Compare

Compare billing options for mobile subscription apps

Seven categories of billing platform — what each is for, where it fits, and which one matches your subscriber base. Including where Recurr isn't the right answer.

01App-store billing

Apple IAP / Google Play Billing

Apple IAP · Google Play Billing

The default rail for any mobile subscription app. Subscribers pay through the store; the store is the merchant of record and handles tax + chargebacks; you receive net of the store fee on the store's settlement cycle.

Rate: Apple: 30% Y1 · 15% post-Y1 · 15% SMB <$1M
Google: 15%
MoR: Apple / Google (you're a developer, not the merchant)
Where: In-app only — outside-the-app billing requires Apple 3.1.3(b)
Migration: None — once a sub is on store rails, it stays unless migrated

Right for — Pre-launch apps · sub-$1M ARR (Apple SMB rate is competitive) · apps that lean heavily on organic store install + featuring

02Stripe direct

Raw Stripe Billing / Connect

Stripe Billing · Stripe PaymentIntents

Standard processing rails with no opinionated subscription engine. You build (or buy) the billing logic, customer portal, dunning, RevRec, and migration tooling yourself. You become the merchant of record — Stripe is just the rail.

Rate: 2.9% + $0.30 (US); regional rates vary
MoR: You — tax, chargebacks, refunds all on your books
Where: Web (your own surfaces; you ship the checkout + portal)
Migration: DIY — Stripe gives you the rail, not the program

Right for — Pure web SaaS with the engineering capacity to build a subscription engine on top · teams who want raw rail and accept the build cost

03MoR platforms

Paddle / LemonSqueezy / FastSpring

Paddle · LemonSqueezy · FastSpring

Third-party merchant of record. Platform handles tax compliance, chargebacks, dunning, and a hosted checkout in exchange for a higher take rate. Optimised for web-only SaaS (and digital downloads) — not designed for mobile-app subscription migration.

Rate: ~5% + $0.50 per transaction (varies)
MoR: Platform — they're the merchant; you receive payouts
Where: Web (platform-hosted checkout + portal)
Migration: None — net-new subscribers only

Right for — Web SaaS that wants tax + compliance handled by someone else · founders willing to trade Stripe rails for MoR coverage

04In-app paywall optimisation

Superwall / Adapty / RC Paywalls

Superwall · Adapty · RevenueCat Paywalls

Tooling layer on top of store rails — server-driven paywalls you can iterate without an app release. Doesn't change the billing model or the MoR (Apple / Google still take their cut); optimises conversion inside the existing IAP flow.

Rate: Add-on SaaS fee (typically usage-tiered) on top of full store fees
MoR: Apple / Google (unchanged)
Where: In-app paywall surface
Migration: None — store rails stay, paywall just iterates

Right for — Apps committed to store billing wanting faster paywall iteration · pre-migration apps building paywall conversion muscle

05In-app web paywalls

External purchase link / EU alt billing

Apple 3.1.3(b) external link · EU DMA alternative billing

An in-app paywall that links out to a web checkout instead of charging through IAP. Apple's external-link entitlement covers US; the EU's Digital Markets Act alternative-billing regime covers EEA. You take the web processing rate on the charge — but in the EU, Apple's Core Technology Fee + Core Technology Commission still apply.

Rate: US: web processing only (~2.9% + $0.30)
EU: ~17% (5% + CTC + CTF)
MoR: You — Stripe (or other web processor) on the charge
Where: In-app paywall with external link → web checkout
Migration: Forward-only — new subs only, no path for existing IAP base

Right for — US apps wanting to bypass Apple's 30% on new IAP subs without leaving the in-app flow · EU apps trading the alternative-billing fee stack for processor flexibility

06Web-to-app conversion

RC Web Billing / FunnelFox

RevenueCat Web Billing · FunnelFox

Web acquisition funnel that captures the subscription on web, then hands the subscriber off to the app via store IAP for ongoing billing. Recovers store fees on the first-charge step; subsequent renewals still settle through the store at the standard rate.

Rate: Web processing (~3%) on the first charge; store fees thereafter
MoR: Mixed — Stripe for the web step, Apple / Google for IAP
Where: Web acquisition → store fulfilment
Migration: Forward-only — new subs only, existing IAP base stays put

Right for — Apps with strong paid-acquisition where the first-charge cash matters · forward-looking new-sub strategy without touching the existing book

07Recurr

Web rail substrate + migration

Recurr platform + Stripe Connect

Subscription platform purpose-built for mobile-app migration: moves your existing IAP subscriber base to direct web billing wave by wave, then runs both new + migrated subs on web rails you own. Customer is the merchant of record via Stripe Connect — your subscribers settle on your Stripe account, not ours.

