The State of App Marketing for Subscription Apps

Out Now! The State of App Marketing for Subscription Apps

By Scott Reyburn | June 14, 2022

Everything old is new again. Once associated with industries including magazines, newspapers, and cable TV, the subscription business model has become a staple of the mobile app industry. One study, published by app intelligence company Sensor Tower in February 2022, found that 90 of the top 100 highest-grossing apps in the U.S. in Q4 2021 offered a subscription service.

The move to subscriptions clearly translates to big business. The same study found that revenue from the top 100 non-game subscription apps globally hit $18.3 billion in 2021, up from $13 billion in 2020. Non-game apps aren’t the only ones getting in on the subscription boom. Mobile games are too. Nearly 60% of the top 20% of mobile games by revenue in the U.S. today offer a subscription plan, according to data from GameRefinery, a Liftoff company.

The State of App Marketing for Subscription Apps by Liftoff and AppsFlyer unpacks the app subscription economy across gaming and non-gaming app categories including education, entertainment (streaming), health & fitness, lifestyle, photography, productivity, social, and utilities. We take an in-depth look at subscription app install and revenue data by platform, region, and app category.

Finally, Mobile Heroes in the subscription app space shared with us their frontline strategies, with a particular focus on how to improve app stickiness, optimize subscription pricing, and design impactful ad creative. Download your free copy of the report now!

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Read the report in English, Chinese, German, Japanese, or Korean.

Report highlights include:

  • Subscription app install, non-organic install, and revenue data
  • Trends across platforms, regions, and categories
  • Unique SKAdNetwork and ATT insights
  • Key lessons from Mobile Heroes managing subscription apps