kbr-research-notes
How Much Do We Spend on AI Subscriptions a Month? "One in Four Users Are Paid Subscribers"
One in four domestic generative AI users (24.3%) are paying for subscriptions, with those in their 20s recording the highest payment rate at 30.1% (Korea Consumer Agency's '2025 Consumption Life Index'). Based on KB Kookmin Card payment data, generative AI subscription customers surged by 413% and spending jumped by 516% over two years, driven primarily by text-based AI. In the U.S., the median monthly expenditure for paying households stands at $20, effectively becoming the 'base rate,' but spending is shifting upward as users in the upper $21–$40 bracket increased by 50% compared to 2024 (BofA). 'Multiple subscriptions' are on the rise, with users averaging 4 tools and spending $66 a month, and a clear 'lock-in' phenomenon is evident as the average retention period reaches 7 months. Across the broader subscription market, AI subscriptions increased by 8.4 percentage points year-on-year, ranking first in growth, while content memberships dropped by 5.7 percentage points, ranking first in decline, confirming a shift in the landscape that is squeezing out OTT services (OpenSurvey).

One in four domestic generative AI users (24.3%) are paying for subscriptions, with those in their 20s recording the highest payment rate at 30.1% (Korea Consumer Agency's '2025 Consumption Life Index'). Based on KB Kookmin Card payment data, generative AI subscription customers surged by 413% and spending jumped by 516% over two years, driven primarily by text-based AI. In the U.S., the median monthly expenditure for paying households stands at $20, effectively becoming the 'base rate,' but spending is shifting upward as users in the upper $21–$40 bracket increased by 50% compared to 2024 (BofA). 'Multiple subscriptions' are on the rise, with users averaging 4 tools and spending $66 a month, and a clear 'lock-in' phenomenon is evident as the average retention period reaches 7 months. Across the broader subscription market, AI subscriptions increased by 8.4 percentage points year-on-year, ranking first in growth, while content memberships dropped by 5.7 percentage points, ranking first in decline, confirming a shift in the landscape that is squeezing out OTT services (OpenSurvey).
How Much Do We Spend on AI Subscriptions a Month? "One in Four Users Are Paid Subscribers" Korea Consumer Agency survey shows 24.3% paid subscription rate; 20-somethings lead the trend, with growth ranking first across all subscription categories While many people contemplate canceling Netflix, surprisingly few think about canceling their ChatGPT or Claude subscriptions. This is because an AI subscription fee of around 20,000 won per month has quietly established itself as a "fixed expense," much like telecommunication or OTT bills. So, how much are people actually spending on AI, and how is that spending growing? Gathering the latest domestic and international data reveals that AI subscriptions are rapidly moving past the "trial" phase and entering the "lock-in" stage. One in Four Domestic Users Have Paid Subscriptions The most direct domestic indicator comes from the "2025 Korea Consum…
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