When most of us swipe our finger across the Google Play icon on our tablet or smartphone, we’re usually browsing for a few new apps that are attractive, interesting, and—most of all—free. Occasionally, a particularly well-done app will convince us to hand over the monetary equivalent of our daily caffeinated beverage, but rarely do the masses consistently spend upwards of $9.99 on apps.

However, if you’ve ever been curious about the pricier apps out there (and the kind of people likely to buy them), here are 4 of the most expensive android app categories currently on the market:

Legal Apps

Professional-grade apps will typically weigh in near the top of the price list, and legal apps are certainly no exception. There are a variety of legal dictionaries, archives, and case studies that will set you back $20-50 a pop, but one of the costliest apps is e-Bar Review’s MBE Preparation, a pocket-sized guide that helps prepare you for the bar examination, with a price tag of $199.99.

Medical Apps

Another unsurprisingly expensive app category is the medical field. In addition to the wide range of assistant diagnostic apps that run between $20-100—with the common function of allowing physicians to access important medical info from their personal tablet or smartphone—an increasingly popular app field is the online medical libraries and med school textbooks. Instead of buying textbooks each semester, the goal is to allow med students to purchase subscriptions to online sources that will continuously provide the necessary material at each stage of education. It’s still in its early stages, but the price of the apps will definitely keep you from thinking that they’re simple games with a medical theme.

Professional Mapping Apps

Another expensive—and little known—category is the suite of apps that support professional map makers. It may come as a surprise to many, but even in 2013, there are professionals who still make a living by making maps. These days, they usually take the form of custom maps with very specific geographic information that apply to public transit systems, state highway departments, and certain private companies with the appropriate infrastructure. Nova Spatial’s pcMapper costs a formidable $149.99, with their “hobbyist” version still racking up a $29.99 price tag, making it one of the most expensive non-professional apps in the Google Play store.

Nonfunctional Apps That Do Nothing Other Than Display Wealth

Without question, the most bizarre apps to be found are the “indicators of wealth” offerings. Explicitly stating—even, in certain examples, outright boasting—that they perform no practical function, these apps do nothing more than give your device a background wallpaper that proudly proclaims your wealth, usually with a few $ signs and a poorly-rendered image of diamonds or gold thrown in for good measure. While they may seem harmless, some of the apps cost between $130-200, and would be a considerable accident for young children to make as they pick your tablet up off the coffee table and make the world’s most expensive one-touch purchase with your Google Play account.

Most of these expensive apps will only apply to professionals within their respective fields—and a few of these apps should apply to virtually no one—but if you’ve ever wanted to see a few apps that can quickly add up to cost more than the device they run on, you can start with the above.

 

Author bio:

John is a blogger who rarely pays for apps, although he frequently buys television shows on Google Play, as the price-per-episode is often cheaper than buying a full season on disc, especially with 13-episode-a-season cable dramas. He writes for Protect Your Bubble, an Internet insurer that can help protect your gadgets—including your new Samsung Galaxy S4—from drops, spills, damage, and more.