Top health and wellness app monetization examples

Health apps, wellness apps, and fitness apps are all the rage these days. But, developing and monetizing a successful app takes careful planning. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to app monetization, so you need to spend a little time figuring out the best strategies and tactics to achieve your revenue goals. 

To succeed in this competitive industry, you’ll need to develop a solid understanding of the market and what consumers are looking for before you even begin focusing on app monetization.

If you are looking for ideas on how to monetize a health and wellness app, read on to learn about:

• The rise of health and wellness apps
• Key features of the best health and wellness apps
• Monetization models for health and wellness apps
  
  

The Rise of Health and Wellness Apps

Over the last few years, the health, wellness, and fitness app market has experienced significant growth, with more and more people prioritizing their physical and mental well-being. According to a recent industry report, the global health and wellness app market size was valued at USD 43.5 billion in 2022 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12% between 2023 and 2030.

As the industry continues to evolve with new apps constantly entering the market, some of the most popular genres of health and wellness apps include:

• Home workouts
• Mindfulness and mental well-being
• Nutrition and meal planning
• Virtual coaching
• Wearable technology health tracking

Key Features of the best health and wellness apps

Consumers look for various features and functionalities in the apps they download, depending on their individual needs and goals. The list of most popular features includes:

• Personalized experience - Content and recommendations based on individual goals, preferences, and health conditions provide a better user experience. Plus, keeping users engaged, motivated, and committed encourages continued long-term app use.
• Tracking and monitoring - Monitoring factors like exercise, nutrition, sleep, and stress help users to understand their habits better and maximize their progression over time. 
• Goal-setting and progress tracking - Changing bad habits and behaviors can be challenging without features that allow users to set and track goals, celebrate their progress, and stay motivated to reach the next milestone.
• Education and resources - Educational resources like articles, videos, and expert advice help consumers learn more about the topics they’re interested in and feel more confident about the decisions they make on their health and wellness journey.
• Social support and community - The ability to virtually connect with a community of like-minded individuals provide a sense of belonging that encourages users to stay motivated and keep using the app.  
• Integration with other apps and devices - Integration with other products and services provides subscribers with a more holistic view of their health and wellness. It eliminates time wasted manually entering data into multiple apps.

Monetization models for health and wellness apps

The health, wellness, and fitness market can be tough to crack because diets and lifestyle changes can quickly fall by the wayside when consumers are not sufficiently encouraged and motivated to continue. 

So, while there are several ways to monetize an app, it's essential to balance revenue goals with user experience to ensure that your products and services provide real value and will remain successful over time. 

The key lies in finding the sweet spot between value, convenience, and functionality. Here are a few of the tactics and strategies you could employ. You don’t need to use them all, but settling on a process where you can A/B test a variety of approaches is usually the most effective way to ensure you reach as wide an audience as possible and maximize opportunities to upsell extra features wherever possible. 

1. Freemium model

The term "freemium" is a combination of the words "free" and "premium." Freemium app revenue models offer a basic version of the app for free, but charge users for access to more advanced features - like a larger library of workouts, diet plans, or techniques, etc. For example, Headspace offers a free version of its sleep and meditation app with basic meditation exercises, but charges users $12.99 per month or $69.99 annually to access additional content, including:

• More advanced meditations.
• Animations that guide users through essential meditation techniques.
• Themed courses on specific topics like stress and sleep.
• Daily mindfulness exercises.
• Headspace Move Mode, Focus Mode, and The Wake Up function.
  

2. Subscription model

Noom app's paywall

Subscription-based app revenue models charge users a recurring fee to access the app's content or features. It’s standard practice to offer both monthly and annual plans, and many health and wellness apps utilize a free 7-day trial to hook users in and commit to an ongoing subscription.

Subscription models offer more high-value content than freemium models. For example, the popular weight loss app Noom offers subscribers various weight loss programs that can be tailored to individual needs with expert advice, nutrition lessons, food logging, recipes, meal planning, and exercise recommendations.

3. Consumable In-App Purchases

MyFitnessPal

In-App Purchases involve selling additional features or content within the app. Common in-app monetization features on the best health and wellness apps include add-ons like personalized meal plans or customized workout routines that users can purchase to enhance their experience. For example, MyFitnessPal offers a premium subscription for either $9.99 per month or $49.99 per year that provides users with additional features such as:

• Detailed nutrient information about macronutrients.
• Tailored exercise calorie settings.
• Intermittent fasting tracking. 
• Food analysis, diet plans, and food timestamping.
• Meal scanning and recipe discovery.

4. In-App Advertising

Health and wellness apps can generate significant revenue by playing ads. One of the simplest ways to monetize an app, this strategy involves charging advertisers for displaying their ads to your user base. The fee for showing a standard ad (where ads are shown to every app user, regardless of their demographic profile) is usually lower than for custom ads (which utilize user profiles to target specific themes to specific people). Fitbit is one of the leading fitness apps to use this strategy, displaying various ads from other fitness and wellness brands to its users.

5. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing involves partnering with other companies to promote their products or services within your app. This app monetization strategy works by earning a commission for each sale generated via official referral links. For example, a health and wellness app might partner with a supplement company and earn a commission on each sale of one of its products. A good example is the Fitness Blender app, which promotes affiliate workout equipment and supplements using links embedded within the app.

6. Data Monetization

App developers can generate significant revenue by selling user data to third-party companies, so this has become a popular strategy employed by some of the best health and wellness apps on the market. This app monetization model capitalizes on the demand for consumer data by collecting information about user exercise habits, nutrition, sleep patterns, etc., and selling it to companies who use it for research or marketing purposes. For example, Strava sells user data and metrics to urban planners and transportation companies that use it to improve biking and pedestrian infrastructure.

Key Takeaways

• The health, wellness, and fitness app market is primed for continued growth, representing plenty of opportunities for app developers and marketers.
•  Developing a successful health, fitness, or wellness app is only possible with a solid understanding of your target market and consumer needs.
• Successful health and wellness app monetization strategies balance revenue goals with user experience to ensure lasting value and continued usage. 
• The best health and wellness apps utilize a range of in-app revenue models to find the sweet spot between value, convenience, and functionality.

Double Down on Subscription Optimization with Purchasely

Looking for further insights from top-notch experts from the Health, Fitness and Wellness categories? Listen to some episodes of our Subscription League podcast:

Company Spotlight: Health and Fitness App Productization Platform, with Sunny Dulay (Breakthrough)

How to bootstrap the #1 health and fitness app with Ania Wysocka (Rootd)

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