Subscription Metrics for Mobile Apps

Track subscription revenue, ARPU, trial conversion, renewal payments, refund rate and lifetime value (LTV).

Subscription metrics to track in a mobile app

Use metrics that separate a first payment from what happens after it:

• Subscription revenue: gross customer charges and net revenue after refunds and store deductions.
• ARPU: subscription revenue divided by installs in the same reporting period.
• Trial conversion: trial starts that become paid, with pending trials kept visible.
• Renewal payments: recurring payments after the first paid conversion, separate from new subscribers.
• Refund rate: refunded transactions compared with the paid transactions they came from.

These are reported outcomes, not interchangeable versions of “revenue.” In particular, a trial conversion is a new paid subscriber, while later charges are renewals. Keep those categories separate when judging acquisition, trial performance and recurring revenue.

How ActivationPal measures subscription metrics

ActivationPal ties RevenueCat or Superwall events to app activity so these measures share the same reporting window and user journey.

Connect one revenue provider for the app, then use the same app user ID in its ActivationPal SDK setup and RevenueCat or Superwall. That lets subscription events appear with the matching app activity and install-to-purchase funnel. Instrument the app’s onboarding and paywall events as well, so the funnel has the steps leading to each purchase.

In the ActivationPal dashboard, choose a reporting range and read the revenue chart and revenue mix together. The chart reports subscription revenue over time; the mix separates new subscriptions, renewals and one-time purchases. Gross revenue sums positive customer charges. Where store proceeds are available, net revenue reflects store deductions and refunds. Trial starts carry no revenue, and a trial’s first paid conversion belongs with new subscribers rather than renewals.

The dashboard’s ARPU uses revenue divided by installs in that reporting scope. This makes it an install-based measure; it is not revenue per active user or per paying subscriber. Keep the date range and the gross or net revenue definition consistent when comparing apps or periods.

How to measure trial conversion and renewal payments

ActivationPal groups trial starts from the selected period and follows their later lifecycle events through the present. The trial view separates converted, pending and churned outcomes, so an unfinished trial does not get treated as a failed conversion. Its conversion percentage uses resolved trials: converted trials divided by converted plus churned trials. Read the counts beside the percentage to see how many starts are still pending.

RevenueCat and Superwall trial starts are identified from an initial purchase marked as a trial. The first paid event after that is marked as a trial conversion. Later recurring paid events are counted as renewals. This event sequence lets the revenue mix distinguish trial acquisition from recurring payments without treating every renewal event as a new subscriber.

ActivationPal reports renewal payments and their revenue as a category. A renewal payment total answers how much recurring revenue came in during the range; it is not a renewal rate, which would require a defined group of subscriptions due to renew. For a broader view of subscription loss, see churn analysis for subscription apps. For the trial cohort measure, read how to measure trial conversion.

How to track subscription refunds

ActivationPal reports refund amount and count for the selected range, and ties refunded transactions back to the original paid transaction when transaction IDs are available. Its refund rate uses refunded paid transactions divided by paid transactions in the original purchase cohort. A refund processed later updates the original sales cohort’s rate, while the refund amount is shown in the period it was processed.

This keeps two useful views distinct: how much money was refunded during a period, and what share of a purchase cohort was eventually refunded. Net revenue reflects refunds, while gross revenue remains the total of positive customer charges. Use both when a change in sales volume might otherwise hide an increase in refunds.

The app ARPU calculator is useful when you already have revenue and install totals and want to check the install-based formula.