( CNN ) -- The week-old redesign of quick-messaging service Twitter was meant to simplify its tools and make it more accessible to newbies . But it has had some unintended consequences . Independent developers of applications that tie into Twitter 's network say they have experienced significant accelerations in downloads and revenue since Twitter 4.0 launched last week . When addicts of the social network got their hands on the new version , many recoiled upon seeing the changes . They were especially vocal about the loss of some features in Twitter 's mobile apps and about the private-message tab being hidden within another menu . So thousands flocked to the various app stores to get third-party apps that look more like the previous version of Twitter . Some of the most popular apps cost a few dollars , unlike the free app made by Twitter . Tweetbot , an anime-themed app for the iPhone , more than doubled its usual revenue just after Twitter 's major redesign , said Paul Haddad , a co-founder for app maker Tapbot . When the small developer cut the price of Tweetbot in half on Friday , to 99 cents , revenue increased more than tenfold , Haddad said . Independent trackers of app downloads verify that Tweetbot and others experienced big gains . `` Word of mouth really goes a long way on Twitter , '' Haddad wrote in an e-mail . The maker of another popular app , Twitterrific , saw a `` bump '' after the Twitter changes , which carried through to this week , said Craig Hockenberry , the head of app maker Iconfactory . This effect is common , but short-lived , after a major change to Twitter , he said . Twitterrific , which offers a free version with ads or a full version for $ 4.99 , experienced a similar boost in March after Twitter updated its iPhone app with a much-maligned feature called the Quick Bar , Hockenberry said . The Quick Bar , which critics dubbed Dick Bar after Twitter CEO Dick Costolo , added an ever-present ticker showing trending topics and ads . Within a month , Twitter had removed the feature . `` Please stop complaining about the new Twitter app , '' Haddad wrote on his Tapbot Twitter account last week . `` They might revert back , and I 'm really enjoying the increase in sales . '' For a relatively new Twitter app , like Twittelator Neue , the backlash provided some much-needed attention . That app , which costs $ 1.99 , has seen about three times as many downloads in the week since Twitter 4.0 . `` We 've definitely seen a spike since Twitter updated their official client , '' Ollie Wagner , the Twittelator developer , wrote in an e-mail . `` Changes like the ones they 've made tend to be quite polarizing , oftentimes magnetizing audiences towards newer third party clients . '' In March , during the Quick Bar fiasco , Twitter began discouraging makers of these types of apps from pursuing development . Ryan Sarver , a leader on Twitter 's developer relations team , wrote then in a memo to partners that they should not be building software that reproduces the functions of a standard Twitter app . `` We need to move to a less fragmented world , where every user can experience Twitter in a consistent way , '' Sarver wrote . `` This is already happening organically -- the number and market share of consumer client apps that are not owned or operated by Twitter has been shrinking . '' As that number seems to grow slightly , it 's unclear whether Twitter 's stance has changed . A Twitter spokeswoman declined to comment , and Sarver did n't immediately respond to a request for comment .
Twitter 's update last month spurred more demand for third - party apps . Many Twitter users were unhappy with the changes to Twitter . Some were willing to pay a fee for apps that look familiar .