skitch said at the time.

“Skitch will now be able to broaden and flourish like never before, with Evernote know-how and resources allowing Skitch to finally reach all those computers, tablets and phones out there.”

Skitch also announced its plan to launch an Android version of the app, Skitch for Android, after initially operating solely on the Apple platform.

According to the company, the app “helps people get their point across with fewer words, using shapes and notations”.

Earlier this week, Evernote announced that Skitch for Android had reached three million downloads, less than four months after its launch. This equates into a download every 1.5 seconds.

Skitch has also updated the app, adding a new feature: object rotation.

“Now, you can rotate arrows, text and shapes by simply tapping on the object, pressing with two fingers and rotating. You can also rotate multiple objects at once,” Evernote said in a statement.

Evernote says the app is coming “soon” to iOS, but is mainly focused on iterating and improving the Android app.

While there has been talk that Android is a difficult OS to make money from, it seems that by virtue of its huge install base, there is definitely revenue potential.

The success of Skitch for Android outlines the value of having a multi-platform approach, and also suggests Android is gaining on Apple with regard to popularity among developers.