---
title: "RevenueCat vs Superwall (2026): Fees, Paywalls, Verdict"
canonical: "https://asoitis.com/compare/revenuecat-vs-superwall"
description: "RevenueCat vs Superwall for indie iOS apps: the fee each charges at real revenue levels, native vs web-rendered paywalls, experiments, and how to run both together."
kind: "reference-library/compare"
published: "2026-09-30"
lastUpdated: "2026-09-30"
verifiedAgainst: "RevenueCat's and Superwall's pricing pages and docs, on Sep 30, 2026"
author: "Ahmed Gagan (https://asoitis.com/about)"
---

# RevenueCat vs Superwall: which one an indie iOS app should start with in 2026

> Start with RevenueCat if you want one tool for purchases, entitlements, analytics and native paywalls, and you're earning under $2,500 a month. Start with Superwall if weekly paywall experiments are how you plan to grow: its infrastructure is free and it bills 1% only on revenue through its paywalls, from $10k a month. Plenty of apps run Superwall on top of RevenueCat.

Both now sell subscription infrastructure and paywalls. They still come from opposite ends — and they bill on different money.

## Key facts

- **RevenueCat bills on:** All tracked revenue — 1% once past $2,500/month
- **Superwall bills on:** Paywall revenue — 1% on Indie once past $10k/month
- **Paywall rendering:** Native vs web — RevenueCat components · Superwall web runtime
- **Use together?:** Yes, documented — Superwall on top of RevenueCat

## The difference that matters

RevenueCat started as a subscription backend and grew paywalls on top. Superwall started as a paywall and experimentation engine and, since its next-generation SDKs in February 2025, added entitlements and purchasing underneath. By 2026 the feature lists overlap heavily. What still separates them is where each is strongest, and what each one counts when it sends you a bill.

**Side by side**

|  | RevenueCat | Superwall |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Core strength | Purchase backend, entitlements, subscription analytics | Paywall iteration: campaigns, placements, audiences |
| Fee base | MTR: all tracked purchases and renewals, before store commission | MAR: revenue that flows through a Superwall-rendered paywall |
| Free until | $2,500 MTR a month | $10k MAR a month (Indie plan) |
| Paywall rendering | Native, component-based (Paywalls v2) | Web-standards runtime, cached on device |
| Self-service subscription screen | Customer Center | No equivalent found in Superwall's docs |
| Raw data access | Charts, webhooks, integrations | Charts, webhooks, SQL over ClickHouse |

## What each costs at real revenue levels

The table assumes every dollar of revenue passes through a Superwall paywall — the most expensive case for Superwall. Superwall's Indie plan is free up to $10k of attributed revenue a month, then "1% of total MAR", so the fee jumps from $0 to about $100 at the threshold rather than growing gradually.

**Monthly fee by revenue (paywall-attributed revenue = total revenue)**

| Monthly revenue | RevenueCat Pro | Superwall Indie | Superwall Startup ($49 + 1%) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| $2,000 | $0 | $0 | $69 |
| $5,000 | $50 | $0 | $99 |
| $9,000 | $90 | $0 | $139 |
| $12,000 | $120 | $120 | $169 |
| $30,000 | $300 | $300 | $349 |

_Computed from each vendor's published pricing on Sep 30, 2026. Superwall's page is inconsistent — plan cards say "Up to $10k MAR" while a later section says there's no tracked-revenue threshold — so confirm your plan's terms with Superwall before relying on the $10k figure._

Read the table this way: between $2,500 and $10,000 a month, Superwall Indie is cheaper by up to about $100 a month. Above $10,000 the two converge at 1%. The real difference is the base. Revenue that never touches a Superwall paywall — subscribers from before you integrated, or a web checkout you run separately — isn't billed by Superwall, while RevenueCat counts everything it tracks.

## Paywalls: native components vs a web runtime

This is the decision that shows up in your users' hands. RevenueCat's Paywalls v2 renders with native components, so it inherits Dynamic Type, accessibility and platform feel. Superwall renders paywalls in a web-standards runtime cached on the device, and says paywalls built today still render on years-old SDK versions — which means you rarely need an app update to try a new design.

**Native (RevenueCat)**
- Looks and behaves like the rest of a SwiftUI app
- Templates plus an AI editor (June 2026) and Paywall Rules
- Fewer layout possibilities than arbitrary web content

**Web runtime (Superwall)**
- Almost any design, a large template library, quick iteration
- Campaigns and placements trigger different paywalls at different moments
- Test cold-start rendering and accessibility on your oldest supported devices

## Experiments and targeting

Both run A/B tests. The difference is the unit of work. In Superwall, a placement is any moment in your app (onboarding end, feature tap, third session) and a campaign decides which paywall — if any — shows there, for which audience. That model makes "test a paywall after the second workout" a dashboard change. RevenueCat's Experiments compare offerings and paywalls across audiences, with Paywall Rules adding conditions, which covers most indie testing without the placement vocabulary.

> **Run fewer, bigger tests.** At indie traffic, a test on button colour will never reach significance. Test price, trial length, or when the paywall appears — the variables that move conversion by whole percentage points.

