Revenue per install is the number that matters
Apps and games pay to acquire users, either with ads or with the time spent on store listings and content. What decides whether that spend pays back is revenue per install over the months that follow. Two apps with the same downloads can differ by a factor of three in revenue per install because of where the paywall sits, how long the trial runs, and whether the yearly plan is the default.
Monetisation builds a revenue model from your own subscription, analytics and ad data and estimates which change moves revenue per install the most.
The revenue streams that matter for apps and games
- Subscriptions. Weekly, monthly and yearly plans and the mix between them.
- Trials. Length, whether a card or store account is required upfront, and conversion after the trial.
- Paywall placement. Onboarding, after first value, at a locked feature, or a combination.
- Subscription tiers. One plan versus a standard and premium pair.
- Advertising. Banner, interstitial and rewarded ads for non-paying users.
- In-app offers. Win-back offers, seasonal offers, consumable items and bundles in games.
- Retention offers. What a user sees when they cancel or let a subscription lapse.
What the audit typically finds in an app or game
The examples below are hypothetical. Your audit lists only what your data supports, with a range, a confidence level and the method next to each opportunity.
A paywall that appears too early or too late
If most users see the paywall before they have done anything useful, many close the app. If they only see it deep inside a menu, few ever reach it. The audit compares paywall views, trial starts and day 7 retention to estimate a better placement.
Weekly or monthly plans dominating
A yearly plan priced well, and shown as the default, often lifts revenue per install and cuts churn. The audit measures your current plan mix and estimates the effect of a different default. The annual plan pricing page explains the method.
A trial length chosen by habit
A 7 day trial copied from a competitor may not suit an app whose value shows after two weeks. The audit looks at when trial users first reach their key action and estimates the effect of a shorter or longer trial.
Rewarded ads missing in a game
In a casual game, players who never pay can still earn revenue through opt-in rewarded ads. The audit estimates the gain from rewarded ads at natural break points, with an assumed effect on session length.
No offer for lapsed subscribers
When a subscription lapses, a well-timed win-back offer is often the cheapest revenue an app can find. The audit sizes the lapsed group and estimates take-up.
Data sources to connect
| Source | What it gives the model |
|---|---|
| Stripe | Web subscriptions, plan mix, churn, trials, when you sell on the web |
| CSV exports from the app stores | Store subscriptions, trials, renewals, refunds by product |
| Google Analytics 4 | Installs by channel, onboarding funnel, paywall views, events |
| Product database (read-only) or CSV | Feature use, sessions, key actions per user |
| Google Ads and Meta Ads | Acquisition cost per install by campaign |
| CSV from your ad mediation | Ad revenue by format and placement |
Store and mediation data usually comes in as scheduled CSV exports. Growth includes 10 sources and suits most studios with several data feeds.
A worked example, entirely hypothetical
Take a subscription app with 50,000 installs a month. 4 percent of installs start a 7 day trial and 40 percent of trials convert. Everyone converts to a 9.99 USD monthly plan.
New paying users a month: 50,000 × 4 percent × 40 percent = 800. New MRR from each monthly cohort: 800 × 9.99 = 7,992 USD.
| Opportunity | Method in plain words | Estimated monthly impact (low, expected, high) |
|---|---|---|
| Paywall moved to after first completed task | Trial starts rise from 4 to 4.6 percent, conversion unchanged | 800, 1,200, 1,600 USD per cohort |
| Yearly plan at 59.99 USD as default | 45 percent of converters choose yearly, churn on yearly accounts near zero in year one | 600, 1,000, 1,500 USD |
| Win-back offer to lapsed subscribers | 2,000 lapsed users a month, 5 percent return at 50 percent off for 3 months | 250, 500, 750 USD |
The paywall arithmetic, expected case: 50,000 × 4.6 percent × 40 percent = 920 paying users, 120 more than today, times 9.99 USD is about 1,200 USD of extra MRR per monthly cohort. The win-back case: 2,000 × 5 percent = 100 users at about 5 USD a month is 500 USD. Every figure is an estimate, never a guarantee of results.
How experiments run in an app or game
Web paywall and pricing page variants
When your app sells subscriptions through a web page or a web paywall, the snippet on Growth and Scale shows variants to visitors with a holdout group that sees the current version. Typical tests: plan order, yearly default, trial length shown, copy on the paywall.
Dated interventions in the stores
Most in-app paywall changes ship in an app release or through a remote configuration you control. You record the release date, and Monetisation compares trial starts, conversion and revenue per install after it with the trend from your baseline period, then shows lift and an interval.
Playbooks
Setting up a win-back offer or rewarded ad placements is a series of steps. Monetisation turns it into a checklist and measures the metric you pick.
Every result ends with a verdict: win, flat, loss or not enough data. Losses are reported, because a paywall change that loses money is worth knowing about fast.
Choosing the best app monetization platform
Paywall tools and ad mediation tools run your monetisation inside the app, and you keep them. What they rarely do is show the whole stack together and price each opportunity in money before you build it. Monetisation does that from your own data, read-only, and never changes prices or subscriptions in a connected account.
For a broader look at tactics, the app monetization strategies article ranks the common approaches. If your product is a web SaaS with a mobile companion, the SaaS pricing optimization page covers the web side, and pricing optimization software explains how price tests are measured.
Getting started
Run a sample audit on the homepage with your app's website and the App or game business type. You see the first 3 opportunities with estimate ranges and a revenue stack map in about a minute, with no card. To connect your store exports and analytics, see pricing and get started.
Questions
What is the best way to monetise a mobile app?
It depends on how often people use the app and what they get from it. Utility and productivity apps usually earn most from subscriptions, casual games from a mix of ads and in-app purchases, and many apps combine a subscription with optional offers.
Where should the paywall go in an app?
Common placements are during onboarding, after the first moment of value, or when a user reaches a premium feature. The best placement differs by app, which is why it is worth testing with a holdout rather than copying another app.
How long should a free trial be?
Trials of 3, 7 and 14 days are common. Shorter trials often convert a higher share of starts, while longer trials suit apps whose value takes time to show. Test it against your own retention curve.
Can I mix ads and subscriptions?
Yes. Many apps show ads to non-paying users and remove them for subscribers. The audit estimates whether ad revenue from free users outweighs the subscriptions lost if ads make the app feel worse.
Does Monetisation change prices in the app stores?
No. It reads data and suggests changes. You set prices and offers in the app stores or your billing yourself, and Monetisation measures the result.
See what your own site is leaving on the table
A sample audit reads your public pages and returns the first three opportunities with estimates and methods. About a minute, no card.