Gen Z Subscribes to 26% More Apps and Streaming Services Than the Average American, New Study Finds

The youth are not in revolt when it comes to paying for apps and streaming services, with Gen Z being the most heavily subscribed generation in the U.S., according to new data shared with TheWrap on Tuesday.

Here are the key figures: The average Gen Z American pays for nearly seven services — 6.8, to be exact — each month. That ends up costing $940 per year on average, according to a new report from Bango, a U.K.-based tech company that helps businesses turn users into paying customers. Bango’s report, released on Tuesday, is based on a study of 5,000 American consumers between January and March.

The nearly-seven subscriptions is 26% higher than the 5.4 subscriptions the average American pays for, Bango’s data showed.

And here is something Spotify and Apple Music bigwigs will likely enjoy reading: music apps are the most popular subscriptions for Gen Z, which spans people born from 1997 to 2012, with 59% saying they pay for at least one music subscription. That compares to 43% of Americans from older generations who pay for at least one music sub.

Interestingly, though, Gen Zers are the only age group where streaming services like Netflix, Max and Disney+ are not the most popular type of subscription. Overall, 75% of all Americans pay for at least one streaming service, while 56% of Gen Zers pay for one of them.

The new report comes as Netflix, which had nearly 302 million customers at the end of 2024, is set to report earnings on Thursday; Spotify, which is also reporting its first quarter earnings later this month, had 263 million paying subscribers at the end of last year.

Younger Americans are also much more likely to pay for gaming subscriptions — 46% for Gen Z on average compared to 22% for all Americans — and nearly twice as likely to spend on social apps.

Something else that stood out: Bango’s report shows most Americans are getting tired of having to subscribe to a number of services, with 62% saying they would prefer to pay for a bundle that packages several of their favorite services.

Another 41% said they were “annoyed” they do not have a one-stop shop that manages all of their subscriptions — which seems a bit pie-in-the-sky. But even one out of every five Gen Z Americans said they would prefer to have an “all-in-one subscription” service that was managed by social platforms like Meta, X or TikTok.

You can access Bango’s full 16-page report by clicking here.

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