Marketing
April 18, 2025
Chris Fitkin
Founding Partner
The subscription economy has fundamentally transformed how mobile apps monetize. Gone are the days when a one-time purchase could sustain an app’s development. Today’s users expect constant updates, new features, and ongoing support—all of which require predictable, recurring revenue streams.
I’ve spent the last decade helping startups and established companies implement subscription systems in their mobile apps. One question keeps popping up: “Is RevenueCat the right choice for us, or should we consider alternatives?”
Let’s cut through the marketing noise and examine what really matters. Having implemented subscription systems across dozens of iOS and Android applications, I can tell you there’s no one-size-fits-all answer—but there is a right answer for your specific situation.
RevenueCat emerged around 2018 as a solution to a genuine headache in mobile development: managing cross-platform subscriptions. Before specialized platforms like RevenueCat, developers faced a brutal choice—either build complex subscription infrastructure themselves or accept the limitations of platform-specific solutions.
At its core, RevenueCat sits between your app and the app stores (Apple App Store, Google Play Store), abstracting away the complexities of:
The platform’s real value proposition isn’t just handling these technical challenges—it’s letting developers focus on building features users actually care about instead of wrestling with payment APIs and receipt validation logic.
But the subscription management landscape has evolved significantly. RevenueCat now faces legitimate competition from both specialized mobile subscription platforms and expanded offerings from established billing solutions.
After reviewing extensive comparison data and implementing several of these solutions for our clients, I’ve narrowed down the top five alternatives that deserve your consideration:
Adapty has rapidly gained traction as a purpose-built alternative specifically designed for mobile app subscription management. Its mobile-first approach is immediately apparent in both its feature set and implementation experience.
Paywall A/B Testing: While RevenueCat offers some testing capabilities, Adapty’s multivariate paywall testing is considerably more sophisticated. You can simultaneously test pricing structures, visual elements, and messaging with granular control over test groups.
No-Code Paywall Builder: This feature is a game-changer for product teams. Your marketing department can tweak subscription pages without developer intervention, cutting iteration cycles from weeks to hours.
SDK Quality: The native SDKs for SwiftUI and Kotlin are exceptionally well-engineered, with thoughtful error handling and minimal boilerplate.
Analytics Integration: Adapty connects seamlessly with tools like Firebase Analytics, Amplitude, and Mixpanel, passing subscription events automatically instead of requiring custom implementation.
Customer Support: Having dealt with both platforms’ support teams, I’ve found Adapty consistently more responsive and willing to help with implementation-specific issues rather than just pointing to documentation.
Adapty isn’t perfect. Its enterprise-level features aren’t as mature as some competitors, and if you’re running a business with blended subscription models across web and mobile, you might find its mobile-centric approach limiting.
Chargebee consistently ranks as the most robust alternative to RevenueCat, particularly for businesses with sophisticated billing requirements or those planning to scale significantly.
Billing Model Flexibility: Chargebee handles virtually any billing scenario you can envision—from simple monthly subscriptions to complex usage-based models with tiered pricing.
Revenue Recovery: The platform’s dunning management and retry logic are substantially more sophisticated than RevenueCat’s, potentially recovering 3-7% of otherwise lost subscription revenue.
Enterprise Readiness: For companies needing SOC 2 compliance, robust role-based access controls, and comprehensive audit logs, Chargebee delivers where RevenueCat still has gaps.
Global Tax Handling: If you’re selling internationally, Chargebee’s built-in tax calculation and compliance features can save you from significant regulatory headaches.
The primary drawbacks are immediately apparent: Chargebee costs more and takes longer to implement than RevenueCat. For early-stage apps or those with straightforward subscription models, it’s likely overkill. Additionally, its mobile SDKs feel like afterthoughts rather than core product features.
Qonversion occupies an interesting middle ground—it’s more mobile-focused than Chargebee but offers greater flexibility than RevenueCat in some areas.
Developer Experience: The SDKs feel polished and well-documented, with fewer “gotchas” than some competitors. Integration with TestFlight and testing environments is particularly well-handled.
User Experience Focus: Qonversion’s paywall tools are designed with conversion optimization in mind, offering more sophisticated options for personalization based on user attributes.
Attribution Integration: The platform works exceptionally well with AppsFlyer and other attribution platforms, providing cleaner data on which marketing channels drive subscription conversions.
Support Quality: Their technical support team includes developers who understand the implementation challenges, not just account managers following scripts.
Qonversion doesn’t match Chargebee’s enterprise capabilities, and some of its analytics features lack the depth found in RevenueCat. For complex subscription businesses, you might outgrow some aspects of the platform as you scale.
