An app activation rate is the percentage of new users who complete desired steps in the app onboarding process, which improve the chance of long-term retention.
These steps differ between apps based on which actions are valuable to the app. For shopping apps this could be adding an item to cart; for travel companies it may be making the first booking.
In some cases, there are multiple levels of activation, from signing-up or adding a credit card to purchasing a subscription or making a second purchase.
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DOWNLOADUser-friendly interfaces are critical to improving activation rates, by engaging users and prompting them to take action.
In 2022, the global app market had an activation rate of 8.3 percent, with the highest percentages among finance and news apps.
We have collected data and statistics on the return on app activation rates. Read on below to find out more.
Key App Activation Statistics
- In 2023, the global app activation rate was 8.2%
- Finance apps have the highest percentage activation rate at 14%, while Travel & Local has the lowest at 4%
- Health & Fitness had the highest unique identifier coverage at 62%, News & Magazines had the lowest at 9%
Global App Activation Rate
The average global app activation rate for 2023 was 8.2%, with improvements in Q3 and Q4.
Quarterly global app activation rate 2021 to 2023 (%)
| Quarter | Rate (%) |
|---|---|
| Q4 2021 | 8.3 |
| Q1 2022 | 8.5 |
| Q2 2022 | 8.2 |
| Q3 2022 | 8.3 |
| Q4 2022 | 8.3 |
| Q1 2023 | 7.8 |
| Q2 2023 | 7.9 |
| Q3 2023 | 8.6 |
| Q4 2023 | 8.6 |
Source: Airship
App Activation by Category
Finance apps had the highest percentage activation rate by 30 days at 14%, while travel and local apps have the lowest at 4%. News and Magazines, Sports and Health & Fitness all achieved rates of 10% or higher.
App activation rate by category 2022 (%)
App Identified User Coverage by Category
Health & Fitness apps had the highest identified user coverage of all categories with 62% of users logging in through a unique user identifier, while News & Magazines had the lowest coverage at 9%.
