App funnel conversion rates
Conversion rates guests gave for their own apps, or as the norm they see across many apps. Rows describe exactly which step was measured; definitions differ between apps.
145 figures · updated 2026-10-25
Trial to paid
Median 35% across 43 figures, from 5% to 90%.
| Who | Value | Context | Said in |
|---|---|---|---|
| aggregateSome apps in RevenueCat data, including some with 3-day trials | 5% approximate | free trial -> paid; shows few people forget to cancel | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-08-2342:42 |
| App Masters in-house apps | 8% approximate | Install -> trial on one App Masters app whose trial -> paid is poor; Steve suspects the product | App Masters 2026-03-141:01:52 |
| benchmarkHard-paywall trial-to-paid rate as a product-market-fit signal: single digits means not PMF, 10-20% means people find value | 10–20% approximate | trial -> paid | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-08-2342:42 |
| Mohamed Khaled Selim's keyword-first app | 11% approximate | install -> trial, organic traffic; organic trial -> paid is higher than paid traffic | App Masters 2026-08-2927:32 |
| PropGPT | 13% approximate | Trial -> paid, first version | Starter Story 2025-11-176:55 |
| Shot Pattern | 17% approximate | Called 'trial to paid' but most likely download -> paid (25% x 75% ~ 19%); organic audience inflates it | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2025-07-0922:59 |
| aggregateRevenueCat-tracked apps, 3-day (<=4 day) trials | 19% | Trial -> paid, lower quartile | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-01-171:08:07 |
| Postiz | 21% | Trial -> paid | Starter Story 2026-01-282:55 |
| aggregateRevenueCat-tracked apps, 14-day trial into annual plan | 21% | Trial -> paid, lower quartile | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-01-1726:34 |
| aggregateRevenueCat-tracked apps, 30-day (17-32 day) trials | 21% | Trial -> paid, lower quartile (widest spread of any trial length) | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-01-171:14:07 |
| Visualizee | 25% approximate | trial -> paid (7-day free trial) | Starter Story 2026-09-022:26 |
| Built With Science | 25% approximate | Trial -> paid for Meta ad traffic | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2026-09-02 |
| SiteGPT | 25–40% approximate | trial -> paying customer | Starter Story 2026-01-072:36 |
| aggregateTrial-to-paid conversion, short trials (RevenueCat dataset) | 25.5% | Trial -> paid, short trials; more apps shifted to 3-day trials year over year | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2026-03-06 |
| aggregateRevenueCat-tracked apps, 7-day (5-9 day) trials, the most common length | 28% | Trial -> paid, lower quartile | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-01-171:10:27 |
| benchmarkIndustry-average trial-to-paid rate; below it signals a product problem | 30–40% estimate | trial -> paid | The Superwall Podcast 2026-07-2229:53 |
| aggregateSubscription apps App Masters has seen: 7-day free trial on a yearly plan | 30–40% approximate | Trial -> paid for a 7-day free trial | App Masters 2026-02-286:45 |
| App Masters in-house apps | 30% approximate | Trial -> paid, the same with soft and hard paywall | App Masters 2026-02-2815:45 |
| SuperX | 30% approximate | 'Trial rate', undefined; likely trial -> paid. Adjusted for the Stripe -> Lemon Squeezy migration | Starter Story 2025-12-212:35 |
| benchmarkGood trial-to-paid rate | 30% approximate | trial -> paid; above 30% is good | The Superwall Podcast 2025-12-164:46 |
| benchmarkSubscription app trial-to-paid conversion | 30–50% approximate | Trial -> paid; why optimizing Meta for trial start is a weaker signal than a D2C purchase | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2024-04-0321:51 |
