TL;DR — five things the 2026 data actually shows
- Total app spend is up. Global IAP $167B (+10.6% YoY); US App Store +18% to $55.5B; downloads flat, time-spent +3.8%, revenue +10.6%. People aren't spending less on apps — they're spending differently.
- App count is flat. AI-native spend is exploding. Zylo: 305 apps/org (+0%), but AI-native spend +108% overall, +393% in enterprises >10K employees. Same number of apps, much bigger bills.
- Wallet flows from $4.99 utility impulse buys to $20/mo AI subs. Measurable AI: IAP order volume −40% by early 2026 vs. 2021–23 baseline; AOV $10.59 → $16.86 (+59%) as commodity purchases collapse into AI subscriptions.
- Inside AI, extreme concentration. ChatGPT 900M WAU, $338M/mo mobile run rate, $3B cumulative faster than TikTok / Disney+ / HBO Max. Top 3 AI apps = ~90% of category time spent (Sensor Tower, Q1 2026).
- Non-AI subs get squeezed. 47% of US consumers canceled ≥1 sub in 2026 (vs 31% in 2024, Zuora SEI); 68% of SVOD subs on ad tiers (vs 46% in 2024); 31% will only subscribe via bundles (Bango).
Headline numbers — what changed in 2026
Six metrics that capture the shape of the shift.
Global app IAP revenue
$167B
+10.6% YoY in 2025. Sensor Tower State of Mobile 2026 (Jan 21, 2026).
Non-game IAP growth
+21%
YoY 2025. Non-game revenue passed games for the first time. Sensor Tower.
AI app IAP revenue
$5B
In 2025, +254% YoY. AI Assistants = fastest-growing category. Sensor Tower.
AI app time spent
36B hrs
H1 2026 projected, vs 17.2B in H1 2025. More than doubled YoY.
Apple IAP order volume
−40%
By early 2026 vs 2021–23 baseline. AOV up 59% to $16.86. Measurable AI.
Active AI subscriptions canceled
47%
Of US consumers canceled ≥1 sub in 2026, up from 31% in 2024. Zuora SEI.
The wallet migration — the same dollar, different app
In 2015, for every $1 spent on apps, $6 went to games. In 2025, that ratio flipped to $1 : $0.96 — and the spend that left games went almost entirely to AI, social, and creator tools.
App-store consumer spend: apps vs. games
Where the money went in 2025 (top growth categories)
Top-5 fastest-growing IAP categories 2025 (Sensor Tower / Attn Economy).
- AI Assistants: +$3.1B (+254% YoY). ChatGPT, Google Gemini.
- Social: +$1.9B (+17%). TikTok, YouTube.
- Short Drama: +$1.6B (+115%). ReelShort, DramaBox.
- Cloud Storage: +$1.0B (+31%). Google One, Dropbox.
- Video Editing: +$0.8B (+71%). CapCut, Splice.
"These aren't entertainment purchases. They're utility, productivity, and identity purchases. People are paying for tools that help them create, store, communicate, and think." — Attn Economy
AI Assistants category growth — multi-axis
GenAI app time spent
+110%
17.2B → 36B hrs YoY (H1 2025 → H1 2026). Sensor Tower State of AI 2026.
GenAI downloads
3.8B
In 2025, +100% YoY. Sensor Tower.
GenAI sessions
1T+
In 2025; AI category became 10th-largest by time spent.
Category winners & losers
Five categories accelerated, five contracted. The split follows utility: anything that does one job gets folded into an AI assistant; anything that's a destination or experience holds.
▲ Winning categories
| Category | Metric | Change |
|---|---|---|
| AI Assistants | +254% | IAP 2025 YoY (Sensor Tower) |
| Short Drama | +115% | IAP 2025 YoY (Sensor Tower) |
| Video Editing | +71% | IAP 2025 YoY (Sensor Tower) |
| Cloud Storage | +31% | IAP 2025 YoY (Sensor Tower) |
| Social | +17% | IAP 2025 YoY (Sensor Tower) |
| AI Assistants | +426% | Time-spent YoY 2025 (Sensor Tower) |
▼ Under pressure
| Category | Metric | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Apple IAP order volume | −40% | By early 2026 vs 2021–23 (Measurable AI) |
| Standalone news apps | ↓↓ | Daily-active declining 2 yrs (TechDrifting) |
| Standalone translation | ↓↓ | Retention suffering (TechDrifting) |
| Single-purpose utility apps | ↓ | Folded into ChatGPT/Claude/Notion AI |
| To-do / habit / flashcards | ↓ | Replaced by OS-level AI + chat assistants |
| SVOD price hikes → churn | 41% | Canceled ≥1 SVOD in last 6 mo (Deloitte 2026) |
The enterprise mirror image
Zylo's 2026 SaaS Management Index (40M licenses, $75B under management) gives the cleanest read on the same migration inside companies.
