App Onboarding Rates (2026)

Successfully onboarding a user can be a harder battle than getting them to download, as in some cases it requires the user to go through multiple steps and actively return to the app.

For some apps, onboarding can be as simple as explaining the functionality of the app and letting the user roam free. For others, it is a number of levels that the user needs to reach, from registration, to trial, to subscription, that the user needs to hit.

Getting over these natural barriers, such as adding a contact book, a credit card, or paying for a digital item, requires the app to function correctly and be a guide for those confused or concerned.

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Having a high app onboarding rate can lead to higher medium and long term retention, which also improves the chances of users spending money on the app in the future.

We have collected data and statistics on app onboarding rates. Read on below to find out more.

Key App Onboarding Statistics

• Finance, health & fitness and sports apps have the highest onboarding rates of 26% at day one
• By day 30, news & magazine apps have the highest onboarding rate of 13%
• Food & drink apps have the lowest onboarding rate at day one and share the lowest at day 30 with travel & local apps
• The global average app onboarding rate at day 30 was 8.4%

App Onboarding Rate by Category

Finance, health & fitness and sports apps have the highest onboarding rates at day one. By day 30, news & magazine apps have the highest onboarding rate. Food & drink apps have the lowest onboarding rate at day one, while travel & local have the lowest by day 30.

App onboarding rating by category 2024 (%)

Global App Onboarding Rate

The global app onboarding rate in Q2 2025 was 8.4% after day 30, with over 90% of users not completely all the onboarding steps.

Quarterly global app onboarding rate 2021 to 2025 (%)

Source: Airship