| aggregateRevenueCat-tracked apps, 3-day (<=4 day) trials | 30% | Trial -> paid, median (lowest of all trial lengths) | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-01-171:08:07 |
| aggregateRevenueCat State of Subscription Apps report, iOS apps (median) | 33% approximate | iOS trial -> paid, median | App Masters 2026-10-206:02 |
| Angel Match | 33% | trial -> paid | Starter Story 2026-08-232:18 |
| Built With Science | 35–40% approximate | Trial -> paid for warm organic traffic from YouTube | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2026-09-02 |
| Steve's purchased one-feature app | 35% approximate | trial -> paid, average, with the hard paywall | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-08-2319:02 |
| benchmarkIndustry average trial -> paid conversion (Nancy's figure, source unstated) | 38% estimate | Trial -> paid | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2026-05-27 |
| aggregateTrial-to-paid conversion, trials of 17+ days (RevenueCat dataset) | 42.5% | Trial -> paid, trials of 17 days or longer (70% better than short trials; likely selection bias) | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2026-03-06 |
| aggregateRevenueCat-tracked apps, 14-day trial into annual plan | 44% | Trial -> paid, median | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-01-1727:26 |
| aggregateRevenueCat-tracked apps, 7/14/30-day trials | 44–45% | Trial -> paid medians are 45%, 44% and 45% for 7, 14 and 30-day trials: trial length barely matters beyond 3 days | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-01-171:12:35 |
| aggregateRevenueCat-tracked apps, 7-day (5-9 day) trials, the most common length | 45% | Trial -> paid, median | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-01-171:10:27 |
| aggregateRevenueCat-tracked apps, 3-day (<=4 day) trials | 47% | Trial -> paid, upper quartile | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-01-171:08:07 |
| KBMH | 50–60% approximate | Free trial -> paid (yearly plan); second-year retention not yet known | App Masters 2026-03-2137:29 |
| Claim | 50–55% approximate | trial -> paid, before removing the trial | The Superwall Podcast 2025-12-1616:56 |
| PropGPT | 50% approximate | Conversion to paid (likely trial -> paid) after the rebuild, during the NBA Playoffs push; over 50%, up from 13% | Starter Story 2025-11-173:58 |
| Zumba | 56% approximate | Annual trial -> paid, up from 'in the 30s' at launch | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2025-08-0646:21 |
| App Masters client earning six figures a month | 60% approximate | trial -> paid | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-08-2341:29 |
| aggregateRevenueCat-tracked apps, 14-day trial into annual plan | 61% | Trial -> paid, upper quartile | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-01-1728:26 |
| aggregateRevenueCat-tracked apps, 7-day (5-9 day) trials, the most common length | 62% | Trial -> paid, upper quartile | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-01-171:10:27 |
| aggregateRevenueCat-tracked apps, 30-day (17-32 day) trials | 67% | Trial -> paid, upper quartile | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-01-171:14:07 |
| Natal | 68% estimate | Trial -> paid | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2026-05-27 |
| Shot Pattern | 75% approximate | Trial -> paid conversion, organic audience, at time of acquisition offer | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2025-07-0922:59 |
| None to Run | 90% approximate | Trial -> paid in the launch cohort of pent-up, high-intent users; drifted down as App Store organics and featuring grew | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-01-171:08:07 |
Install to trial or paid
Median 7% across 80 figures, from 1% to 48%.