## Running Superwall on top of RevenueCat

This is an officially documented setup, and common among apps that adopted RevenueCat first. Superwall's docs describe two ways to wire it:

1. **Observer mode** — Superwall's recommended option. RevenueCat completes purchases; Superwall shows paywalls and records the outcome. Superwall notes that in this mode "you aren't using RevenueCat's entitlements as a source of truth" for Superwall's own gating, so decide which system your app asks.
2. **A custom purchase controller** — you keep RevenueCat handling purchases and pass them through a controller you own, for full control over the purchase code.

The cost of running both is the sum of both fees on overlapping revenue, so it pays only when Superwall's experimentation is driving real conversion gains. RevenueCat also offers an integration that sends revenue events to Superwall.

## Which to pick, by scenario

**Scenario → recommendation**

| Your situation | Pick | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| First subscription app, pre-revenue | RevenueCat | One system for purchases, entitlements and analytics, free while you find fit |
| $2.5k–$10k a month, paywall is your main lever | Superwall | Free up to $10k of paywall revenue, and faster paywall iteration |
| Want a paywall that feels fully native | RevenueCat | Component-based native rendering |
| Already on RevenueCat, want placement-based testing | Both | Add Superwall in observer mode; no purchase migration |
| Past $10k a month, one tool only | Either | Fees converge at 1%; choose on paywall model and data access |

> **The Paywall Setup ($99).** Going with RevenueCat? For $99 we install it, set up products, entitlements and offerings, build your first paywall, and sandbox-test purchase, restore and cancel. https://checkout.dodopayments.com/buy/pdt_0NmV5JJbN2YIgdIn5lyfT?quantity=1&redirect_url=https%3A%2F%2Fasoitis.com%2Fcheckout%2Fsuccess%3Fplan%3Dpaywall

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I use Superwall and RevenueCat together?

Yes. Superwall documents it as a supported setup, with observer mode as the recommended option and a custom purchase controller as the alternative.

### Is Superwall free?

Its subscription infrastructure is free on every plan. The Indie plan is $0 up to $10k of monthly revenue attributed to Superwall paywalls, then 1% of that revenue; paid plans add a monthly fee.

### Which is cheaper for a new app?

Under $2,500 a month both are free. Between $2,500 and $10,000, Superwall's Indie plan is cheaper; above $10,000 the fees are about the same.

### How hard is it to move from RevenueCat to Superwall?

Superwall publishes a migration guide from RevenueCat and suggests keeping RevenueCat in observer mode if you still want its LTV and MRR reporting, so you can move gradually.

### Do they both support StoreKit 2?

Yes. Superwall's purchase APIs use StoreKit 2, and RevenueCat's SDK wraps StoreKit so you don't call it directly.

## Sources

1. [RevenueCat pricing](https://www.revenuecat.com/pricing/) — RevenueCat
2. [Superwall pricing](https://superwall.com/pricing) — Superwall
3. [Superwall's new pricing (Oct 2025)](https://superwall.com/blog/superwalls-new-pricing-more-aligned-generous-and-transparent) — Superwall Blog
4. [Using RevenueCat with Superwall (iOS)](https://superwall.com/docs/ios/guides/using-revenuecat) — Superwall Docs
5. [Migrating from RevenueCat to Superwall](https://superwall.com/docs/dashboard/guides/migrating-from-revenuecat-to-superwall) — Superwall Docs
6. [RevenueCat → Superwall integration](https://www.revenuecat.com/docs/integrations/third-party-integrations/superwall) — RevenueCat Docs
7. [Announcing Paywalls v2](https://www.revenuecat.com/blog/growth/announcing-revenuecat-paywalls-v2) — RevenueCat Blog

## Related

- [RevenueCat review](https://asoitis.com/reviews/revenuecat) — The full cost table, setup in Swift, and the gotchas before you commit.
- [RevenueCat vs Adapty](https://asoitis.com/compare/revenuecat-vs-adapty) — The other challenger, with a $5k free tier and a no-code Flow builder.
- [Guideline 2.1: purchases that fail review](https://asoitis.com/app-review/guideline-2-1-app-completeness) — Whichever SDK you choose, this is what App Review checks in your paywall.
- [The Paywall Setup — $99](https://asoitis.com/fixes) — RevenueCat installed, one paywall built, the whole flow tested.
- [All comparisons](https://asoitis.com/compare)


## Have it done for you

**The Paywall Setup — $99 one-time.** We install RevenueCat, configure products, entitlements and offerings, build one paywall with your copy and prices, and test purchase, restore and cancel in sandbox.

- Buy: https://checkout.dodopayments.com/buy/pdt_0NmV5JJbN2YIgdIn5lyfT?quantity=1&redirect_url=https%3A%2F%2Fasoitis.com%2Fcheckout%2Fsuccess%3Fplan%3Dpaywall
- 15-minute founder call: https://cal.com/ahmedgagan/asoitis-chat

## About ASOitis

ASOitis is a founder-run App Store Optimization (ASO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) agency for indie iOS apps. iOS only; organic ASO + GEO + funnel work, implemented for you. Reference library: https://asoitis.com/app-review, https://asoitis.com/reviews, https://asoitis.com/compare, https://asoitis.com/glossary, https://asoitis.com/aso