Why do subscribers cancel, and how do we reduce churn?
Churn feels like one number. It's really several problems with different fixes.
- Churn is too high.
- Why do people leave?
- What's a good churn rate?
Split churn into voluntary cancellations and failed payments. Ask cancelling users why with a short required question. Look at usage before cancellation: most churned users stopped using the product weeks earlier. Fix the top reasons, re-engage users whose usage drops and recover failed payments. Track churn by plan and signup month.
Common reasons and fixes
| Reason | Fix |
|---|---|
| Didn't use it | Onboarding and habit nudges |
| Too expensive | Cheaper plan or pause option |
| Finished the job | Pause or seasonal plan |
| Card failed | Payment recovery |
How we look at it at ShoutEx
We set up churn reporting and the nudges and recovery that reduce it. See subscription churn for apps.
- One churn number.
- No exit question.
- Ignoring failed payments.
- Discounts for everyone.
- Split by type.
- Exit reasons.
- Usage alerts.
- Payment recovery.
What founders and platforms say
Here is what founders say.
Community summaries describe recurring themes in public threads, not individual posts. Vendor pages describe vendor claims, so test them on your own calls.
Read next
Go deeper in the ShoutEx guides, or check the sources behind this answer.
We'll set up churn reporting and fixes.
Book a call →Follow-up questions
Does a pause option help?
For seasonal use, often.
Should we offer discounts to leavers?
Sometimes, targeted, not for everyone.
What about failed payments?
Failed cards are involuntary churn. Recover them with retries, dunning and a grace period before you count a cancel. How to recover failed subscription payments.