| Who | Value | Context | Said in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fitbit to Apple Health Sync | 1% approximate | Install -> purchase after users close the soft paywall (part of the 6%) | App Masters 2026-09-126:52 |
| Sizzle AI | 1% approximate | Install -> purchase on traffic sent into the onboarding flow | The Superwall Podcast 2025-08-0417:02 |
| benchmarkIn-app purchase conversion when IAP launched (~2009), per Jacob Eiting's experience | 1% approximate | Download -> purchase; 'single digits' has been the norm since | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-01-1737:43 |
| Tangent client entertainment app with ~40-50K organic installs/month | 1.1% | install -> paid, before Tangent | The Superwall Podcast 2025-12-166:37 |
| benchmarkGood install-to-paid range for an app, per host reading of RevenueCat data | 2–3% approximate | install -> paid considered good | App Masters 2026-10-206:02 |
| benchmarkAverage install-to-paid conversion for subscription apps (host's view) | 2% approximate | Install -> paid; above 2% is really good | App Masters 2026-09-051:11:31 |
| FaithFull | 2%/month | install -> paid, October 2025 (paywall view rate fell to 21%) | App Masters 2026-05-098:12 |
| benchmarkTypical app install -> paid conversion | 2–3% approximate | install -> paid, average app | App Masters 2026-05-0915:43 |
| aggregateMedian freemium app in the RevenueCat report | 2% | Download -> paid within 35 days (D35) | App Masters 2026-03-1424:52 |
| aggregateDownload-to-paid conversion by day 35, freemium apps (RevenueCat dataset) | 2.1% | Download -> paid by day 35, freemium apps | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2026-03-06 |
| aggregateRevenueCat-tracked apps with a pure trial strategy | 2.1% | Download -> trial start, lower quartile | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-01-171:03:46 |
| FaithFull | 2.25% | install -> paid, starting point per the episode description | App Masters 2026-05-096:51 |
| aggregateRevenueCat State of Subscription Apps report, iOS apps (median) | 2.6% | iOS download -> paid by day 35, median | App Masters 2026-10-206:02 |
| FaithFull | 2.6%/month | install -> paid, month 1 (September 2025) | App Masters 2026-05-098:12 |
| App Masters teammate Aman's subscription app | 3%/month approximate | Start rate (trial + non-trial purchase starts / traffic), May 2026, single trial paywall | App Masters 2026-09-154:29 |
| aggregateRevenueCat subscription app benchmark report, median app | 3% approximate | Median download -> paid conversion; ~97% of people who open an app never pay | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-02-221:05:00 |
| FaithFull | 3.28%/month | install -> paid, November 2025 | App Masters 2026-05-098:12 |
| Past guest John's app | 3.5% | Paywall conversion with graphics (unit assumed %) | App Masters 2026-01-1748:48 |
| aggregateRevenueCat-tracked subscription apps with trials, median | 3.7% | Download -> trial start, median, apps with trials | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-01-1737:12 |
| benchmarkMinimum acceptable install-to-paid rate | 4% approximate | install -> paid; below 4% means a problem | The Superwall Podcast 2025-12-165:36 |
| Tangent client entertainment app with ~40-50K organic installs/month | 4% approximate | install -> paid after 5 months of placements + experiments, no paid UA | The Superwall Podcast 2025-12-161:11 |
| App Masters teammate Aman's subscription app | 4.4%/month | Start rate (trial + non-trial), June 2026, first full month of two paywalls | App Masters 2026-09-154:34 |
| Momego | 4.5% | Free users -> paid, after the reverse trial (was 0.4% before) | App Masters 2026-02-2811:15 |
| aggregateRevenueCat-tracked apps with a pure trial strategy | 4.6% | Download -> trial start, median | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-01-171:03:46 |
| Past guest John's app | 4.7% | Paywall conversion with a real photo; a video later did even better (unit assumed %) | App Masters 2026-01-1748:48 |
| benchmarkStart-trial rate below which App Masters switches a client to a hard paywall | 5% | Install -> trial start threshold | App Masters 2026-09-0559:16 |
