Consumer spending in subscription apps increased 41% last year to $18.3B

Shawn Knight

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Why it matters: Mobile users are spending more money than ever on apps and subscriptions. Sensor Tower in its latest intelligence report said the top 100 non-gaming, subscription-based apps collectively generated $18.3 billion in 2021, an increase of 41 percent over the $13 billion that subscription apps brought home in 2020.

Nearly 75 percent of consumer spending on subscription apps came through Apple’s App Store, with Google Play contributing just $4.8 billion globally. That said, Android users increased their spending on subscription apps by 78 percent compared to what they spent in 2020. iPhone users’ spending only increased 31 percent year over year.

The growth of subscription app spending in the US largely mirrored what was seen globally, just on a smaller scale.

YouTube was the top revenue producer globally among subscription apps in 2021, followed by dating service Tinder and Japanese webtoon service Piccoma. Google One, the search giant’s cloud storage service for the consumer market, and Disney+ rounded out the top five.

In the US, Google One led the way, followed by Disney+, YouTube, HBO Max and Tinder, in that order.

Sensor Tower believes that as platforms continue to experiment with subscriptions as a way to entice content creators and retain audiences, the number of top apps that adopt the model will likely grow over the coming quarters.

Has your spending on subscription-based apps increased over the past year or so? Aside from streaming, what sort of things are you purchasing with subscriptions? Tacos, perhaps?

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I have a Prime and YouTube premium subscription. That's it for me. I don't need or want the hassle of paying and/or trying to keep track of too many. Like I said before, I go for the best deals. And just like the majority of employers, I want the most for the least in return.

I'm actually surprised at the timing of this story considering everything going on in the world. I guess that has had little effect on a lot of people still.
 
Youtube Premium for a couple years now, and two Patreons (G.N. and H.U.).

Unless you're counting Prime and Netflix...which we may be ditching soon.
 
If the current trend continues, subscribers will be paying as much, or more, than they were to the cable companies, from which they, "cut the cord". :rolleyes:
 
If the current trend continues, subscribers will be paying as much, or more, than they were to the cable companies, from which they, "cut the cord".
That was the plan all along. Many such "bargain" subscriptions are obvious loss leaders. There's a good reason why "customers" got renamed to "consumers"...
 
Never will I rent an app or program...
I have via GamePass, I would rather pay for a subscription that lets me play a bunch games I am never going to play again, rather than paying full or a discount price for a game I will only ever play once.
 
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