Industry benchmarks for Mobile Apps
Break-even ROAS for a subscription mobile app is about 1.54x, driven almost entirely by the 30% app store commission rather than by delivery cost. Install costs run $2-8 on Meta and TikTok for consumer categories, install-to-trial conversion sits at 5-15%, and trial-to-paid lands at 25-45%, producing a $30-90 cost per paying subscriber. Day-zero ROAS in the category averages roughly 0.3-0.5x, with the blended 12-month figure near 1.5x. Post-ATT signal loss also means SKAdNetwork and probabilistic attribution understate paid performance by 15-30%.
The store commission is the one lever with a fixed, immediate payoff: qualifying for the Small Business Program cuts the take rate from 30% to 15% on the first million dollars, which alone drops break-even ROAS from 1.54x to about 1.23x. Beyond that, the levers are annual plan mix and week-one retention. Pushing users to annual rather than monthly plans front-loads revenue against the same acquisition cost, and lifting day-7 retention from 20% to 30% typically raises 12-month value 40-60%. Measure ROAS on a D30 or D90 cohort basis, never on day zero.
Frequently asked questions
Break-Even ROAS Calculator for Mobile Apps, answered.
What is a good ROAS for mobile apps?
Day-zero ROAS of 0.3-0.5x is normal, and a healthy app reaches 1.5x or better by day 365, which matches the category average.
How does the app store commission affect break-even ROAS?
At 30% it puts break-even near 1.54x. The Small Business Program rate of 15% drops it to roughly 1.23x on the same pricing.
What attribution window should I use for app campaigns?
D30 minimum, D90 preferred. Day-zero measurement misses the trial-to-paid conversion that produces nearly all the revenue.