A survey revealed that people who cancel an app's annual subscription rarely rejoin.
RevenueCat, a provider of in-app billing systems, shared insights into how long people actually stay on subscription plans. According to their research, 95% of those who cancel their annual subscriptions do not rejoin.
The State of Subscription Apps in 2026 – RevenueCat
According to a report by RevenueCat, most users decide to cancel their annual subscriptions in the first month. When divided into months 1 through 12, cancellations in the first month account for 35% of all cancellations. While this decreases to an average of about 5% between months 3 and 11, it surges to 9-14% in the 12th month as the renewal date approaches.
Looking at the data by category, the shopping sector sees a high rate of cancellations in the first month, accounting for approximately 50%. On the other hand, in the education sector, many people seem to consider continuing for at least two months, with only about 30% canceling in the first month.
The rate at which people who cancel their annual subscriptions rejoin is extremely low, at just 5% across all categories. RevenueCat points out that the fact that people who subscribed to an annual subscription thinking they would use it long-term are canceling indicates that they are users who have made a well-considered and intentional decision to leave, and that it is very rare for them to reverse that decision.
In contrast, the rate of people who cancel their monthly subscriptions and then rejoin is high at 20%, and in some categories, it rises to as high as 36%. The rejoining rate is particularly high for productivity apps, including AI tools, leading RevenueCat to speculate that 'people may be using these services by canceling when they no longer need them and rejoining when they do.'
On the other hand, the results show that those who did not cancel their annual subscriptions were more likely to be valuable customers. Looking at the contract renewal rate of subscribers, the renewal rate for annual plans across the entire category was 83.4%, significantly higher than the renewal rates for weekly and monthly plan subscribers.
Furthermore, the study showed that those who continue with the annual plan are more likely to continue in the future, indicating that once the initial hurdle is cleared, they tend to stay subscribed for many years. Among annual subscription subscribers, the median percentage who renew their contract in the first year is 23% to 40%, but this rises to 44% to 64% in the second year and 56% to 70% in the third year.
Based on data showing that very few people who cancel annual subscriptions return, RevenueCat stated, 'Service providers should intervene before cancellations occur, not after. For example, offering a pause option instead of cancellation allows them to maintain relationships with customers without forcing them to re-enter payment information. It's important to focus on early customer retention and a smooth return.'
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