SaaS spend per org
$55.7M
+8% YoY. App count flat at 305 (−0.07%). Zylo 2026 SMI.
AI-native spend
+108%
+393% in enterprises >10K employees. ChatGPT = #1 expensed app.
Broader AI category
+181%
Fastest in Zylo's dataset. App Dev +81% (#2).
Unexpected AI/usage charges
78%
Of IT leaders hit unplanned costs in last 12 mo. 61% cut projects.
Top 10 most expensed SaaS apps — Zylo 2026
Of the top 50 most expensed apps in enterprises, 8 are AI-native (Zylo). Expense-based SaaS spend +267% YoY.
Consumer behavior in 2026
Beyond the spend data — how people are actually using apps.
Adults who use AI chatbots
49%
US adults, up from 33% in 2024. Only 24% daily. Pew Research, Feb 17–23 2026 (n=5,119).
AI users paying for ≥1 AI sub
46%
57% among daily users. Goodwater 2026 Consumer Survey.
Avg AI subs paid per user
4
At ~$66/mo. 24% spend >$100/mo. 14% pay for 8+. Bango, Oct 2025.
Cancel-and-restart AI tools
53%
Of US AI users, churn-and-replace is the default management strategy. Bango.
Replaced ≥1 app with AI assistant
32%
In the past year. 36% expect to in next year. TELUS Digital, Sep 2025.
Substitute, not supplement
43%
Of dedicated-AI-platform users fully replaced prior methods. PYMNTS, 2026.
What the AI subscription dollar actually buys
Concentration inside AI
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT weekly actives | 900M | a16z, Mar 2026 |
| ChatGPT monthly actives | 1B | Sensor Tower, May 2026 (fastest ever) |
| ChatGPT / #2 (Gemini, web) | 2.7× | a16z, Mar 2026 |
| ChatGPT / #2 (Gemini, mobile) | 2.5× | a16z, Mar 2026 |
| Top 3 AI apps = category time | ~90% | Sensor Tower Q1 2026 |
| ChatGPT mobile consumer spend | $2.48B | +408% YoY 2025 (CREI) |
| ChatGPT monthly mobile revenue | $338M | Dec 2025 (CREI) |
| Claude paid subs YoY | +200% | a16z, Jan 2026 |
| Gemini paid subs YoY | +258% | a16z, Jan 2026 |
| Claude US mobile ARPU | $2.76 | May 2026, up from $0.50 Sep 2025 |
Streaming — the canary
Streaming is the test case for what happens to non-AI subscriptions under price pressure and AI substitution. Flat spend, high churn, fast migration to ad tiers.
US streaming spend / household
$69/mo
Flat YoY. Deloitte 2026 DMT (n=3,575, Oct–Nov 2025).
Canceled an SVOD in last 6 mo
41%
Up from 39% in 2024. Annual churn ~40%.
On ad-supported tiers
68%
Up from 46% in 2024. Will cancel favorite service on +$5 (61%).
Will only sub via bundles
31%
44% Millennials · 48% Gen Z. Bango, Mar 2026.
Ad-tier SVOD share trajectory
The AI stack — anatomy of a 2026 subscription bundle
How a "power user" actually composes their AI subscriptions — and where the dollars go.
≈ $151/mo total, ≈ $1,812/yr before switching-cost loss (a16z, Jun 2026)
What users actually do with multiple AI tools
Multi-app usage is the norm
~20% of weekly ChatGPT web users also use Gemini in a given week (a16z, Mar 2026).
ChatGPT + Gemini split by task (PYMNTS 2026):
- Shopping: 60% ChatGPT vs 57% Gemini
- Entertainment: 65% vs 59%
- Travel planning: 66% vs 57%
- Learning / self-improvement: 70% vs 60%
The retention problem inside AI
AI apps carry +41% Year-1 LTV premium vs non-AI ($30.16 vs $21.36 median), but retain 36% worse over 12 months.
RevenueCat 2026 State of Subscription Apps (Mar 10, 2026; 75K apps).
