Stripe vs RevenueCat
Stripe is a payment processing API that charges cards and moves money directly. RevenueCat doesn't process payments itself: it's a subscription management layer that unifies entitlements and analytics across the App Store, Google Play and, through a Paddle partnership, the web. Most apps that use RevenueCat for mobile subscriptions still need a separate processor like Stripe for anything RevenueCat's own tools don't cover, such as a standalone web checkout.
Facts checked on against the official sources listed at the end. Usage numbers update daily.
Best for
Web and API-based businesses that need to process payments and payouts directly
No free plan. Paid from 2.9% + 30 cents per successful US card transaction.
Best for
Mobile apps that need one backend for App Store, Play and web subscriptions
Free plan. Paid from 1% of monthly tracked revenue beyond the free $2,500 threshold.
Stripe vs RevenueCat at a glance
| Compared on | Stripe | RevenueCat |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Processes card and bank payments directly | Manages subscription entitlements and analytics; doesn't process App Store or Play payments itself |
| Who actually charges the customer | Stripe itself, as the payment processor | Apple or Google for in-app purchases; Paddle for RevenueCat's own web payments option |
| Primary platforms | Web, custom mobile integrations, in-person | iOS, Android, Flutter and React Native apps specifically |
| Pricing basis | A percentage plus a fixed fee per transaction it processes | A percentage of monthly tracked revenue (MTR) across every platform it monitors |
| Paywall tools | Checkout and Elements build payment forms, not app store paywalls | Built-in paywall building and A/B testing, shipped without an app store review |
| Marketplace payouts | Stripe Connect splits payouts to multiple sellers | Not a marketplace tool; built for single-app subscription management |
| Open source | No, Proprietary | No, Proprietary |
| Free plan | No: pay per successful transaction, no monthly fee on the standard plan | Yes: free up to $2,500 in monthly tracked revenue |
| Paid plans from | 2.9% + 30 cents per successful US card transaction | 1% of monthly tracked revenue beyond the free $2,500 threshold |
| Made by | Stripe, Inc. | RevenueCat |
| Launched | 2010 | Not listed |
What's the difference between Stripe and RevenueCat?
Stripe is the payment processor, RevenueCat isn't
RevenueCat doesn't touch App Store or Google Play money directly. Apple and Google process those charges and take their own cut; RevenueCat reads the resulting subscription data through each store's APIs and gives you one dashboard and SDK for it instead of building that logic per platform.
RevenueCat's own web payments run through Paddle, not Stripe
If you want RevenueCat's unified subscription tooling to also cover web purchases, that flow bills through Paddle as merchant of record, a partnership RevenueCat announced in 2025, rather than through Stripe or its own payment processor.
The two are priced on different things entirely
Stripe bills a percentage plus a fixed fee on each transaction it processes, 2.9% + 30 cents for standard US cards. RevenueCat charges 1% of total monthly tracked revenue across every platform once it passes $2,500, regardless of whether RevenueCat, Apple, Google or Paddle actually processed that specific charge.
RevenueCat ships mobile subscription tooling Stripe doesn't have
RevenueCat includes paywall building and A/B testing that ships without a new app version, plus entitlement management synced across stores. Stripe's Checkout and Elements build web payment forms and don't manage app store paywalls or entitlements at all.
Stripe is general purpose, RevenueCat is subscription-app specific
Stripe works for essentially any business collecting money online or in person, one-time or recurring. RevenueCat is purpose-built for apps that sell subscriptions specifically, and doesn't cover one-time purchases or non-subscription products.
Stripe vs RevenueCat pricing
Stripe charges a percentage plus a fixed fee on each transaction it processes. RevenueCat charges a percentage of total monthly tracked revenue across every subscription platform it monitors, whether or not RevenueCat processed that specific charge.
Stripe
Standard US card payments cost 2.9% + 30 cents per successful transaction, with no monthly fee on the standard plan.
