Push notification benchmarks (from Pushwoosh 2025 study)
How well do mobile apps in your industry perform when it comes to push notifications? Are users opting in? Are they clicking through? And how do engagement patterns change?
To answer these questions, we turned to the Pushwoosh Benchmarks Study 2025.
Data collection: 600+ apps across 20+ industries, collected at the end of Q1 2025.
In this blog post, we’ll explore key benchmarks for push notification performance—opt-in rates and click-through rates (CTR)—as well as overall app usage metrics, including Daily Active Users (DAU) and Monthly Active Users (MAU).
We’ll spotlight seven key industries:
Ecommerce & Retail, FinTech, Food & Beverages, Action Games, Hypercasual Games, Media & Entertainment, and News.
Each industry’s results are compared to the all-industries average to show where apps are leading or lagging—and where there’s room to grow.
Ecommerce & Retail
Push notification metrics
Opt-in
Only slightly more than half of iOS users subscribe to push notifications in Ecommerce & Retail. And they are less inclined to subscribe to push notifications compared to the average across all industries.
On Android, opt-in rates are significantly higher than on iOS and are roughly in line with the overall benchmark.
CTR
The CTR pattern is the opposite of opt-in: iOS users engage with push notifications more actively than all-industries average, while the Android metric falls below the benchmark.
CTR quarterly trends
Click-through rates follow a clear downward trend over the year, particularly on Android. While iOS maintains relatively stable engagement with a mild dip by the end of the year, Android shows a consistent drop each quarter.
This points to the need for seasonal re-engagement tactics and refreshed content strategies for users on Android.
App performance metrics
DAU
Daily engagement is modest, which is consistent with the trend across industries: on both iOS and Android, the metric is close to the overall benchmark.
MAU
However, monthly engagement tells a different story—users tend to return regularly over longer periods, with both iOS and Android users exceeding the all-industries average.
💡Action point: Focus less on daily activation and more on lifecycle messaging that supports episodic but consistent app usage, such as seasonal offers or monthly campaigns.
FinTech
Push notification metrics
Opt-in
FinTech apps show strong opt-in rates across both platforms, with Android achieving a record-high result.
CTR
iOS apps see roughly the same CTR as the all-industry average. Android apps, on the other hand, outperform the benchmark.
💡Action point: Refine messaging strategy for iOS users to drive more engagement.
CTR quarterly trends
Throughout the year, CTR for FinTech apps on iOS remained relatively stable, with a slight dip in Q3 followed by a noticeable peak in Q4.
On Android, CTR started strong and showed consistent growth, with a significant surge in Q4, indicating heightened user engagement toward the end of the year.
💡Action point: Capitalize on Q4 momentum by planning high-impact campaigns at the end of the year. Consider aligning messaging with budgeting, savings goals, or holiday-related spending to drive stronger engagement, especially on Android where users show increased responsiveness.
App performance metrics
DAU
Daily active user rates on iOS fall just slightly below the all-industries average, while Android apps perform above the benchmark.
MAU
Monthly active user rates follow a similar pattern, with Android FinTech apps showing a much stronger engagement profile than the all-industries trend.
These usage patterns suggest that Android users interact with FinTech apps more frequently and consistently.
Food & Beverages
Push notification metrics
Opt-in
In the Food & Beverages industry, iOS users are less inclined to opt into push notifications compared to the all-industries average. This suggests that users may not immediately see the value in receiving notifications from these apps.
On Android, however, opt-in rates are significantly higher and align more closely with the industry benchmark, showing that Android users are generally more open to receiving updates and offers from Food & Beverages apps.
💡Action point: Highlight the value of notifications during iOS onboarding—use custom pre-permission screens to communicate the benefits clearly.
CTR
Click-through rates on iOS fall just slightly below the all-industries average, signaling there may be an opportunity to boost the effectiveness of push messaging to drive further interactions.
On Android, CTR is notably higher, far exceeding the benchmark, indicating that Android users are much more responsive to push campaigns in the Food & Beverages industry.
💡Action point: For iOS, consider leveraging Live Activities to make real-time updates more visible to users directly on the lock screen.
CTR quarterly trends
Over the course of the year, click-through rates for iOS apps in Food & Beverages follow a downward trend, with the highest engagement occurring in the first quarter and gradually tapering off.
Android apps, however, experience an initial spike in CTR during the second quarter, followed by a slight drop in the third quarter, and a more significant decrease in the final quarter.
💡Action point: For iOS apps, a more consistent approach to content and timely push messaging could help maintain user engagement throughout the year.
App performance metrics
DAU
Daily engagement remains below the all-industry average on both platforms. This indicates that users may not find reasons to return to the app on a daily basis, possibly due to lack of habitual triggers in the app experience.
MAU
Monthly activity paints a more positive picture. iOS users engage at above-average levels, and on Android, monthly engagement involves over a quarter of the user base. Food & Beverages apps retain strong relevance over time—even if they’re not part of users’ daily routines.
💡Action point: Introduce daily-use features—such as meal planners, daily deals, or timely reminders—that build routine around your app. Reinforce value in everyday moments to turn monthly visitors into daily users.
Action games
Push notification metrics
Opt-in
iOS users are significantly less likely to allow push notifications compared to the all-industries average. This suggests prompt fatigue or a perceived lack of value.
Android users, in contrast, show strong openness to real-time updates—though their opt-in rate is slightly below the all-industry benchmark, it remains high enough to support impactful messaging campaigns.
CTR
Click-through rates remain modest on both iOS and Android and below the overall benchmarks. Even though Android performs slightly better.
💡Action point: Connect push notifications with in-game moments—such as new missions, PvP events, or energy refills—to align better with users’ expectations for timely, valuable updates.
