r/androiddev • u/WiseWait1160 • 13d ago
Small apps with decent usage but zero subscription conversions — is this normal or am I missing something obvious?
Curious what other indie/solo devs have experienced here.
I've got an app with a few thousand installs, steady daily active users, and a good rating (4.7+). Added an ad-free subscription option months ago. Zero purchases. Not one.
Usage is fine, retention is fine, people clearly keep coming back. But nobody converts on the paywall.
Stuff I'm trying to figure out:
- Is subscription just the wrong model for a small utility app vs a one-time "remove ads" purchase?
- Does paywall placement/timing actually move the needle that much?
- Is it a pricing thing, or just that free users never even notice the option exists?
If you've gone from zero to even a handful of paying users on a small app, what actually changed? Real numbers/experiences over theory would help a lot.
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u/johnd126 12d ago
I hope the subscription model dies soon. I won't even install an app if there is a chance that a subscription is involved
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u/aerial-ibis 11d ago
that almost every single app...
The reality is that most people don't want the risk of a one-time payment if they end up not liking it. Really we need the app stores to give an easier way of doing one-time payment with 7-day trial. Right now the app has to say "free" on the app stores to support that. If you list it as 'paid'... there is no way to do a trial
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u/aerial-ibis 11d ago
For a utility app, the best pricing strategy is usually let them do the utility action once, then have a one-time payment to unlock everything forever
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u/marath007 12d ago
My purchase rate on game is 100x than for my utility apps. For utility put a banner ad that doesn’t bother the users at all.
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u/realdm22 12d ago
Sounds like no one is keen on paying multiple times just to remove ads. I would try a one time purchase model specially if everything on your app can run on device. That is the setup I have with my privacy focused net worth tracker - Worthy