| benchmarkTarget install-to-trial-start rate for a new app | 5–10% estimate | install -> trial start | The Superwall Podcast 2026-07-2229:53 |
| FaithFull | 5.11%/month | install -> paid, December 2025, after the sales-script onboarding | App Masters 2026-05-098:12 |
| Vaultaire | 5.47% | Download -> paid on Day 1 (App Store analytics); the rate keeps rising up to Day 35-60, unlike apps that convert immediately | Starter Story 2026-10-183:56 |
| Fitbit to Apple Health Sync | 6% approximate | Install -> purchase, total (5% on the upfront paywall + 1% after closing the soft paywall) | App Masters 2026-09-126:48 |
| Bickster AI Bible app | 6–7% approximate | Install -> purchase at $29.99 lifetime (ASA traffic, hard paywall) | App Masters 2026-09-1219:07 |
| LeadMeNot | 6–8% approximate | Install -> paid on iOS | App Masters 2026-09-051:11:18 |
| App Masters | 6–7% approximate | Install -> paid for another app run by the host | App Masters 2026-09-051:11:31 |
| App Steve Young bought in 2022 ranking #1 for two ~30-volume keywords | 6% | trial start rate with a closable (X) paywall | The Superwall Podcast 2026-07-2220:05 |
| benchmarkHealth & fitness app average download -> trial (Nancy's figure, source unstated) | 6% estimate | Download -> trial | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2026-05-27 |
| App Masters in-house apps | 6% | Install -> trial with a closable paywall (X) | App Masters 2026-03-1429:43 |
| FaithFull | 6.26%/month | install -> paid, January 2026 | App Masters 2026-05-099:00 |
| FaithFull | 6.51%/month | install -> paid, February 2026 (dipped slightly in March) | App Masters 2026-05-099:00 |
| Payout | 6.7% approximate | Download -> paid | The Superwall Podcast 2026-03-1815:16 |
| FaithFull | 6.81% | install -> paid after 6 months, per the episode description | App Masters 2026-05-096:51 |
| FaithFull | 6.86%/month | install -> paid, April 2026 | App Masters 2026-05-099:00 |
| Frederick James's habit tracker app | 7% approximate | Download -> paid; guest calls it good for the niche | Starter Story 2026-10-251:46 |
| FaithFull | 7.21%/month | install -> paid, May 2026 month to date | App Masters 2026-05-099:00 |
| App Masters teammate Aman's subscription app | 7.7%/month | Start rate (trial + non-trial), July 2026 | App Masters 2026-09-154:34 |
| aggregatePaywall conversion rate across the guest's client apps before optimization | 8% approximate | Average paywall conversion rate the guest sees across the board | The Superwall Podcast 2026-03-1055:09 |
| aggregateHealthy apps with 8-11% trial start rate seen by Tangent | 8–11% estimate | trial start rate; in ~90% of such cases it can easily reach 15% | The Superwall Podcast 2025-12-164:46 |
| aggregateTop 10% (P90) freemium apps in the RevenueCat report | 8.2% | Download -> paid within 35 days (D35) | App Masters 2026-03-1424:52 |
| aggregateRevenueCat-tracked apps with a pure trial strategy | 8.7% | Download -> trial start, upper quartile; some apps likely exceed 10% | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-01-171:03:46 |
| Locked | 10% approximate | download -> subscription ('a bit over 10%', ~10 downloads per subscriber) | The Superwall Podcast 2026-06-119:14 |
| aggregateMedian hard-paywall app in the RevenueCat report | 10% | Download -> paid within 35 days (D35) | App Masters 2026-03-1424:52 |
| App Masters in-house apps | 10% approximate | Install -> trial start rate Steve says he is getting | App Masters 2026-03-141:08:02 |
| benchmarkMinimum download-to-trial conversion before scaling paid ads (founder's rule of thumb) | 10% estimate | download -> trial | Starter Story 2026-01-1811:49 |
| benchmarkGood install-to-paid rate for non-trial apps with mostly US users | 10% approximate | install -> paid; 10%+ is really good, 4-10% is middling | The Superwall Podcast 2025-12-165:36 |
| aggregateEducation apps in South Korea, RevenueCat data | 10% approximate | Download -> paid; 'over 10%', roughly top decile | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2024-03-1117:05 |
| aggregateDownload-to-paid conversion by day 35, apps with hard paywalls (RevenueCat dataset) | 10.7% | Download -> paid by day 35, hard paywall apps | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2026-03-06 |
