GTM Sauce

App retention and churn rates

Retention and churn figures guests gave for their apps or as the norm across apps. Check each row for which day or period it measures.

31 figures · updated 2026-09-17

Day 1 to day 7 retention

WhoMetricValueContextSaid in
Natalretention14%
approximate
D3 return rate among users who enter the in-app communitySub Club by RevenueCat
2026-05-27

Day 30 retention

Median 32.5% across 8 figures, from 0.8% to 60%.

WhoMetricValueContextSaid in
Flammeretention0.8%D30, first version (Sparks date-planning app)The Superwall Podcast
2026-03-14
9:24
Flammeretention4.2%D30 after pivoting to Flamme AI (AI relationship coach)The Superwall Podcast
2026-03-14
10:44
Flammeretention30%
approximate
D30, intermediate step after making the daily question core and adding carrot/stick notificationsThe Superwall Podcast
2026-03-14
12:44
benchmarkX (Twitter) day-30 retention, guest's recollectionretention30%
estimate
D30The Superwall Podcast
2026-03-14
13:19
benchmarkInstagram day-30 retention, guest's recollectionretention35%
estimate
D30The Superwall Podcast
2026-03-14
13:19
benchmarkTikTok day-30 retention, guest's recollectionretention40%
estimate
D30The Superwall Podcast
2026-03-14
13:19
Flammeretention50%
approximate
D30, from 4.2% baselineThe Superwall Podcast
2026-03-14
12:44
Praycreenretention60%
approximate
D30 retention of users praying 4 times a dayThe Superwall Podcast
2025-11-03
5:28

Longer-term retention

Median 31% across 17 figures, from 10% to 99%.

WhoMetricValueContextSaid in
Host's side-project weather appretention8–12%
approximate
Long-term cohort retention where the curve flattensSub Club by RevenueCat
2025-04-16
34:52
Host's side-project weather appretention10%
approximate
Share of monthly subscribers still subscribed from 8 years ago (annual a little higher)Sub Club by RevenueCat
2025-04-16
24:57
aggregateSubscription apps the host has seen doing really well (office hours)retention20–25%
approximate
Level where long-term cohort retention flattensSub Club by RevenueCat
2025-04-16
25:25
aggregateYear-one retention, AI-powered apps (RevenueCat dataset)retention21%Year-one retention, AI appsSub Club by RevenueCat
2026-03-06
Lobbyretention25–30%
approximate
D90 retention in Israel during the 2022 breakoutThe Superwall Podcast
2026-01-13
20:09
aggregateYear-one retention, median hard paywall apps (RevenueCat dataset)retention26.8%Year-one retention, median, hard paywall (host says 'yearly' but means hard paywall)Sub Club by RevenueCat
2026-03-06
aggregateMedian annual-plan year-one retention across subscription appsretention27%/year
approximate
Median annual retention (host: 'near 30%... I think it's 27')Sub Club by RevenueCat
2026-03-06
aggregateYear-one retention, median freemium apps (RevenueCat dataset)retention27.7%Year-one retention, median, freemiumSub Club by RevenueCat
2026-03-06
aggregateSubscription apps on RevenueCat, year-one retention 2021-2024retention30–49%
approximate
Year-one subscriber retention, trending down each yearSub Club by RevenueCat
2025-03-17
20:54
Natalretention31%
approximate
D2 return rate among users who enter the in-app communitySub Club by RevenueCat
2026-05-27
aggregateYear-one retention, non-AI apps (RevenueCat dataset)retention31%Year-one retention, non-AI appsSub Club by RevenueCat
2026-03-06
aggregateConsumer subscription apps (RevenueCat data)retention35%
approximate
Median renewal of an annual plan in consumer appsSub Club by RevenueCat
2025-10-15
benchmarkYear-one subscriber renewal (resubscribe) rate in consumer apps; not for dating appsretention50%
approximate
Year-one resubscribe: 50% amazing, 40% good, 30% okay, 20% badThe Superwall Podcast
2026-07-10
17:08
aggregateYear-one retention, P90 hard paywall apps (RevenueCat dataset)retention54%Year-one retention, 90th percentile, hard paywallSub Club by RevenueCat
2026-03-06
aggregateYear-one retention, P90 freemium apps (RevenueCat dataset)retention58%Year-one retention, 90th percentile, freemiumSub Club by RevenueCat
2026-03-06
marketCell phone plans, year-over-year customer retentionretention80–90%/year
estimate
Sub Club by RevenueCat
2025-04-16
27:36
Centsretention99%
approximate
Customer (logo) retentionTop Founders with Nathan Latka
2026-09-17
6:24

Churn and cancellation

Median 31% across 5 figures, from 11% to 50%.

WhoMetricValueContextSaid in
aggregateAnnual subscriptions on RevenueCat, most categorieschurn10–12%
approximate
Size of the last-month cancellation spike for most categoriesSub Club by RevenueCat
2025-03-17
32:36
aggregateAnnual subscriptions on RevenueCat, all categorieschurn27%
estimate
Share of annual-plan customers who cancel in the first month; the last month is the next most commonSub Club by RevenueCat
2025-03-17
34:19
Career Houndchurn31%Period not stated; high because job seekers leave once hiredStarter Story
2026-09-06
2:02
aggregateAnnual subscriptions on RevenueCat, shopping categorychurn40%
approximate
Share of annual-plan cancellations (final auto-renew turn-off) happening in month one; shopping is the highest category, over 40%Sub Club by RevenueCat
2025-03-17
32:36
aggregateTrial starters on Superwall customer paywallschurn50%
approximate
Share of users who cancel after starting a free trial, on averageThe Superwall Podcast
2026-03-10
12:10

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.

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