the subscription fatigue paradox
everyone’s tired of subscriptions, but the business model isn’t going anywhere. what gives?
you know the feeling.
you see the charge on your card.
₹499 here. ₹799 there.
another “pro” plan you forgot you had.
at this point, your wallet is basically a VC fund for SaaS startups.
and now you're googling how to cancel [insert app name] for the third time this month, knowing full well they’ve hidden the button like it’s a national secret.
subscription fatigue is real.
people are tired. wallets are stretched. even the most loyal users are starting to ask:
“do i really need this?”
but here’s the truth: while users groan under monthly bills, companies are doubling down on subscriptions. MRR is still the golden metric. SaaS, media, AI, DTC - everyone’s chasing that sweet, recurring revenue.
so what gives?
how can a business model be both beloved and broken at the same time?
the user side: “how did i end up with 11 subscriptions?”
there’s a reason this fatigue exists.
the average consumer in the US has 6–12 paid subscriptions, according to studies by rocket money and deloitte. that’s streaming, storage, software, fitness, newsletters, groceries. sometimes even dog food.
subscription used to mean convenience. now it feels like a tax on digital life.
the signs are everywhere:
users forgetting what they signed up for
cancellation becoming a “life admin” task
tools popping up just to track and cancel subs (rocket money, truebill, etc.)
you can build a great product, but if you’re the seventh monthly charge competing with netflix, notion, and your gym’s “we swear you’ll come back” plan, you’re already on thin ice.
and with the economy tightening, even loyal users are asking if that ₹299/month they’re paying for your tool is really worth it.
the company side: “but MRR = life”
meanwhile, on the builder side, subscriptions still make total sense.
investors love predictability
founders love retention
finance teams love forecasting
and let’s be honest: CAC feels less painful when you know there’s some LTV coming your way
monthly recurring revenue (MRR) is the darling metric of every investor deck.
because nothing screams “we’re a real business” like 150 users paying ₹299/month and forgetting to cancel.
and so, companies lean in:
AI tools go from free to ₹1,600/month overnight
productivity apps gate basic features behind paywalls
even personal finance apps ask for subscriptions to tell you how to save money
why sell once when you can rent forever?
the backlash is already underway
and we have a twist. users are pushing back.
netflix cracks down on password sharing - sees a churn spike
adobe raises creative cloud prices - creators start exploring figma, canva, and open-source
NYTimes bundles games, news, and recipes - users bounce as soon as promo pricing ends
we’re at a weird inflection point:
people are spending more monthly than ever
but the emotional threshold for value is rising
every new subscription competes with all the old ones
if your product doesn’t deliver ongoing value that feels worth it, you become the app they cancel at midnight to feel responsible.
and they will feel good about it.
some builders are already adapting
there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. but the best products are starting to rethink how they frame and deliver value:
1. usage-based pricing
instead of fixed monthly bills, users pay for what they use.
examples: snowflake, retool, openAI’s API tiering
2. freemium with clear upgrades
let users in for free. then unlock real utility for those who stay.
examples: notion, linear, loom
3. credit systems or metered value
buy credits. spend them however you want.
examples: midjourney, GPT-4 API, descript
4. transparent cancellation + winback loops
make it easy to leave. trust that if the product is good, they’ll come back.
examples: netflix’s “we’ll save your data for 10 months,” superhuman’s pause-friendly UX
5. pay-once, subscribe-later models
offer a one-time option to reduce friction. introduce subscriptions only when sustained value is obvious.
smart builders don’t just reduce friction to sign up.
they also reduce guilt when someone leaves.
because no one’s writing love letters to a tool that locked them in and then ghosted.
pm tip: don’t start with the pricing model
start with the value loop.
ask: why would someone come back to this product every month?
if you can’t answer that, it doesn’t matter whether you charge ₹99 or ₹999.
it’ll still get cancelled.
the subscription model works, but only when the user sees value before the charge hits their card.
and in 2025, users are no longer subscribing to potential. they’re subscribing to outcomes.
closing: build for retention, not addiction
subscription fatigue doesn’t mean subscriptions are dying.
it means users are wiser now.
you can’t win on autopilot. you can’t fake stickiness.
and you definitely can’t hide behind friction-heavy cancellation flows anymore.
so the next time someone says “let’s slap a subscription on it,” pause.
make sure the product feels like something they’d want to pay for again next month, not something they’re guilted into keeping.
because MRR is just a number.
and no one wants to be the ₹499 charge that gets rage-cancelled during someone’s sunday finance cleanse.