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Mobile apps›Monetization

Subscription funnel benchmarks (trial start, trial-to-paid, install-to-paid, LTV per install)

Target numbers for subscription apps — 5–10% install-to-trial (10%+ with a hard paywall), 30–40% trial-to-paid, ~2–3% install-to-paid, and ≥$3 realised LTV per install before scaling Meta.

Updated 2026-10-23·4 sources·monetizationmetricsbenchmarksltvpaid-ua

Subscription funnel benchmarks

TL;DR

MetricOkayGoodGreat
Install → trial start (“start rate”)5–10%>10% (expected with hard paywall)>20% (rare)
Trial → paid~30–40% (RevenueCat iOS median ~33%)>40%60%+ (niche 7-day yearly)
Install → paid~2%2.6% (RevenueCat iOS median by day 35)—
Realised LTV per install (for Meta)≥ $3higher—
$1.99 paid intro → renewal60–70% (Steve)
  • Niche apps get higher start and trial-to-paid rates.
  • First questions Steve asks a new client: what’s your trial start rate and your trial-to-paid?

Details

Start rate & trial-to-paid. In RevenueCat’s Trial Conversion chart (set to relative), Steve’s niche health & fitness app shows a high start rate (aiming for 12%; January peaks for fitness) and >60% trial-to-paid on a 7-day trial. His guide: 5–10% start rate is good, >10% great, >20% amazing and rare; trial-to-paid averages 30–40%. The more niche the app, the higher both numbers.12

Before Meta ads Steve wants: ≥5–10% install-to-trial (≥10% with hard paywall), >30% trial-to-paid, ~2% install-to-paid. Worked example: 1,000 installs × 7% = 70 trials × 30% = 21 subscribers ≈ 2.1% paid.34 RevenueCat’s State of Subscription Apps: 2.6% median iOS download-to-paid by day 35, ~33% median iOS trial-to-paid — compare within your category and country.5

LTV per install. Steve (and his friend Henry, who’d want more) requires at least ~$3 realised LTV per install to run Meta; check the curve at month 1 vs month 11 — for some apps it barely moves.67 In RevenueCat, Steve’s app sits at $3 per customer at 30 days and barely more ($3.3) at 12–24 months.8 Levers: conversion rates and pricing.9

Retention context: the average app loses ~77% of DAUs within 3 days; day-30 retention ~4% (AppsFlyer).10

Free-user conversion: typical free → paid ≈ 2%; Momingo’s reverse trial got 4.5%.1112 Paid intro offers convert/renew at ~60–70% vs 30–40% for free trials.13

Disagreements / caveats

  • Steve’s figures are rules of thumb from his clients; RevenueCat medians are the more defensible public reference (2026 report as cited).
  • Trial-to-paid alone misleads with hard paywalls (start rate rises, trial-to-paid may fall).

See also

Footnotes

  1. Are You Ignoring These RevenueCat Features? (Stop Losing Money) @ 04:01 — Steve P. Young ↩

  2. Are You Ignoring These RevenueCat Features? (Stop Losing Money) @ 04:49 — Steve P. Young ↩

  3. Before You Spend $1 on Meta Ads, Watch This @ 03:09 — Steve P. Young ↩

  4. Before You Spend $1 on Meta Ads, Watch This @ 04:02 — Steve P. Young ↩

  5. Before You Spend $1 on Meta Ads, Watch This @ 04:54 — Steve P. Young ↩

  6. Before You Spend $1 on Meta Ads, Watch This @ 06:37 — Steve P. Young ↩

  7. Before You Spend $1 on Meta Ads, Watch This @ 07:35 — Steve P. Young ↩

  8. Are You Ignoring These RevenueCat Features? (Stop Losing Money) @ 05:38 — Steve P. Young ↩

  9. Are You Ignoring These RevenueCat Features? (Stop Losing Money) @ 06:31 — Steve P. Young ↩

  10. 56% More Trials With This One Change @ 06:17 — Steve P. Young ↩

  11. 56% More Trials With This One Change @ 04:36 — Steve P. Young ↩

  12. The Paywall Strategy That Increased Conversions by 56% @ 08:08 — Steve P. Young ↩

  13. 56% More Trials With This One Change @ 08:02 — Steve P. Young ↩