App subscription pricing: how much to charge in 2026

As of October 14, 2026, the most common plan among recent apps that make money is the yearly subscription, often paired with a weekly plan. Of 136 independent apps released since 2025 that make at least $50,000 a month and whose US App Store listing shows readable plans, 85% offer a yearly price and 71% a weekly price. The median price of the cheapest plan shown is $7.99 a week, $12.99 a month and $39.99 a year. Offering weekly doesn't come with higher revenue: estimated median revenue is $100,000 a month with or without a weekly plan.

This article isn't about one app but about a choice every app maker faces before launch: how much to charge, and for how long. Here is what the winning apps do, what public benchmarks say about conversion and renewal, and a method to set your first price.

How did we count?

We started from apps released since January 1, 2025 whose publisher has at most five apps, with at least 100 ratings, the US as their main market, and at least $50,000 a month in revenue according to Victoire's October 2026 estimates. We kept the 200 highest earners, then removed the 17 above 50,000 ratings, including several established brands (a streaming platform, a weight-loss program, well-known dating sites). That leaves 183 apps.

For each one, we read the in-app purchases shown on its US App Store listing. 176 show some; for 136, the plan names state their length ("Weekly", "Monthly", "Yearly", "Lifetime"). The figures below cover those 136 apps. Two limits to keep in mind: our reading shows at most ten in-app purchases per listing, and half the apps reach that number, so a plan can exist without appearing; and apps whose plan names don't state their length are left out of the count.

Weekly, monthly or yearly: what do earning apps sell?

• Yearly is almost everywhere. 116 of 136 apps (85%) show at least one yearly price. All 16 Health & Fitness apps, all 10 Photo & Video apps and all 8 Education apps in our sample show one.

• Weekly is widespread. 96 apps (71%) show a weekly price, and 79 (58%) offer both weekly and yearly: weekly seems to be the entry point, yearly the plan they push. Among categories with at least eight apps, utilities lean on weekly the most: 18 of 22 offer one.

• Monthly comes third. 78 apps (57%) show a monthly price, usually next to the other two.

• Lifetime is rare. About fifteen apps (around 11%) offer it.

• Few apps skip yearly. 17 apps (13%) show weekly with no yearly price, against 37 (27%) that show yearly without weekly.

How much does an app subscription cost in 2026?

Median prices for these 136 apps on the US App Store:

Two takeaways follow. First, yearly is cheap compared with weekly: for apps offering both, the lowest yearly price is a median 9% of 52 weeks at the lowest weekly price, roughly the cost of five weeks. Second, many apps show several prices for the same length, a sign of price tests or offer tiers: 68 of the 116 apps selling yearly (59%) show at least two different yearly prices, and 49 of the 96 selling weekly (51%) at least two weekly prices.

Which apps sell what?

The table shows there is no single right answer. Pocket, an AI personal assistant, sells yearly at $199 and monthly, with no weekly plan. Scroll The Bible sells mostly yearly, with four yearly prices from $5.99 to $39.99. AI photo and video generators such as Shots, and utilities such as myCar, combine weekly and yearly. Authenticator© App sells weekly only. In these examples, the format follows the use: something people use every day tends to sell yearly, a one-off tool or a viral effect tends to sell weekly.

Why is the yearly plan the one to push?

Because it renews far better, according to public benchmarks. RevenueCat's 2026 report, covering more than 115,000 apps, gives a renewal rate of 83.4% for yearly plans against 18.7% for weekly plans, across all categories. A weekly plan earns quickly but loses subscribers fast: it needs a constant flow of new trials, which means ads or videos.

The math, on an example rather than a measured average, for a publisher eligible for the reduced 15% commission: a subscriber at $7.99 a week leaves you $6.79 a week after a 15% commission; a subscriber at $39.99 a year leaves you $33.99 in a single payment, about five paid weeks' worth. Yearly wins if your user would stay beyond five weeks; weekly earns more if they leave sooner. That's why most apps offer both and push yearly.

Two more public benchmarks matter when setting a price:

• Trial length. According to the same report, trials of 4 days or less convert a median 25.5% of their users into paying subscribers, against 37.4% for 5-to-9-day trials.

• Apple's commission. The Small Business Program cuts the commission from 30% to 15% if your proceeds (sales net of Apple's commission) didn't exceed $1 million in the previous calendar year or the current one. Apply as early as you can: your share of each payment goes from 70% to 85%.

How to price your app in 5 steps

1. Start from how often people use it. If your app is used daily (reading, health, learning), push yearly. If it's used occasionally (a phone cleanup, a photo effect), weekly fits the use better, with yearly as an option.

2. Copy your category's prices, not another's. Write down the in-app purchases of the five top-earning apps in your niche from their App Store listings: number of plans, prices, trial length. The trends page helps you spot the apps rising in each category.

3. Start near the medians. Without your own data, $7.99 a week and $39.99 a year put you in the middle of the earning apps. Going up to $59.99 a year is defensible if your app is used daily.

4. Test two prices at a time. More than half the apps selling yearly show several yearly prices. Test too, one variable at a time (price, then trial length, then the preselected plan), over at least two weeks.

5. Show the real price before the trial. App Store guideline 3.1.2(c) asks you to describe clearly what users get for the price before asking them to subscribe. A hidden price costs you one-star reviews and refund requests, especially on a weekly plan.

What are the risks of a bad price?

Weekly without yearly makes the app fragile

Selling weekly with no yearly plan, as 13% of the apps in the sample do, ties all revenue to a constant flow of new subscribers. If ads get more expensive or a video stops spreading, revenue drops within weeks, since few weekly subscribers stay long.

A price that's too low can't fund acquisition

A $5.99 yearly plan leaves you $5.09 in the first year, after a 15% commission. If a free trial costs you $2 in ads and one trial in three converts, a subscriber costs you $6: you lose money on every sale. A low price only works with almost free acquisition, such as an audience you already have.

Price tests must stay readable

Showing four different yearly prices on one listing, as several apps do, can confuse users who compare. Test, but show each user one clear offer, and don't preselect a plan they didn't choose.

Frequently asked questions

What does an app subscription usually cost in 2026?

Among 136 independent apps released since 2025 that make at least $50,000 a month, the median price shown on the US App Store is $7.99 a week, $12.99 a month and $39.99 a year for the cheapest yearly plan. The most expensive yearly plan shown has a median of $59.99.

Should you offer a weekly subscription?

It's common: 71% of the apps in the sample offer one. But estimated median revenue is the same with or without it, $100,000 a month, and weekly plans renew far less than yearly ones according to RevenueCat. If you offer it, keep a yearly plan you push next to it.

Should you offer a lifetime purchase?

Rarely. Only about fifteen apps in the sample, around 11%, show one. A lifetime purchase suits an app with no recurring costs; if every use costs you an AI call, it can lose money over time.

How many apps show several prices?

More than half of those selling yearly. 59% of apps selling yearly show at least two different yearly prices, and 51% of those selling weekly at least two weekly prices.

What free trial length should you choose?

According to RevenueCat, trials of 4 days or less convert a median 25.5% of users into paying subscribers, against 37.4% for 5-to-9-day trials. A longer trial gives away more free service, yet longer trials show a better median conversion: test 3 and 7 days before deciding.

Are prices the same in other countries?

Apple sets equivalent price tiers by country, and each publisher can adjust prices country by country. The medians in this article cover the US App Store. Check the prices on your competitors' listings in each country before setting your own there.