Which app categories make the most subscription revenue in 2026?

Utilities, Entertainment, and Productivity lead in weekly subscription revenue share — with Utilities at 73.6%. Health & Fitness is the exception: the only category where annual plans dominate (60.6%). For per-subscriber value, Utilities trial users generate the highest LTV at $68.90 over 12 months. Full category breakdowns are in the report.

How much should I charge for a subscription app?

In 2025, global median prices are $7.48/week, $12.99/month, and $38.42/year. But pricing varies dramatically by category and region. European apps charge 29-39% more than North American ones. Higher prices don’t kill conversion: high-tier weekly plans generate 5.2x more revenue per install than low-tier ones. The report breaks down pricing by category, region, and percentile so you can benchmark against your segment.

What's a "good" conversion rate for a subscription app in 2026?

It depends on your plan type. Weekly plans convert 1.7–7.4x better than annual across all price tiers. For trial funnels, the global average is 10.9% install-to-trial and 25.6% trial-to-paid. Health & Fitness leads trial-to-paid at 35.0%, while Entertainment trails at 19.1%. The report includes conversion benchmarks by category, region, plan type, and price tier.

Weekly, monthly, or annual — which subscription plan performs best?

Weekly plans win on conversion and revenue share — they now generate 55.5% of all app revenue, up from 43.3% in 2023. Weekly+trial is the highest-LTV paywall configuration at $49.27 over 12 months. Monthly plans consistently underperform both weekly and annual at every price tier. The exception is Health & Fitness, where annual dominates with 60.6% of revenue. The right answer depends on your category — the report shows exactly where each plan type wins.

How much money does a subscription app make?

The median app earns $492/month, and 59.3% of subscription apps make less than $1,000 total. Only 7.2% cross $100K. The top 10% capture 94.5% of all subscription revenue — and that concentration is increasing. Apps that run experiments earn 40x more than those that don’t. The report covers revenue distribution, concentration by category, and what separates top-performing apps from the rest.

What should I put on my paywall to maximize conversions?

89.4% of trial starts happen on Day 0 — your first-session paywall is your highest-leverage surface. Weekly plans with a free trial produce the highest 12-month LTV ($49.27), despite starting with the lowest Day 0 LTV. Onboarding paywalls without trials convert at 37.45% but produce the lowest long-term value. Hard paywalls generate 21% higher LTV per subscriber than soft paywalls. The report breaks down placement, trial availability, plan type, and pricing tier to show what works best for your setup.

What is a normal churn rate for a subscription app?

It varies by plan type more than anything else. At Day 380, annual trial subscribers retain at 19.9%, monthly at 14.2%, and weekly at 5.5%. Trial subscribers retain 1.4-1.7x better than direct buyers across all plan types. By category, Utilities leads with 58.1% first-renewal retention while Health & Fitness is last at 30.3%. Region matters less than you’d think — the gap between best and worst region (4.1pp) is dwarfed by the gap between plan types (15pp+). The report includes retention benchmarks by category, region, and billing period.

State of in-app subscriptions 2026

The only report with sub-category breakdowns for pricing, LTV, conversion, and paywallss – benchmarked against 16,000 apps with $3B in subscription revenue. Filter by category, region, and country.

Get your benchmarks

Benchmark your app against 16,000 others

Most subscription reports give you industry averages.
This one gives you category-specific data

0K

apps

$0B

revenue analyzed

10K

paywalls compared

What 16,000 apps revealed about subscriptions in 2026

Subscription prices vary 4x between countries

See how your app rank — from top performers to lowest — across 20+ countries.

Weekly subscriptions now generate 56% of all app revenue

Discover how revenue breaks down by plan type in your category.

90% of trial starts happen on Day 0

Determine whether offering trials is good business for your app.

The fastest-growing app markets are Japan, Mexico, and Turkey

Discover your next growth market by country and category, using the full report.

8 in 10 new apps, never break $10K,
and 90% never reach $100K

The top 5% share specific patterns.
The data reveals which ones.

Localization tests drive the biggest LTV uplift

Get the full A/B test impact rankings across 105,000 paywalls.

Get your benchmarks

Exactly what you need to benchmark your app

Market trends

Fastest-growing regions where revenue is shifting

State of AI apps

How AI apps price, convert, and retain subscribers

Pricing
landscape

20+

sub-categories

50+

countries

LTV insights

by category, region, and country

Web paywalls

How web paywalls compare to in-app paywalls

Paywall rankings

105K paywalls analyzed for experiment impact

iOS vs. Android

Benchmark breakdown by platform

Conversion benchmarks

What drives conversion — and what doesn't

FAQ

Which app categories make the most subscription revenue in 2026?
Utilities, Entertainment, and Productivity lead in weekly subscription revenue share — with Utilities at 73.6%. Health & Fitness is the exception: the only category where annual plans dominate (60.6%). For per-subscriber value, Utilities trial users generate the highest LTV at $68.90 over 12 months. Full category breakdowns are in the report.
How much should I charge for a subscription app?
In 2025, global median prices are $7.48/week, $12.99/month, and $38.42/year. But pricing varies dramatically by category and region. European apps charge 29-39% more than North American ones. Higher prices don’t kill conversion: high-tier weekly plans generate 5.2x more revenue per install than low-tier ones. The report breaks down pricing by category, region, and percentile so you can benchmark against your segment.
What's a "good" conversion rate for a subscription app in 2026?
It depends on your plan type. Weekly plans convert 1.7–7.4x better than annual across all price tiers. For trial funnels, the global average is 10.9% install-to-trial and 25.6% trial-to-paid. Health & Fitness leads trial-to-paid at 35.0%, while Entertainment trails at 19.1%. The report includes conversion benchmarks by category, region, plan type, and price tier.
Weekly, monthly, or annual — which subscription plan performs best?
Weekly plans win on conversion and revenue share — they now generate 55.5% of all app revenue, up from 43.3% in 2023. Weekly+trial is the highest-LTV paywall configuration at $49.27 over 12 months. Monthly plans consistently underperform both weekly and annual at every price tier. The exception is Health & Fitness, where annual dominates with 60.6% of revenue. The right answer depends on your category — the report shows exactly where each plan type wins.
How much money does a subscription app make?
The median app earns $492/month, and 59.3% of subscription apps make less than $1,000 total. Only 7.2% cross $100K. The top 10% capture 94.5% of all subscription revenue — and that concentration is increasing. Apps that run experiments earn 40x more than those that don’t. The report covers revenue distribution, concentration by category, and what separates top-performing apps from the rest.
What should I put on my paywall to maximize conversions?
89.4% of trial starts happen on Day 0 — your first-session paywall is your highest-leverage surface. Weekly plans with a free trial produce the highest 12-month LTV ($49.27), despite starting with the lowest Day 0 LTV. Onboarding paywalls without trials convert at 37.45% but produce the lowest long-term value. Hard paywalls generate 21% higher LTV per subscriber than soft paywalls. The report breaks down placement, trial availability, plan type, and pricing tier to show what works best for your setup.
What is a normal churn rate for a subscription app?
It varies by plan type more than anything else. At Day 380, annual trial subscribers retain at 19.9%, monthly at 14.2%, and weekly at 5.5%. Trial subscribers retain 1.4-1.7x better than direct buyers across all plan types. By category, Utilities leads with 58.1% first-renewal retention while Health & Fitness is last at 30.3%. Region matters less than you’d think — the gap between best and worst region (4.1pp) is dwarfed by the gap between plan types (15pp+). The report includes retention benchmarks by category, region, and billing period.