Do holiday offers bring subscription apps more than a sales spike? Data from 5K apps
RevenueCat analyzed nearly 5,000 subscription apps during the 2025–26 holiday season, comparing apps with and without detected promotions. Black Friday promotions brought more new paying customers and higher six-month revenue but lower revenue per customer; Christmas-only offers showed no clear acquisition advantage, while New Year and January were the strongest periods for new paying customers, especially in Health & Fitness and Gaming. Holiday paywalls commonly emphasized discounts, crossed-out prices, and limited-time messaging.
What this means for indie developers：Indie developers should focus promotional efforts on Black Friday and New Year rather than Christmas, and judge results by six-month revenue instead of launch-day sales.