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).