Been exploring ways to tackle the 30% fees from Apple and Google.
I’ve noticed some apps send users to the web for subscriptions, but I’m curious about other valid methods that stay within the rules and don’t risk store removal.
Freemium with ads worked for us. Revenue comes from advertisers instead of users paying through the store.
Reader apps get special treatment if you sell digital content like books or magazines. You can link to external payment methods for those.
Physical goods and services are also exempt from the commission rules. So if your app connects to real world stuff, you have more flexibility with payments.
Web subscriptions work but require careful implementation. You can’t mention pricing in the app or link directly to payment pages. Another route is offering different pricing tiers. Keep basic features in-app with store billing, but push premium users to your website for annual plans or enterprise features. Some apps also focus on freemium models where the core value is free and monetization happens through services outside the app ecosystem entirely. The key is making the web flow feel natural, not like you’re dodging fees.
I’ve tested the web redirect approach on two different apps. Works but conversion drops about 25-30% compared to native checkout.
The trick is timing when you send them out. We had better luck pushing web subscriptions after users hit a paywall 2-3 times rather than on first interaction.
Also tried the physical goods angle on a marketplace app. Way cleaner experience since you can handle payments normally. But you need actual physical fulfillment which adds complexity.
One thing that helped retention - we’d still offer the in-app option alongside web pricing. Some users prefer the convenience even with higher cost.
Enterprise sales bypass everything. B2B customers pay invoices directly.