App Store Revenue Calculator: Estimate Your Subscription App Earnings
An app's monthly subscription revenue equals its active subscriber base multiplied by the effective monthly price, minus Apple/Google fees, taxes, and costs. This free App Store Revenue Calculator turns that math into an instant projection: enter monthly downloads, paywall conversion, churn, and pricing to see gross revenue, net profit, steady-state subscribers, break-even downloads, and customer lifetime value (LTV). Every input is pre-filled with real category medians, so you get a credible baseline before changing a single number.
How the calculator works (the formula)
The model uses standard steady-state subscription math. In four steps:
- New paid subscribers per month = monthly downloads × download-to-trial rate × trial-to-paid rate.
- Active subscribers (steady state) = new paid subscribers ÷ monthly churn rate. Steady state is the point where new subscribers exactly replace those who cancel.
- Gross revenue = active subscribers × effective monthly price. Net profit subtracts the 15–30% platform fee, taxes, marketing, and fixed costs.
- Lifetime value (LTV) = effective monthly price ÷ monthly churn rate, since average subscriber lifetime equals 1 ÷ churn.
Subscription app benchmarks by category (2026)
These are the median download-to-trial rate, trial-to-paid conversion, monthly churn, and monthly price the calculator uses as defaults, compiled from public benchmarks across 100,000+ subscription apps. Business and AI apps convert trials best; Gaming and Social churn fastest.
| Category | Download → trial | Trial → paid | Monthly churn | Monthly price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business | 9.1% | 29.4% | 20% | $8.99 |
| Education | 6.5% | 36.1% | 22% | $9.99 |
| Gaming | 4.4% | 25% | 25% | $4.99 |
| Health & Fitness | 6.9% | 37.7% | 19% | $9.99 |
| Media & Entertainment | 4% | 32.2% | 23% | $5.99 |
| Photo & Video | 5.2% | 22.2% | 21% | $6.99 |
| Productivity | 5.7% | 33.1% | 18% | $7.99 |
| Shopping | 2.1% | 27.2% | 22% | $5.84 |
| Social & Lifestyle | 4.8% | 33.3% | 24% | $9.99 |
| Travel | 4.1% | 43.5% | 19% | $4.99 |
| Utilities | 6.5% | 31.1% | 18% | $5 |
From estimate to validated opportunity
A revenue projection is only as good as the demand behind it. BigIdeasDB pairs this calculator with first-party research: our App Store Database has analyzed 7,700+ mobile apps and 136,000+ reviews, part of 1M+ user complaints aggregated across Reddit, G2, Capterra, and the app stores. That lets you confirm a category is both profitable and underserved before you build. Learn how to analyze App Store reviews for product gaps, then size the market with the revenue intelligence tool.
Related reading: the state of mobile app pain points in 2026, profitable mobile app ideas, the best app ideas for 2026, and SaaS revenue benchmarks. Pair this tool with the LTV calculator and the churn rate calculator.
Find subscription app niches worth building with BigIdeasDB — validated by 1M+ real user complaints.
Frequently asked questions
How is subscription app revenue estimated?
Multiply monthly downloads by your download-to-trial rate and trial-to-paid rate to get new paid subscribers per month. Divide that by your monthly churn rate for the steady-state active subscriber base, then multiply by the effective monthly price for gross revenue. Subtract platform fees, taxes, marketing, and fixed costs for net profit.
What is a good trial-to-paid conversion rate?
Industry benchmarks across 100,000+ subscription apps show a median Day-35 trial-to-paid conversion near 10.7% for hard paywalls versus 2.1% for freemium. Top categories like Education, Travel, and Health & Fitness convert above 35% of trials.
How many downloads do I need to make $10,000 per month?
Work backwards: $10,000 monthly gross at a $9.99 price needs about 1,001 active subscribers. At 19% monthly churn you must add roughly 190 new paid subscribers per month, which — at a 6.9% download-to-trial and 37.7% trial-to-paid rate — requires about 7,300 monthly downloads. Enter your own numbers above for an exact figure.
How accurate is this calculator?
It is a directional projection model. Outputs are only as good as your inputs; the auto-filled benchmarks are category medians, not your specific app. Use it to size opportunities and stress-test assumptions, not as an audited revenue figure.