Explanatory App Store screenshot subheadlines
The second line says how. The headline makes the promise and the smaller line says how the app keeps it.
From the top free apps in 23 categories of the US App Store, last read on October 9, 2026. Screenshots are the developers’ own, shown from Apple’s servers with a link to each app.
The numbers
Apps that do it
36% 815 of 2295
Screenshots that do it
17% 2198 of 12745
The top tens
80 of 230 against 735 of the other 2065
2198 of the 12745 screenshots read (17%) do this, across 815 of the 2295 top apps in 23 App Store categories (36%). 80 of the 230 apps in a top ten do it (35%), against 735 of the other 2065 (36%): the top ten do it about as often as the rest. It is most common in Finance (56% of apps) and least common in Games (9%).
By category, most to least.
The share of each category’s top apps with explanatory App Store screenshot subheadlines. Each category opens its own page, with every example and headline.
| Category | Apps that do it | Screenshots | Top ten |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance | 56% 56 of 100 | 29% 170 of 581 | 7 of 10 |
| Food & Drink | 52% 52 of 100 | 27% 146 of 540 | 7 of 10 |
| Shopping | 52% 52 of 100 | 30% 169 of 562 | 4 of 10 |
| Sports | 47% 47 of 100 | 23% 128 of 558 | 7 of 10 |
| Social Networking | 41% 41 of 100 | 19% 108 of 554 | 5 of 10 |
| Reference | 40% 40 of 100 | 23% 128 of 566 | 5 of 10 |
| Travel | 40% 40 of 100 | 19% 104 of 561 | 0 of 10 |
| Utilities | 38% 38 of 100 | 18% 101 of 549 | 3 of 10 |
| Business | 36% 36 of 100 | 15% 82 of 554 | 3 of 10 |
| Developer Tools | 36% 36 of 100 | 21% 104 of 507 | 3 of 10 |
| Lifestyle | 36% 36 of 100 | 16% 91 of 556 | 6 of 10 |
| Photo & Video | 36% 36 of 100 | 15% 86 of 566 | 5 of 10 |
| Navigation | 35% 35 of 99 | 17% 94 of 566 | 2 of 10 |
| Graphics & Design | 34% 34 of 99 | 14% 81 of 564 | 5 of 10 |
| Entertainment | 32% 32 of 100 | 15% 84 of 544 | 3 of 10 |
| News | 31% 30 of 98 | 17% 90 of 517 | 0 of 10 |
| Music | 29% 29 of 100 | 9% 52 of 550 | 3 of 10 |
| Health & Fitness | 28% 28 of 100 | 12% 70 of 574 | 2 of 10 |
| Productivity | 27% 27 of 99 | 13% 71 of 551 | 1 of 10 |
| Education | 27% 27 of 100 | 11% 59 of 555 | 4 of 10 |
| Medical | 27% 27 of 100 | 13% 69 of 548 | 1 of 10 |
| Weather | 27% 27 of 100 | 14% 80 of 555 | 3 of 10 |
| Games | 9% 9 of 100 | 5% 31 of 567 | 1 of 10 |
Examples from each category.
Up to 6 from each category, from the apps highest on its chart.
Finance 170 examples · 56% of apps
“Eligible children can receive $1,000.”
“Trade real-world events”
“The easiest decision ever”
“Earn 5% back”
“Earn rewards with the Venmo Credit Card”
“Better money, trusted by millions”
Food & Drink 146 examples · 52% of apps
“Order ahead to save time (& avoid the line)”
“DELIVERED IN AS LITTLE AS AN HOUR*”
“ORDER AHEAD”
“Mid-week grocery run. Without the run.”
“TRACK IT LIVE.”
“save”
Shopping 169 examples · 52% of apps
“Earning is as simple as”
“Keep more of your cash with no selling fees”
“WOMEN'S FASHION”
“First free delivery in as fast as 1 hour”
“SHIP YOUR PULLS HOME”
“Save with”
Sports 128 examples · 47% of apps
“#1 SPORTSBOOK FOR LIVE BETTING”
“Deposit $10 Get $50”
“Your Teams. Your Fights. One Home.”
“GET $250”
“PLAY $5 GET $150”
“GET UP TO $1,000 IN BONUS FUNDS”
Social Networking 108 examples · 41% of apps
“Group chat with”
“Powerful”
“STREAM TOGETHER”
“invite your community”
“Built for Privacy”
“Never Miss an Update!”
Reference 128 examples · 40% of apps
“Start your day with God's Word”
“Connect Daily With God's Word”
“Travel Without Language Barrier”
“GENERATE”
“Real-Time Insights”
“Connect with God”
Travel 104 examples · 40% of apps
“TRUSTED TRAVELER”
“Earn $250+”
“AI Street Map”
“Exclusive Deals”
“Enjoy free cancellation options”
“Access 1800+ lounges and travel experiences worldwide”
Utilities 101 examples · 38% of apps
“Stronger security with Google Authenticator”
“Unsubscribe”
“Try AT&T WirelessSM free for 30 days”
“The easiest way to manage”
“Browse while you watch”
“Private, Optional AI”
Business 82 examples · 36% of apps
“Meeting with Soccer club”
“Get hired 30% faster with the app*”
“zoom Workplace”
“Slack is where work happens”
“Save as”
“Get important notifications”
Developer Tools 104 examples · 36% of apps
“Build from anywhere”
“Learn”
“Home Efficient Management”
“One click connection”
“Connect”
“Catch mistakes instantly”
Lifestyle 91 examples · 36% of apps
“Try the T-Mobile Network for free.”