Stripe Billing takes a different approach by extending Stripe’s payment infrastructure into subscription management. For companies already invested in the Stripe ecosystem, this integration can simplify your tech stack.
Ecosystem Integration: If you’re already using Stripe for payment processing, adding Billing requires minimal additional configuration and provides a unified dashboard for all revenue.
Invoicing Capabilities: For businesses needing professional invoicing features, Stripe Billing offers substantially more robust options than mobile-focused platforms.
Usage-Based Billing: Stripe excels at metered billing scenarios where users are charged based on consumption rather than fixed periods.
Payment Method Coverage: Stripe’s extensive global payment method support can boost conversion rates in international markets where credit card penetration is lower.
Stripe Billing wasn’t built for mobile apps first, and it shows. The mobile SDKs feel bolted-on rather than foundational, requiring more custom development to match the user experience quality of mobile-native solutions. According to comparison data, implementation timelines typically run 30-50% longer than RevenueCat projects.
Recurly has been in the subscription management space longer than most competitors, and that legacy brings both advantages and limitations.
Revenue Recovery: Recurly’s dunning management and churn prevention tools are arguably the best in class, with sophisticated retry logic and communication workflows.
Gateway Flexibility: Unlike some alternatives, Recurly supports multiple payment gateways simultaneously, providing redundancy and optimization options.
Fraud Prevention: The platform includes advanced tools for identifying and preventing subscription fraud, a growing concern for high-value digital subscriptions.
Mobile integration feels like an afterthought rather than a core use case. The SDKs require substantially more custom development to implement effectively, and the platform lacks the mobile-specific features found in RevenueCat or Adapty. Its pricing is also typically higher than mobile-focused alternatives, with a slower ROI timeline.
Selecting the right subscription platform involves more than comparing feature matrices. From my experience implementing these solutions, several practical considerations often prove more important than specific features:
Subscription data becomes exponentially more valuable when combined with other user analytics. The right platform should feed cleanly into your existing analytics stack.
Your subscription platform needs to work harmoniously with your authentication system. Whether you’re using Firebase Auth, Magic Links, or a custom solution, the subscription platform’s user identification approach must align with your authentication architecture.
Client-side validation is never enough for subscription apps. Your backend services need reliable ways to verify subscription status, especially for apps where content access depends on valid subscriptions.
During implementation, we typically build server-side webhook handlers that update user entitlements in real-time as subscription events occur. The quality of each platform’s webhook system and server-side APIs varies dramatically.
Your monetization strategy will likely evolve. The platform you choose should accommodate your current model and potential future directions without requiring a complete replacement.
At MetaCTO, we’ve developed a methodical approach to selecting and implementing subscription platforms based on years of hands-on experience.
We begin by evaluating how each platform aligns with your existing tech stack. This includes:
For instance, when working with apps using machine learning features through Azure ML, we pay particular attention to how subscription state affects model access and entitlements.
Beyond features, we model the financial implications of each platform:
This analysis often reveals that the “cheaper” solution based on listed pricing may actually cost more when all factors are considered.
For the platforms that make your shortlist, we create detailed implementation roadmaps that include:
This process has consistently helped our clients avoid costly mid-project platform changes while ensuring the selected solution scales with their business.
After implementing subscription management across dozens of mobile applications, I’ve found there’s rarely a universally “best” platform—but there is usually a clear best choice for your specific situation.
For early-stage apps with straightforward subscription models, RevenueCat remains a solid option. Its combination of ease of implementation and basic feature coverage meets many developers’ needs without overcomplicating things.
However, as your requirements grow more sophisticated, alternatives become increasingly compelling:
Adapty offers the most compelling alternative for mobile-first businesses seeking better paywall optimization and customer support.
Chargebee makes sense for companies with complex business models spanning mobile and web with enterprise requirements.
Qonversion provides a balanced alternative with better developer experience and support than RevenueCat in many cases.
Stripe Billing works best for businesses already invested in the Stripe ecosystem seeking unified payment and subscription management.
Recurly remains relevant primarily for established businesses with significant concerns about revenue leakage through failed payments.
The subscription management platform you choose today will shape your app’s monetization potential for years. It’s worth investing the time to make an informed decision based on your specific requirements rather than following general recommendations.
At MetaCTO, we regularly help clients navigate these decisions as part of our mobile app development services. Our experience implementing these platforms across diverse business models provides practical insights beyond feature comparisons.
If you’re evaluating subscription management platforms for your mobile app, I’d be happy to discuss your specific requirements and provide tailored recommendations. Your subscription infrastructure is too important to leave to chance—or to marketing materials.
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