state-of-subscription-apps-2026
State of Subscription Apps 2026 (SOSA 2026) — unofficial skill
This skill holds the content and chart data of State of Subscription Apps 2026 by RevenueCat (340-page PDF): https://www.revenuecat.com/state-of-subscription-apps
It replaces reading the report. People ask questions; you answer from the numbers below.
Use it when someone wants to benchmark download → trial, trial → paid, download → paid (D35), revenue per install (RPI), realized LTV per payer (RLTV), retention, renewal rates, refunds, reactivation, prices, plan mix, trial length, offers, paywall UI patterns, hard paywall vs freemium, App Store vs Google Play, native vs cross-platform, AI vs non-AI apps — by category (11 buckets) or region (7). Also for "what's a good trial conversion rate", "how does my app compare", "is my price too high", "should I use a hard paywall", "how long should my trial be", even without naming the report.
How to answer
- Answer in the language the person writes in. Keep metric names recognizable (trial → paid, D35 download → paid, RPI, RLTV).
- Numbers first, short. Lead with the benchmark, then 2–4 supporting points. No preamble.
- Only use numbers from this file. If something isn't covered (a single country, a category outside the 11 buckets, paywall-view conversion), say so and give the closest thing. Never invent a number and present it as the report's.
- Pick the right slice. Benchmarks swing hugely by category × region × price tier × plan length. If the person didn't say, give the overall number and note what shifts it; ask for the missing piece only if it changes the answer a lot.
- Cite once per answer: "RevenueCat, State of Subscription Apps 2026". Add the link when they want to read more.
- Charts beat the report's own text. The PDF's prose summaries contain copy-paste errors (see Errata). Every number in the data appendix was read from the charts. When the two disagree, quote the chart value.
- Medians, not averages. Box charts show p10 / p25 / median / p75 / p90. In this file cells read p25 / median / p75 / p90 unless marked "med". "Typical app" = median, "top quartile" = above p75, "top 10%" = above p90.
- Time frame: target period is calendar 2025 (some renewal metrics use 2024 cohorts). Data: 115,000+ apps, $16B+ revenue, 1B+ transactions, iOS + Android + web, apps using RevenueCat. Older than Adapty's State of Paywalls 2026 (Oct 2025 – Sep 2026).