“Customize Your Event Page”
“Start on the same page”
“Connect with confidence”
“Set your favorites”
“Plan your next move”
Photo & Video 86 examples · 36% of apps
“Create”
“Photoshoot”
“Snap”
“Bring your photos to life”
“Share”
“AI PHOTO & VIDEO GENERATOR”
Navigation 94 examples · 35% of apps
“Park without worries”
“KNOW WHEN TO HUNT”
“Speed Camera Alerts”
“Pay right from the app;”
“Apps of the Year”
“MapXplorer”
Graphics & Design 81 examples · 34% of apps
“DANCE”
“Kling VIDEO 3.0”
“Co-Star with Friends”
“Use a camera”
“Vector Layer Feature”
“OS 27 Ready”
Entertainment 84 examples · 32% of apps
“Your Next Favorite Show”
“DO WHAT YOU LOVE”
“Massive Variety of Short Dramas”
“Stream more with Hulu on Disney+”
“MOVIES & SEQUELS”
“Find the best ticket deals”
News 90 examples · 31% of apps
“Walkie Talkie”
“The Biggest Movers in the Market, Live”
“Save for Later”
“Add locations”
“Your News, Your Language”
“Stream documentaries on demand.”
Music 52 examples · 29% of apps
“START SHARING YOUR SOUND”
“Audiobooks are Included”
“Sound is power.”
“Play Music”
“Device Control”
“JBL Headphones”
Health & Fitness 70 examples · 28% of apps
“Workout Routines and Videos ...”
“EXPLORE”
“Go beyond calories and macros.”
“Are you younger than your actual age?”
“VIEW ACCOUNT INFORMATION”
“Manage”
Productivity 71 examples · 27% of apps
“Sort your mail”
“SCAN”
“Accelerate”
“Never take notes again”
“No-Logs Policy Verified”
“We protect what matters most, your privacy and safety.”
Education 59 examples · 27% of apps
“Get Test Scores”
“10-min lessons”
“Replace Scrolling With Microlearning”
“We9re every teacher9s sidekick.”
“New gifts”
“Build Real Speaking Fluency”
Medical 69 examples · 27% of apps
“Your pharmacy benefits,”
“Quest made easy”
“Digital ID Card”
“Your Family's Second Brain”
“Personalized program”
“Tap into the power of your plasma donation!”
Weather 80 examples · 27% of apps
“Keep Dry”
“Track thunderstorms”
“Rain & Snow”
“Hurricane tracker”
“ONE STOP SHOP”
“24-Hour Future Radar”
Games 31 examples · 9% of apps
“MULTIPLE WAYS TO PLAY”
“$15M+”
“COMPETE”
“100% INSTANT BUYBACK”
“Word Chain”
“OPEN PACKS”
Related tactics.
Often on the same screenshot
- Has a subline100% of these screenshots, against 25% of every screenshot read
- Headline under five words80% of these screenshots, against 50% of every screenshot read
- Headline readable at thumbnail size57% of these screenshots, against 31% of every screenshot read
- States a benefit61% of these screenshots, against 42% of every screenshot read
- Says “you” or “your”46% of these screenshots, against 29% of every screenshot read
- Has a headline100% of these screenshots, against 89% of every screenshot read
More in meaning
- Plain tone90%
- Leads with a feature87%
- States a benefit79%
- Playful tone20%
- Leads with an outcome19%
- Names its audience17%
- Subline adds a second benefit17%
- Asks for an action16%
- Premium tone10%
- Urgent tone9%
- Leads with trust9%
- Compares with something8%
- Leads with price6%
- Technical tone5%
- Leads with what is new4%
- Leads with who it is for4%
- Leads with a problem2%
Questions, answered from the chart.
How common are explanatory App Store screenshot subheadlines?
815 of the 2295 top apps read across 23 App Store categories (36%) have at least one, and 2198 of their 12745 screenshots (17%) do it. Counted from the US App Store’s top free charts, last read on October 9, 2026.
Which App Store categories have the most explanatory App Store screenshot subheadlines?
Most common in Finance (56 of 100 apps, 56%), Food & Drink (52 of 100 apps, 52%) and Shopping (52 of 100 apps, 52%). Least common in Games (9 of 100 apps, 9%).
Should my app have explanatory App Store screenshot subheadlines?
The charts show who does it, not whether it would work for your app. Across the categories read, 80 of the 230 apps in a top ten do it (35%), against 735 of the other 2065 (36%), so the top ten do it about as often as the rest. The numbers differ by category, so look at your own.
See your own app against this.
Pagefully reads your screenshots the same way, and makes a custom product page for each search people type, from your real screens.
Preview your pages