Trial-to-Paid Funnel

Trial conversion rate measures the percentage of users who start a free trial and subsequently convert into paying subscribers when the trial period ends. It is one of the most critical metrics for subscription apps that use free trials as their primary conversion mechanism. Trial conversion rates vary significantly by app category, trial length, and pricing — industry averages typically range from 40–70% for auto-renewing trials, depending on whether users must provide a payment method upfront. Higher trial conversion rates are generally associated with shorter trial periods (which create urgency), strong onboarding that drives engagement during the trial, effective activation of key features that demonstrate the product's value, and timely communication reminding users of the trial's benefits before it ends. Monitoring trial conversion rates by acquisition channel reveals which traffic sources bring users with the highest purchase intent, enabling growth teams to allocate budget toward the most profitable channels. Declining trial conversion rates over time may signal market saturation, product-market fit issues, or that the app is attracting increasingly lower-intent users through broader targeting.

An introductory offer is a special pricing incentive made available to new subscribers who have never previously subscribed to a particular plan. Both Apple and Google support introductory offers natively through their billing systems. The three main types are: free trials (the user pays nothing for a set period, then auto-renews at full price), pay-up-front (a one-time reduced payment covering an introductory period before standard pricing kicks in), and pay-as-you-go (a reduced recurring price for a set number of billing cycles). Introductory offers are one of the most powerful tools for improving trial-to-paid conversion rates, as they lower the barrier to entry for users who are interested but hesitant to commit at full price. The key challenge with introductory offers is balancing conversion uplift against revenue dilution — if users overwhelmingly choose the discounted option, the immediate revenue impact can be significant. Optimizing introductory offers involves A/B testing different trial lengths, discount levels, and offer types across different user segments, acquisition channels, and geographies to find the combination that maximizes long-term revenue per user.

The mobile app onboarding process involves a series of steps that new users take to get started with an app. This process entails guiding users through the product, providing relevant information, and helping them set up their accounts. This is the first opportunity for users to understand the value of your product. By the end of the onboarding process, users should be familiar with the mobile user interface (UI), navigation patterns, and basic app functionality. A smooth app onboarding process can increase app usage as it reduces user uncertainty and frustration.

Funnel analysis is the process of tracking and measuring how users progress through a defined sequence of steps toward a desired outcome, such as installing an app, starting a free trial, or completing a subscription purchase. Each step in the funnel represents a conversion point where some users proceed and others drop off. For mobile subscription apps, common funnel stages include: ad impression → ad click → landing page view → app install or web checkout → onboarding completion → paywall view → trial start → paid conversion. By measuring the conversion rate between each stage, product and growth teams can identify where the largest drop-offs occur and prioritize optimization efforts accordingly. Funnel analysis is essential for both in-app flows (onboarding to paywall to purchase) and web-to-app flows (ad click to landing page to web checkout to app activation). Advanced funnel analysis segments users by acquisition source, geography, device type, or cohort to identify which segments convert best and where each segment encounters friction.

Mobile app conversion rate (CR or CVR) is the percentage of users who achieve a specific goal within the app, such as making a purchase, creating an account, subscribing to a service, or completing a survey. Conversion rates are an important metric for mobile app developers and marketers as they indicate the effectiveness of the app in driving user engagement and achieving business goals. A higher conversion rate typically means that the app is successfully guiding users towards the desired action, while a lower conversion rate may indicate that there are issues with the user experience or the app's marketing strategy.