The main RevenueCat alternatives for iOS are Adapty, Qonversion, and Apphud, which are full subscription backends like RevenueCat itself; Superwall, which is a paywall layer rather than a replacement; and StoreKit 2 directly, which is no third party at all. Which one fits comes down to a few questions: do you want a cheaper backend, stronger paywall A/B testing, built-in ad attribution, or simply no dependency to manage. There is no single best answer, only the best fit for where your app is.
This guide covers each real alternative, what it is actually good at, its pricing model, and who it suits, then gives a straight decision guide. One disclosure: Spaceport generates projects wired to RevenueCat, so I have a preference. I have tried to be accurate about where each alternative genuinely beats it, because several do. Pricing is as of writing; this category changes its plans often, so verify before committing.
On this page
- First, do you even need one?
- Adapty
- Qonversion
- Apphud
- Superwall (a complement, not a replacement)
- StoreKit 2, directly
- How to choose
- FAQ
First, do you even need one?
RevenueCat and its alternatives all exist to solve the same problem: verifying purchases and tracking who is subscribed is fiddly, and doing it across platforms is worse. A subscription backend handles receipt validation, entitlements, restores, refunds, and cross-platform state so you do not have to.
But it is worth saying plainly that you can skip all of them. StoreKit 2 can validate transactions and check entitlements on device with no third party (covered below). The question is not "which backend," it is "do I want to own this problem or rent a solution to it." Most indie teams rent, because the edge cases eat more time than the SDK costs. If you are cost-sensitive or dependency-averse, keep the direct option in mind as you read the rest.
Adapty
Adapty is the closest thing to a drop-in RevenueCat alternative, and the one to look at first if you are switching. It offers a RevenueCat-compatible API, so migration is less painful than it could be, and it has leaned hard into paywall experimentation.
- Where it wins: a more generous free tier (it removed its old paid minimum in early 2026 and now offers the highest free allowance of the mainstream backends), a mature visual paywall builder, and unlimited A/B testing with real-time analytics. If paywall iteration is your growth motion, this is the strongest backend for it.
- Pricing: percentage of tracked revenue with a free tier, then a low percentage on paid plans.
- Who it suits: early indie apps on cost grounds, and any team whose core lever is testing the paywall.
For a full head-to-head, see RevenueCat vs Adapty.
Qonversion
Qonversion competes on two things: price and attribution. It is often the cheapest option for a growing app, and it builds marketing attribution into the subscription layer rather than leaving it to a separate tool.
- Where it wins: a large free tier (free up to a high monthly-tracked-revenue threshold) and a very low percentage on its entry paid plan, plus built-in attribution that connects subscription revenue back to the ad campaigns that drove it.
- Pricing: free up to a generous threshold, then a low percentage; among the most cost-effective backends at time of writing.
- Who it suits: apps that run paid acquisition and want subscription-to-campaign attribution in one place, and cost-sensitive teams scaling past a free tier.
Apphud
Apphud is a full subscription backend with a rules engine for automating things like promotions and win-back offers based on subscriber behavior.
- Where it wins: the rules engine (behavior-triggered offers) on paid tiers, server-to-server webhooks on higher plans, and a straightforward feature set for managing subscriptions and A/B tests.
- Pricing: a small free tier, then monthly plans that scale with your tracked revenue.
- Who it suits: teams that want automated, behavior-based subscriber messaging without wiring it together themselves.
Superwall (a complement, not a replacement)
Superwall shows up on every RevenueCat-alternatives list, but it is not actually a replacement, and treating it as one leads to the wrong setup. Superwall is a paywall presentation and experimentation layer. It does not manage subscription state as its primary job; it commonly hands that to RevenueCat or to StoreKit directly.
- Where it wins: the best no-code paywall builder and the strongest remote paywall experimentation. If your bottleneck is conversion and you want to iterate on the paywall without shipping app updates, this is the tool.
- Pricing: charges on revenue generated through its paywalls, so it is cheap to add on top of an existing business.
