RevenueCat
A subscription backend for mobile apps that wraps Apple StoreKit and Google Play Billing, so you get purchases, restores, entitlements, paywalls and subscription analytics from one SDK. It is free until your app tracks $2,500 a month in revenue.
Tool
Other
RevenueCat
A day or two to integrate
Intermediate
Free
What it does
RevenueCat sits between your app and the app stores. Its SDKs for iOS, Android, Flutter, React Native and other platforms handle purchases, restores and receipt validation, and its backend keeps an up-to-date record of which features each user is entitled to, across devices and platforms. It adds remote paywalls, experiments, webhooks to your own server, and charts for revenue, trial conversion and churn.
Why use it
Building subscription logic yourself means validating receipts from two stores, handling renewals, refunds, grace periods and upgrades, and keeping a server in sync. It is easy to get subtly wrong, and bugs here mean either lost revenue or angry users who paid and lost access. For a solo developer, RevenueCat turns weeks of edge cases into a day of integration.
Pricing (as of 2026-09)
RevenueCat's pricing page lists a free tier up to $2,500 in monthly tracked revenue, then 1% of tracked revenue above that. All features are included. There is also an enterprise plan with custom pricing. You still pay Apple and Google their commission separately.
What you still do yourself
- Create products and subscriptions in App Store Connect and Play Console.
- Sign the stores' paid agreements and set up tax and banking.
- Design an honest paywall that follows each store's rules.
Worth reading too
RevenueCat publishes a yearly State of Subscription Apps report with benchmark data on trial conversion, pricing and retention across thousands of apps. It is one of the best free sources of realistic numbers for mobile subscriptions.
Common questions
Is it only for subscriptions? No, one-time purchases work too, but subscriptions are where it saves the most work.
Does it work for web purchases? It supports some web billing flows so that a user who pays on the web gets access in the app; check the docs for current options.
What if I outgrow it? Your products live in the stores, so you can move, but plan the migration of entitlements carefully.
Sources: revenuecat.com/pricing and revenuecat.com/docs, checked 2026-09.
Ready to start?
Opens on RevenueCat in a new tab.
Stuck on something specific?
Writing only gets you so far. If you want an answer to your situation rather than the general case, book a session and we will work through it together. Sessions are free for approved Sefism members, and a few slots open each week.
Follow along
New writing, resources and project ideas land here first.