Rate: 3.5% platform fee + Stripe processing (~2.9% + $0.30 US)
MoR: You — via Stripe Connect Standard. Recurr is invisible to subscribers
Where: Web (branded checkout + portal on your domain)
Migration: Yes — wave-by-wave program with matched holdouts + gated thresholds

Right for — Mobile subscription apps with $1M+ IAP book ready to recover store-fee margin and collapse 30-day settlement to T+2 Stripe payouts

Side-by-side

Scan one row across all seven

The cards above are the narrative. This is the scan view — rate, MoR, surface, migration support across all seven categories on one screen.

	01App-store IAPApple, Google Play	02Stripe directStripe Billing	03MoR platformsPaddle, LemonSqueezy	04In-app paywallsSuperwall, Adapty	05In-app web paywallsExternal purchase link, EU alt billing	06Web-to-appRC Web Billing, FunnelFox	07RecurrMigration + web rails
Rate	30% Y1 / 15% post-Y115% Apple SMB <$1M	~2.9% + $0.30regional	~5% + $0.50per transaction	SaaS fee plus full store fees	US: web processing onlyEU: ~17% (5% + CTC + CTF)	Web processing only~2.9% + $0.30 + RC/FF fee	3.5% + Stripe (~2.9% + $0.30)
MoR	Apple / Google	You	Platform	Apple / Google	You	You · via Stripe	You · via Stripe Connect
Tax	Store handles	You handle · Stripe Tax optional	Platform handles	Store handles	You handle	You handle · Stripe Tax optional	You file · Stripe Tax included
Where	In-app only	Web (your build)	Web (their checkout)	In-app paywall	In-app link → web checkout	Web sign-up · ongoing on web	Web · your branded domain
Regional	Global (subject to store rules)	Stripe-supported regions	Platform-supported regions	Global (rides on IAP)	US + EU only	Stripe-supported regions	Stripe-supported regions
Included	Store paywall + receipt	Rails only · you build the engine	Checkout + tax + dunning	Paywall UI + experiments	External-link mechanism only	Web checkout + entitlement sync	Full platform · engine, surfaces, lifecycle, ops, migration
Migration	None	DIY	None	None	New subs only	New subs only	Yes · wave-by-wave program

Scrolls horizontally on mobile.

The Recurr difference

Three things only Recurr does

The other five categories each get part of the job. Recurr is the only one purpose-built for the migration synthesis — existing IAP book onto rails you own.

Structural · not feature

What makes Recurr the only fit for IAP migration

Migrates the existing IAP base

Wave-by-wave program moves your existing app-store subscribers onto direct billing — with matched holdouts, gated thresholds, and churn auto-pause.

Web-to-app conversion is forward-only (new subs only). Stripe direct gives you the rail; you build the migration program yourself.

You stay the merchant of record

Subscriptions settle into your own Stripe Connect account. Recurr operates the rails inside it — non-custodial, never holds funds.

MoR platforms (Paddle, LemonSqueezy) make THEM the merchant. App-store IAP makes Apple / Google the merchant.

Web rails for new + migrated subs

Same engine, same checkout, same portal for both migrated existing subs and net-new web-acquired subs.

Web-to-app ships new subs back to store rails. In-app paywalls never leave store rails at all.

Fit

Is Recurr the right answer for you?

Recurr is built narrow: mobile subscription apps with an existing IAP book, ready to move it to web rails. If that's not you, the right option is usually obvious.

Fit

Recurr is right for you if

You're a mobile subscription app with $1M+ ARR running on Apple IAP and / or Google Play Billing
Your subscribers are recurring (monthly / annual), not one-time purchase
You're prepared for a paid migration project — $10K pilot, then a scoped Migration Program
You operate in a Stripe-eligible jurisdiction (US, EU, UK, AU, CA, JP, and most OECD)
Paid acquisition matters to your growth — you're not reliant on Apple's commercial-relationship leverage (App of the Day, search rank)

Not a fit

Consider alternatives if

You're sub-$1M ARR on Apple
TryStay on the Apple SMB program — 15% is competitive, migration ROI is weak at that scale
You're a pure web SaaS — no app, no IAP problem
TryStripe direct (raw rails, build your own engine) or Paddle / LemonSqueezy (MoR-handled)
You sell one-time purchases, not subscriptions
TryMoR platforms (Paddle / LemonSqueezy / FastSpring) handle one-time digital downloads cleanly
You need merchant-of-record coverage for tax / compliance
TryPaddle or LemonSqueezy — they're the MoR; Recurr leaves you as MoR via Stripe Connect
You're pre-launch or pre-PMF — no IAP base to migrate yet
TryStart on Apple IAP / Google Play. Migrate after the book matures and the SMB rate window ends
Your acquisition leans heavily on Apple featuring / organic install
TryPre-migration paywall optimisation (Superwall / Adapty) — preserves the commercial relationship

See what you'd recover

If Recurr is a fit, the audit shows the dollar impact on your specific ARR and fee mix — year-one recovery, ongoing recovery, and the cash-flow release at switchover.

Run the audit See pricing