| App Steve Young bought in 2022 ranking #1 for two ~30-volume keywords | 13% | trial start rate with hard paywall (no X); trial-to-paid unchanged | The Superwall Podcast 2026-07-2220:05 |
| App Masters in-house apps | 13% | Install -> trial with a hard paywall (no close button) | App Masters 2026-03-1429:43 |
| benchmarkHealthy install-to-trial-start rate for subscription apps | 15–20% approximate | install -> trial start; contrasted with a 5% account | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2025-12-24 |
| Bickster AI Bible app | 16% approximate | Install -> purchase at $4.99 lifetime (ASA traffic, hard paywall) | App Masters 2026-09-1219:02 |
| Mohamed Khaled Selim's keyword-first app | 17% approximate | install -> trial, Apple Search Ads traffic (soft paywall); similar across countries | App Masters 2026-08-2927:32 |
| Natal | 17% estimate | Download -> trial | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2026-05-27 |
| Opal | 17% approximate | Download -> trial start, after many iterations of paywall placement in onboarding (up from about 7%) | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2024-01-1034:52 |
| Shot Pattern | 18% approximate | Trial start rate on the long feature-list paywall (variant D); a 12% relative drop, but more revenue | App Masters 2026-10-2437:32 |
| Bickster | 18–20% approximate | Install -> purchase on Meta purchase-optimized campaigns, up from ~6% after creative iteration (app not specified) | App Masters 2026-09-1244:55 |
| Clear 30 | 18–20% approximate | Paywall conversion with the old paywall (feature carousel first screen); '18, 19%, round to 20%' | The Superwall Podcast 2025-10-1424:34 |
| aggregateApps the host has seen (App Masters clients and others) | 20% approximate | Highest install -> paid the host has seen; niche apps solving a big problem with a hard paywall reach 10-20% | App Masters 2026-09-051:11:31 |
| Puff Count | 20–25% approximate | Conversion after switching to a hard paywall requiring a free trial start ('upwards of 20, 25%'); step not specified, likely install -> trial | Starter Story 2024-09-249:19 |
| None to Run | 20% approximate | Download -> trial start in the launch cohort from the Facebook group and email blast ('over 20%'); drifted down later | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-01-171:07:46 |
| Shot Pattern | 21% approximate | Trial start rate on the short winning paywall (control) | App Masters 2026-10-2437:32 |
| Clear 30 | 23% | Paywall conversion of users whose quit reason is saving money | The Superwall Podcast 2025-10-147:21 |
| Shot Pattern | 25% approximate | Trial start rate (download -> trial), organic audience, at time of acquisition offer | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2025-07-0922:59 |
| David Barnard's own app (just moved to a hard paywall) | 25% approximate | Install -> trial start in the first 24 hours after switching to a hard paywall ('even on the high end') | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2024-01-2923:59 |
| App Masters client earning six figures a month | 25% approximate | trial activation (install -> trial start) | Sub Club by RevenueCat 2023-08-2341:29 |
| Clear 30 | 29% | Paywall conversion of users whose quit reason is legal obligations | The Superwall Podcast 2025-10-147:21 |
| Clear 30 | 30% approximate | Paywall conversion after replacing only the first screen with a 7-day program outline | The Superwall Podcast 2025-10-1425:59 |
| aggregateChart shared on Twitter by 'Justin' (Apphud/Superwall integration context): soft vs hard paywall conversion | 34% | Hard paywall conversion; soft paywall was 5% | App Masters 2026-02-2815:45 |
| Claim | 34% | trial start rate with the multi-step trial paywall | The Superwall Podcast 2025-12-1615:57 |
| aggregateTop 10% (P90) hard-paywall apps in the RevenueCat report | 38% | Download -> paid within 35 days (D35) | App Masters 2026-03-1424:52 |
| PropGPT | 45% approximate | Install -> trial, first version | Starter Story 2025-11-176:55 |
| PropGPT | 48% | Install -> trial, current | Starter Story 2025-11-171:29 |
Onboarding and reaching the paywall
Median 61% across 12 figures, from 10% to 91%.