"Consumers are not picking a winner. They're building a toolkit and switching by task." — PYMNTS, Feb 2026
Six structural shifts defining the 2026 app wallet
Shift 1
From many cheap apps to few expensive ones
Same $$, fewer titles. Zylo: app count flat, spend +8%. Apple: IAP order volume −40%, AOV +59%. Measurable AI.
Shift 2
From utility to AI
News, to-do, translation, grammar, flashcards, recipes — folded into ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Notion AI. 32% of US AI users replaced ≥1 app (TELUS).
Shift 3
From single-vendor to multi-tool stacks
Avg 4 paid AI subs at $66/mo. 53% cancel-and-restart. Power-user stack $151/mo. Churn is the default.
Shift 4
From premium to ad-supported in legacy media
Ad-tier SVOD 46% → 68% in 2 yrs. 73% frustrated by price hikes. Consumers protect AI spend, squeeze streaming.
Shift 5
From solo subscriptions to bundles
31% will only sub via bundles (44% Millennials, 48% Gen Z). Disney folding Hulu into Disney+. One bill, multiple products.
Shift 6
From human-shopping to agent-shopping
71% expect GenAI to influence ≥50% of spending decisions (Accenture, n=25,590). 32% ready to hand over purchase decisions. Agentic commerce is the next wallet frontier.
Sources
Every figure above is dated and linked. All 2026 unless noted.
Consumer app spend & category data
- Sensor Tower State of Mobile 2026 — Jan 21, 2026. Press release. $167B IAP, +10.6% YoY; non-game +21% YoY; AI app IAP $5B.
- Sensor Tower State of AI 2026 — Jun 16, 2026. Press release. GenAI time-spent 17.2B → 36B hrs; $4B H1 2026 IAP; ChatGPT 1B MAU.
- Measurable AI — Mar 25, 2026. Build, Don't Buy. IAP order volume −40%, AOV $10.59 → $16.86.
- Attn Economy / Sensor Tower — Apps surpass games in consumer spend (2025 crossover). Substack.
Subscription & consumer behavior
- Zuora Subscription Economy Index 2026 — 47% canceled ≥1 sub (vs 31% 2024).
- Deloitte Digital Media Trends 2026 — Mar 2026. Report. Streaming flat $69/mo, 41% churn, 68% ad-tier, n=3,575.
- Bango "Rise of the AI Subscriber" — Q4 2025. Coverage. 4 paid AI tools @ $66/mo, 24% >$100, 53% cancel-and-restart.
- Bango Mar 2026 — MWC survey coverage. 31% bundle-only, 43% pay for unused subs.
- Goodwater 2026 US Consumer Survey — PDF. 46% of AI users pay for ≥1 AI sub; 20% use none.
- Accenture Consumer Pulse 2026 — Jan 7–22 2026. PDF. n=25,590 across 16 countries. 71% expect GenAI to shape ≥50% of spending.
- Pew Research Center — Feb 17–23 2026. n=5,119. 49% US adults use AI chatbots.
- TELUS Digital Consumer Survey — Sep 2025, n=1,000. 32% replaced ≥1 app.
- PYMNTS Intelligence — Feb 2026. 43% full replacement; multi-tool usage.
- CivicScience / StreamDiag 2026 — 87% Gen Z streaming fatigue.
- RevenueCat State of Subscription Apps 2026 — Mar 10, 2026. Coverage. AI +41% LTV, −36% 12-mo retention.
Enterprise data
- Zylo 2026 SaaS Management Index — Jan 29, 2026. Report. $75B / 40M licenses. AI-native +108% / +393%. ChatGPT #1 expensed.
- Stanford HAI 2026 AI Index — Economy chapter. US consumer surplus $112B → $172B YoY.
AI market share
- a16z Top 100 Gen AI Consumer Apps, 6th ed. — Mar 9, 2026. Report. ChatGPT 900M WAU; Claude +200% / Gemini +258% paid YoY.
- Business of Apps — AI app sector $16.5B 2025 (+180%), forecast $88B by decade end.
- Apptopia GenAI Brief, Aug 2026 — Global GenAI downloads −2% YoY July 2026 (first negative).
Earlier (pre-2026, for context)
- Gartner — Jan 15, 2025. Forecast: mobile app usage −25% by 2027 due to AI assistants.
- C+R Research — 2022 benchmark: consumers estimate $86/mo subs but actual ~$219/mo.