Publisher subscription benchmark tool

Choose your publishing vertical, then enter your monthly churn rate, visitor-to-subscriber conversion rate and average revenue per subscriber (ARPU). The tool compares each figure against the indicative benchmark band for your category and shows whether it sits in the strong, typical or needs-work range. Every input is stored in the URL, so you can share a scenario with colleagues.

These benchmarks are a first-cut, indicative starting point compiled from public subscription and media reports. They vary by market, billing mix, content type and audience, so treat them as a rough guide rather than a precise standard. The strongest publishers refresh these numbers with their own analytics and billing data as soon as possible.

Sources

• Recurly — publishing churn benchmarks (2025)
• INMA reader revenue (2025)
• RetentionCheck — churn by industry (2026)
• SubJolt — churn benchmarks (2026)

Indicative benchmarks compiled from public industry reports — figures vary by market and change over time. Treat as a rough guide, not a precise standard.

Good churn, conversion and ARPU depend heavily on the kind of publication you run. A B2B or trade title can support a much higher ARPU and lower churn than a general-interest news site because the audience is smaller, more targeted and often expensing the cost. Consumer magazines and niche creator titles usually sit between those extremes.

For news, monthly churn in the mid-single digits is common and conversion rates are often below 1% of total visitors. For B2B / trade, churn can be lower and ARPU much higher, with conversion rates frequently above 1%. Consumer magazines tend to have lower ARPU but can retain subscribers well with the right content rhythm. Niche / creator titles often show the highest conversion rates because the audience is highly engaged, even though ARPU can be modest.

The key is to track these three metrics together. A high conversion rate means little if churn is bleeding subscribers, and a high ARPU is fragile if visitors never convert in the first place.

Subscription economics are not one-size-fits-all. A national news title reaches millions of readers and converts a tiny fraction, while a niche professional newsletter may convert a much larger share of a smaller audience. That difference changes what "good" looks like for every metric.

ARPU is driven by pricing power and plan mix. B2B titles can charge premium prices because the content is tied to a reader's job or industry. Churn is driven by engagement, billing frequency and how replaceable the content feels. Conversion is driven by audience intent, paywall design and the clarity of the value proposition.

Use the bands in this tool to spot your biggest gap, then focus your first improvement there. Mocono tracks all three metrics automatically once your paywall and subscriber CRM are live.