- Who it suits: teams that already have a subscription backend and want serious paywall testing on top of it.
The honest framing is Superwall plus a backend, not Superwall instead of one. See RevenueCat vs Superwall for why.
StoreKit 2, directly
The alternative that is easy to forget is no third party at all. StoreKit 2 made handling subscriptions in your own code meaningfully easier than the receipt-parsing era it replaced.
- Where it wins: zero dependency, zero percentage fee to a middleman, and full control. Your subscription logic lives entirely in your codebase.
- The cost: you own the edge cases. Cross-platform entitlements (if you have web or Android), restores, refunds and revocation, and the analytics you would otherwise get for free are all now yours to build and maintain. For a single-platform iOS app with simple products, this is very doable; for a cross-platform subscription business, it is a lot of work to reinvent.
- Who it suits: iOS-only apps with straightforward subscriptions, and teams that specifically do not want a third-party dependency in their revenue path.
For the direct comparison, see StoreKit 2 vs RevenueCat.
How to choose
- You want a cheaper full backend than RevenueCat. Look at Qonversion (price and attribution) or Adapty (free tier and paywall testing) first.
- Paywall A/B testing is your growth motion. Adapty as the backend, or Superwall on top of whatever backend you keep.
- You run paid acquisition. Qonversion, for built-in attribution.
- You want behavior-triggered offers handled for you. Apphud, for the rules engine.
- You are iOS-only with simple products and dislike dependencies. StoreKit 2 directly.
- You span iOS, Android, and web. This is where RevenueCat is genuinely hardest to beat, for its platform breadth and integration ecosystem; the alternatives narrow it, but weigh cross-platform carefully.
Whichever you pick, remember it sits on top of App Store Connect, and none of these create your products or set your prices per market for you. That layer has to be right first. See creating App Store subscriptions with the App Store Connect API and pricing across 25 countries.
FAQ
What is the best RevenueCat alternative?
There is no single best; it depends on your priority. Adapty is the closest full replacement and best for paywall testing, Qonversion is cheapest and strongest on attribution, Apphud offers a rules engine, Superwall is a paywall complement rather than a replacement, and StoreKit 2 lets you skip a third party entirely.
Is Adapty better than RevenueCat?
In specific areas, yes: a more generous free tier and stronger paywall A/B testing. RevenueCat's advantages are broader platform coverage (including web via Stripe) and a deeper integration ecosystem. Adapty also offers a RevenueCat-compatible API, which makes switching easier.
What is the cheapest RevenueCat alternative?
Qonversion is usually the most cost-effective at time of writing, with a large free tier and a low percentage on its entry paid plan, plus built-in attribution. Going with StoreKit 2 directly has no per-revenue fee at all, at the cost of building the backend features yourself.
Is Superwall a RevenueCat alternative?
Not really. Superwall is a paywall presentation and experimentation layer, not a subscription backend, and it typically hands subscription management to RevenueCat or StoreKit. Use it alongside a backend for paywall testing, not instead of one.
Can I replace RevenueCat with StoreKit 2?
Yes, for a single-platform iOS app with simple subscriptions. StoreKit 2 handles purchases and entitlement checks on device with no third party. The trade is that restores, refunds, cross-platform state, and analytics become your responsibility, which is why many teams keep a backend.
How hard is it to migrate off RevenueCat?
It varies by target. Adapty advertises a RevenueCat-compatible API to ease migration, but any switch means moving the source of truth for entitlements, so plan it deliberately rather than treating it as a quick swap. Pick with your one-year picture in mind to avoid migrating twice.
Spaceport generates a production-ready SwiftUI Xcode project with RevenueCat subscriptions already wired up, entitlements, paywall, and restore flow working on the first build, plus your products and prices created in App Store Connect across 25 markets. We ship RevenueCat for its cross-platform and integration story, but the App Store Connect groundwork underneath is the same whichever backend you land on. And before any of it matters, you need users: Lighthouse is the sibling toolkit for the waitlist and newsletter that get you your first hundred. From an indie iOS dev, for indie iOS devs.