- Standard
- 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction
- Custom
- Contact sales
RevenueCat
Free up to $2,500 in monthly tracked revenue, then 1% of MTR on the Pro plan. A separate Growth Tools option adds 1% of MTR on conversions from paywalls and web-to-app funnels.
- Pro
- Free up to $2,500 MTR, then 1% of MTR
- Growth Tools
- 1% of MTR on conversions
- Enterprise
- Custom pricing
| Stripe | About $590 a month if collected through 1,000 Stripe web checkouts averaging $10 each (2.9% of $10,000 plus 30 cents times 1,000) |
|---|---|
| RevenueCat | $75 a month in RevenueCat's own fee (1% of the $7,500 above the free threshold), on top of whatever Apple, Google or Paddle separately charges to actually process that revenue |
Prices in USD from the official pricing pages on 28 September 2026. They change often, so confirm on stripe.com and revenuecat.com before you commit.
Usage and activity
Weekly npm downloads: 27M for stripe and 1.1M for @revenuecat/purchases-js.
| Measure | Stripe | RevenueCat |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 4,523 | No public repository |
| npm downloads a week | 27M (stripe) | 1.1M (@revenuecat/purchases-js) |
| Latest release | v23.0.0, 6 days ago | None on GitHub |
| Releases in 90 days | 3 | 0 |
From the public GitHub and npm APIs, updated daily. Stars and downloads show developer interest, not product quality.
Do you need Stripe, RevenueCat or both?
Use Stripe when
- You need to accept payments directly on the web or in person
- You're building marketplace payouts to multiple sellers with Stripe Connect
- You want full control over your own billing and checkout logic
- Your product isn't primarily a mobile subscription app
Use RevenueCat when
- You're building a mobile app with in-app subscriptions on iOS or Android
- You want one backend for entitlements instead of separate App Store and Play Store logic
- You want to test paywalls and pricing without shipping a new app build for every change
- You want subscription analytics like churn and trials without building that reporting yourself
Using Stripe and RevenueCat together
Apps that sell subscriptions across mobile and web often use both. RevenueCat manages entitlements and subscription state for App Store and Google Play purchases, which Apple and Google process directly, and can add its Paddle-powered option for web payments. A team that specifically wants Stripe for the web side, rather than RevenueCat's Paddle integration, typically runs Stripe as a separate, custom checkout outside RevenueCat and reconciles the two subscription records itself.
Stripe vs RevenueCat: common questions
Is RevenueCat built on Stripe?
No. RevenueCat doesn't process payments itself; Apple and Google process App Store and Play Store purchases, and RevenueCat's own web payments option runs through a partnership with Paddle, not Stripe.
Is Stripe a subscription management tool?
Not on its own. Stripe Billing can create and charge subscriptions, but you'd build entitlement tracking, paywall testing and cross-store analytics yourself, which is what RevenueCat provides out of the box for mobile apps.
Can I use Stripe and RevenueCat together?
Yes, though RevenueCat's own web payment option uses Paddle rather than Stripe, so teams that specifically want Stripe usually run it separately from RevenueCat for the web side.
Is RevenueCat free?
Yes, up to $2,500 in monthly tracked revenue, then 1% of MTR. Stripe has no free tier; every successful transaction is charged 2.9% + 30 cents.
Does Stripe take a cut of App Store purchases?
No. Apple and Google process and take their own cut of in-app purchases; Stripe isn't involved unless a developer builds a separate web payment flow outside the app stores.
Other options to consider
All payments tools
Stripe Billing
Stripe's subscription and recurring billing product, with usage-based billing via Metronome.
Polar
Merchant-of-record billing platform for developers, built for usage-based and AI-era pricing.
Lago
Open source billing and usage-based pricing platform, deployable self-hosted or as a managed cloud service.
Square
Payment processing and point-of-sale platform for in-person and online businesses.
Sources
More sources for each tool are on the Stripe and RevenueCat pages.
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