App performance metrics
DAU
Daily usage is limited, especially on iOS, where activity falls well below the all-industry average. This may point to a lack of daily incentives or hooks that encourage habitual play.
Android users display stronger daily engagement, performing above the average
MAU
While iOS still lags, Android users remain highly active over time—showing one of the largest iOS–Android engagement gaps across all industries.
Once Android users are engaged, they tend to stick with the game for the long term. That retention potential makes Android a strong channel for scaling engagement strategies in the Action games segment.
Hypercasual games
Push notification metrics
Opt-in
iOS users are significantly less likely to allow push notifications compared to the all-industries average. On Android, users are far more receptive—though opt-in rates fall slightly below the all-industry benchmark, they remain strong enough to support meaningful push notification strategies.
CTR
Click-through rates for hypercasual games exceed the all-industries average on both platforms—a promising sign of user responsiveness. The rate is higher on Android than on iOS, suggesting a slightly stronger engagement on that platform.
CTR quarterly trends
On iOS, click-through rates steadily decline throughout the year, with the strongest engagement at the start and gradually tapering off each quarter.
Android CTR remains relatively stable through the first half of the year but experiences a marked dip in the second half—suggesting that user responsiveness to push campaigns diminishes over time, especially without fresh engagement tactics.
💡Action point: To maintain CTR across the year, align push notifications with short-term goals—such as limited-time events or end-of-level rewards—that refresh user motivation regularly.
App performance metrics
DAU
Daily engagement far exceeds the all-industries average on both iOS and Android. Hypercasual games effectively encourage frequent usage, likely driven by quick gameplay loops and accessible mechanics.
MAU
The MAU metric follows the same pattern, with hypercasual games significantly outperforming the cross-industry benchmark—particularly on Android.
💡Action point: Leverage strong natural retention on Android to scale monetization and campaign strategies.
Media & Entertainment
Push notification metrics
Opt-in
Opt-in rates are generally in line with industry benchmarks. iOS sees lower opt-in than Android, but both platforms show that users are reasonably willing to receive push notifications.
This reflects the typical user expectation to stay updated on content releases or streaming events.
CTR
Media & Entertainment apps drive stronger engagement per push than most other industries. Both iOS and Android CTRs significantly exceed the benchmark, indicating that once users are opted in, they are quite responsive—likely due to the relevance and immediacy of content-based notifications.
💡Action point: Take advantage of this high responsiveness—lean into profile and behavior-based segmentation to send notifications that mirror users’ content preferences, viewing history, or favorite genres.
CTR quarterly trends
CTR on iOS shows a steady climb throughout the year, peaking in the third quarter and holding steady into the fourth. Android shows a similar upward trajectory, with gains across every quarter.
💡Action point: Capitalize on this momentum—schedule major content releases or engagement campaigns later in the year, and test notification formats that build anticipation leading into Q3 and Q4.
App performance metrics
DAU
DAU falls short of the all-industries average on both platforms. This suggests users may interact with Media & entertainment apps more sporadically, perhaps depending on content drops or live events, rather than as part of a daily habit.
MAU
Monthly engagement shows a clear gap between platforms. Android users demonstrate high monthly activity—well above the all-industries average—indicating strong ongoing interest in Media & Entertainment apps.
On iOS, however, monthly activity lags behind the industry benchmark. This gap suggests that while Android users are consistently engaged over time, iOS users may require more targeted efforts to stay active month to month.
💡Action point: With strong DAU and MAU already in place, consider introducing customizable notification digests and follow-up alerts to deepen routine usage and reduce churn risk. Leverage location-based segmentation, as engagement levels can vary drastically between local and global media audiences.
Pushwoosh segmentation research shows that targeting users by town can yield up to 15x higher CTR, making hyperlocal content one of the most effective segmentation criteria for News apps. Delivering timely, town-specific alerts can turn general interest readers into highly engaged daily users.
News
Push notification metrics
Opt-in
In the News category, opt-in behavior on both platforms falls below the all-industries average. Still, nearly half of iOS users agree to receive push notifications, and the rate is even higher on Android.
This shows that while users may be somewhat selective, there is still a solid foundation of interest in staying updated—especially given the time-sensitive nature of news content.
CTR
Once opted in, users on both platforms demonstrate highly engaged behavior. Click-through rates exceed the all-industries benchmark, which reinforces the idea that news alerts—especially those tied to breaking events or user-selected topics—are perceived as highly relevant.
CTR quarterly trends
Click-through rates on both platforms are strongest in the middle of the year but follow slightly different trajectories.
iOS CTR climbs from Q1 to its peak in Q2, then gradually declines through Q3 and drops sharply in Q4.
Android, on the other hand, shows a steady rise from Q1 through Q3, reaching its highest point in Q3 before declining in Q4.
This suggests that Android users remain increasingly engaged through the year’s third quarter, while iOS engagement starts tapering off earlier.
💡Action point: For iOS, leverage Live Activities to highlight live news coverage, breaking updates, or ongoing events directly on the lock screen. This format is helping you capture attention in real time and maintain high visibility without relying solely on traditional push notifications.
App performance metrics
DAU
On both platforms, and especially on Android, DAU is significantly above the all-industries average. This reflects a strong habitual usage pattern, with users returning frequently to stay informed.
MAU
Monthly engagement is equally strong, again with Android leading the way. The platform sees exceptionally high monthly activity, while iOS—though slightly behind—still maintains levels well above the industry norm.
Looking to put these benchmarks into action? Whether you’re aiming to boost opt-ins, refine your push messaging CTRs, or improve app engagement, Pushwoosh gives you the tools to act on insights.
