Subscriptions as a growth engine of the global app economy

Subscriptions will be the decisive factor for the growth of the global app economy in 2025. Although fewer apps are being downloaded, revenues are rising significantly and reaching new record levels. A recent annual report from Appfigures shows how drastically the app industry's business model has shifted and why downloads alone are no longer a meaningful indicator.

For years, the number of downloads was considered the most important metric for an app's success. This picture has changed noticeably. Subscriptions ensure continuous revenue, greater user loyalty, and more predictable planning. The report makes it clear that this shift is not a short-term phenomenon, but rather something that has been developing for several years. The year 2025 illustrates this trend more clearly than ever before.

Declining downloads amid record revenue

In 2025, global consumer spending on mobile apps rose to US$155.8 billion, an increase of 21.6 percent compared to 2024. At the same time, app downloads declined by 2.7 percent to 106.9 billion. For comparison:

In 2024, 109.8 billion downloads were recorded.
In 2023, the figure was still 113.6 billion.

This marks the fifth consecutive year of declining downloads. They peaked in 2020 during the pandemic with approximately 135 billion downloads. Subscriptions have offset this decline economically and are now firmly established across the entire app economy.

Games are losing more ground than other app categories

The decline in downloads did not affect all app categories equally. The drop is particularly noticeable in mobile games.

Mobile games saw a decline in downloads of 8.6 percent to 39.4 billion in 2025. The previous year had already seen a decrease of 6.6 percent.
Non-gaming apps performed more steadily. Their downloads increased by 1.1 percent to 67.4 billion, exactly offsetting the 1.1 percent decline from the previous year.

This shift shows that classic download-driven business models are losing importance, especially in the gaming market, while other app segments are growing.

Subscriptions shift revenue distribution

The impact of subscriptions is also evident on the revenue side. Non-gaming apps, in particular, benefit from recurring payments.

Spending on non-gaming apps increased by 33.9 percent to $82.6 billion.
Mobile games only increased by 10 percent, reaching $72.2 billion in revenue.

This means that games now account for only 46 percent of total app spending. For the first time, non-game apps have significantly surpassed the games market in revenue. Subscriptions in areas such as productivity, fitness, education, and entertainment are a major contributor to this growth.

Developments in the US market

A similar picture emerges in the US. There, consumer spending rose by 18.1 percent to $55.5 billion in 2025, while downloads fell by 4.2 percent to $10 billion. Here, too, non-gaming apps dominate the growth.

Spending on non-gaming apps increased by 26.8 percent to $33.6 billion.
Games saw significantly lower growth of 6.8 percent, reaching $21.9 billion.

Subscriptions are therefore also the central revenue driver in the most important single market of the app economy.

Subscriptions replace downloads as the most important success metric

The Appfigures report clearly shows that subscriptions will form the foundation of the app economy by 2025. Declining download numbers no longer automatically mean lower revenue. Instead, recurring payment models are driving record sales, especially for non-gaming apps. The developments of recent years demonstrate that subscriptions are no longer a trend, but the new standard for sustainable growth in the app market. (Image: Shutterstock / Tada Images)