App Subscription Data (2024)

David Curry

Updated: August 6, 2024

App subscriptions are a considerable share of total in-app purchase revenues on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. That share of revenue from subscriptions has been growing over the past five years, as more users become comfortable subscribing to apps for longer periods of time.

Subscriptions come in many forms, with most app developers offering them over several time periods. Some apps also offer multiple subscriptions, withholding specific subscription features to higher cost tiers.

Moving a user from free to subscription is the largest, and often most costly, conversion that app marketers try to achieve. On average, less than 0.1 percent of users that actively use a free app convert to a subscription.

The battle is not over once a user becomes a subscriber however, with plenty of processes designed to retain subscribers over a longer term. Increasing subscription retention is a key metric for app marketers, as more than half of all subscribers are typically gone after the first month.

While subscriptions have been commonplace in some app sectors for years, new sectors are attempting to introduce subscriptions as an alternative to their freemium service. Several food delivery services have launched subscriptions offering no delivery fees and exclusive offers; social apps such as Snapchat and Twitter have launched subscriptions.

We have collected data and statistics on app subscriptions. Read on below to find out more.

Key App Subscription Statistics

  • App subscriptions generated $45.6 billion in 2023
  • The United States was responsible for more than half of all app subscription revenue
  • 96% of app spend on iOS and Google Play came from subscriptions
  • App subscription retention was 20% for monthly and 41% for annual subscriptions
  • Over a quarter of all subscriptions apps were games in 2023