| Who | Value | Context | Said in |
|---|---|---|---|
| benchmarkPaywall to subscription conversion to aim for | 10% approximate | paywall view -> subscribe, minimum target | App Masters 2026-09-2645:25 |
| FaithFull | 21%/month | install -> paywall view, October 2025 | App Masters 2026-05-098:12 |
| FaithFull | 29%/month | install -> paywall view, month 1 (September 2025) | App Masters 2026-05-098:12 |
| Steve's fitness app | 40% approximate | Onboarding -> paywall view when sign-up came before the paywall | App Masters 2026-07-1858:11 |
| Copia | 50–55% approximate | Install -> paywall view, original 4-screen onboarding | The Superwall Podcast 2025-11-2511:36 |
| FaithFull | 60% approximate | install -> paywall view with login as the first screen | App Masters 2026-05-0936:00 |
| FaithFull | 62%/month | install -> paywall view, January 2026, after onboarding changes | App Masters 2026-05-099:00 |
| Pushcroll | 70% approximate | Paywall rate: share of users who reach the paywall through the long onboarding | The Superwall Podcast 2025-11-1841:37 |
| benchmarkShare of downloads that should reach the paywall | 75% approximate | download -> paywall view, minimum target | App Masters 2026-09-2645:25 |
| Copia | 85–90% approximate | Install -> paywall after expanding onboarding (up from 50-60%); guest says it doubled conversion | The Superwall Podcast 2025-11-2512:12 |
| Welltory | 90% approximate | Onboarding: share of users who connect their Apple Health data on the first CTA screen (over 90%) | The Superwall Podcast 2026-09-0327:20 |
| Go Tall | 91% approximate | Paywall show rate: share of onboarding starters who reach the paywall, despite a long onboarding | Starter Story 2026-07-1911:21 |
Views to downloads
Median 4.25% across 10 figures, from 0.13% to 55%.
| Who | Value | Context | Said in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flamme | 0.05–0.2% approximate | View -> download for meme videos and question slideshows | The Superwall Podcast 2026-03-1433:19 |
| Halo AI | 0.25–0.3% approximate | video view -> download; stays constant for a given format (e.g. hook-and-demo) | The Superwall Podcast 2026-04-046:22 |
| Flamme | 0.3–0.5% approximate | View -> download for reaction hook followed by an app clip | The Superwall Podcast 2026-03-1433:19 |
| Flamme | 0.5–1% approximate | View -> download for videos showing the app in use as the main subject | The Superwall Podcast 2026-03-1433:19 |
| benchmarkShort-form video views that turn into app downloads | 1% estimate | View -> download; 'maybe like 1% or less' | The Superwall Podcast 2025-11-1814:21 |
| CutCoach | 5–10% estimate | Host's rough view->install estimate for the organic posts | Starter Story 2026-04-089:22 |
| Photogenic | 5–10% approximate | App Store page view -> download, before the organic campaign | The Superwall Podcast 2025-08-1123:05 |
| Pushcroll | 10% estimate | Video view -> download on the launch video | The Superwall Podcast 2025-11-1813:51 |
| benchmarkApp Store product page conversion for apps driven by paid or viral traffic (pre-sold visitors) | 50–60% approximate | App Store Connect page view -> download; organic search-driven apps with similar MRR see much lower rates | App Masters 2026-08-011:06:46 |
| Photogenic | 50% approximate | App Store page view -> download after the organic campaign ('over 50%'); guest credits the credibility of organic content | The Superwall Podcast 2025-08-1123:32 |
Figures are as stated in each interview and aren't independently verified. Goals, projections, illustrative numbers and before/after changes are left out. Ranges count as their midpoint in the median.