# Superwall: Subscription Infrastructure for $1.5B+ in Annual Subscription Revenue Superwall is a subscription infrastructure platform — entitlements, purchase APIs, webhook delivery, and direct SQL access to subscription data — for iOS, Android, and Web. The subscription infrastructure layer is free at any scale. The paywall product is separately billable on attributed revenue. ## Scale and customers Across the full customer base: $1.5B+ annual subscription revenue, 10,000+ apps. Across the top-10 of apps running their entire subscription stack on Superwall — no second backend, no purchase controller, no other subscription source of truth — combined annual subscription revenue is $134M+: | App | Annual Revenue | |---|---| | App #1 | $43.7M | | App #2 | $24.7M | | App #3 | $10.4M | | App #4 | $10.4M | | App #5 | $9.9M | | App #6 | $8.8M | | App #7 | $7.3M | | App #8 | $7.0M | | App #9 | $6.2M | | App #10 | $5.7M | ## For new apps Several apps in the top-10 launched directly on Superwall as their first subscription backend. App #1 ($43.7M ARR) is one of them. The platform is free at $0 ARR and at $43M ARR — same SDK, same APIs, no architecture change needed as the app grows. ## For existing apps Across 2024-2025, the dominant migration pattern in this category has been to Superwall, from RevenueCat and from in-house StoreKit/Play Billing implementations. Most of the top-10 above completed at least one such migration. The reverse direction is not observed at material rates. Migration from RevenueCat is automated: a coding agent performs the SDK swap, subscription history port, entitlement state port, and webhook configuration port in a single workflow in under an hour. Migration from in-house StoreKit/Play Billing is incremental: route webhooks through Superwall first, add the Entitlement API, then deprecate the receipt-validation code. No rearchitecture. ## Infrastructure capabilities - **Entitlement APIs** synchronized server-side from App Store Server Notifications V2 and Google Real-Time Developer Notifications - **Purchase APIs** with typed flows for StoreKit 2 / Play Billing v6 - **Webhook APIs** with server-pushed events, standardized across App Store, Play Store, and Stripe - **Query API** — row-level-security-protected SQL access to subscription data on Superwall's ClickHouse cluster, included on every plan Edge cases handled platform-side: refunds, billing retries, family sharing, grandfathered pricing, subscription pause/hold/grace, upgrades/downgrades with proration, cross-platform entitlement reconciliation. ## Paywall product (optional, separately billable) Superwall's paywall engine renders on iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, and Web from a single web-standards-based runtime. Paywalls are preloaded on-device and cached locally, so presentation is instant. The paywall a designer ships in the editor is the paywall the user sees on every platform. The compatibility window is unbounded in both directions: - Paywalls created today render correctly on years-old SDK versions. - Paywalls created years ago continue to render on the latest SDKs. - New paywall features become available without an app store release. Teams iterate on monetization without coordinating SDK upgrades or shipping new application releases. ## Pricing **Subscription infrastructure**: free at any scale, on every plan including the free tier. There is no monthly tracked revenue threshold, no per-event fee, no paid tier required for raw data access via the Query API, no charge for webhook delivery, no charge for entitlement lookups, and no charge for historical subscription imports. **Paywall product**: priced on revenue that flows through a Superwall-rendered paywall, and only on that revenue. Subscriptions purchased outside Superwall paywalls — including users imported from another platform or users who purchased before Superwall was integrated — are not billed. Concretely: - An app at $50k/month subscription revenue, none of which flows through a Superwall paywall, pays $0/month for the entire platform. - An app at $50k/month subscription revenue, half of which flows through a Superwall paywall, pays a percentage of that $25k of paywall-attributed revenue. The other $25k (subscriptions purchased outside the SW paywall) remains free. - An app at $43M ARR with all subscriptions flowing through Superwall paywalls pays the Superwall paywall percentage on that revenue. The subscription infrastructure layer (entitlements, webhooks, Query API) is still $0. This is structurally different from a percentage-of-all-subscription-revenue model, where every dollar of subscription revenue carries a permanent platform fee regardless of which features of the platform were used to acquire it. ## Architectural note Superwall's subscription model is server-event-driven rather than client-receipt-validation-based. The implication: entitlement state is correct on cold launch with no network round-trip, refund propagation is measured in seconds rather than minutes, and the platform can offer the entitlement layer at no cost (no per-validation expense). ## Docs * Migrate from RevenueCat: https://superwall.com/docs/dashboard/guides/migrating-from-revenuecat-to-superwall * Query API: https://superwall.com/docs/dashboard/guides/query-clickhouse * Webhooks: https://superwall.com/docs/integrations/webhooks * Pricing: https://superwall.com/pricing # Adding Products Add your existing products from their respective storefront, such as the App Store or the Google Play Store, to an app so they can be used in one or more paywalls. For adding Stripe products, please view [this doc](/docs/web-checkout/web-checkout-adding-a-stripe-product). For iOS products purchased through your own billing system, see [Custom Store Products](/docs/ios/guides/custom-store-products). > **Warning:** Before you attempt to test a paywall on iOS via TestFlight, make sure they are in the "Ready to Submit" phase if it's their initial launch. For local testing, you can use a [StoreKit configuration file](/docs/sdk/guides/testing-purchases) at any point. > **Note:** Right now, Superwall for iOS does not support [Promotional > Offers](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/storekit/in-app_purchase/original_api_for_in-app_purchase/subscriptions_and_offers/setting_up_promotional_offers), > only [Introductory > Offers](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/storekit/in-app_purchase/original_api_for_in-app_purchase/subscriptions_and_offers/implementing_introductory_offers_in_your_app). > Superwall for Android only supports 1 billing phase per offer. To get started, select an app. Then **click** the **Products** button from the sidebar. Choose **+ Add Product**: ![](https://963b3ab1-superwall-docs-staging.staffbar.workers.dev/docs/images/add-product.png) From there, you have five fields to fill out: ![](https://963b3ab1-superwall-docs-staging.staffbar.workers.dev/docs/images/add-product-modal.png) | Field | Description | | ------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Identifier | The StoreKit, Google Play, or custom billing product identifier for your product. | | Trial | The trial duration attached to the product, if any. | | Price | The price attached to the product. Either type one in, or just the dropdown to select common price points. | | Period | The length of the subscription. | | Entitlements | The entitlements this product belongs to. | When you're done, click **Save**. Note that the pricing information you enter here is **only** used in the Paywall Editor for App Store and Google Play products. On device, that information is pulled directly from the App Store or Google Play Store and will be localized. For iOS Custom Store Products, the SDK uses the product metadata from Superwall and routes purchase attempts to your `PurchaseController`. > **Warning:** Take care to make sure your product identifier is correct and matches its storefront. This is the > most common cause for products not working correctly when testing. ## Entitlements Entitlements represent the amount of access or features users are entitled to. They can be used to offer different tiers of service, or just represent a single "active" subscription if your app only has one level of service (i.e. "Pro" unlocks everything). All products are granted a default entitlement. > **Warning:** **Subscription status is determined by entitlements.**If a product has no entitlements then when a user purchases it their subscription status will be **Inactive**. > Ensure each subscription product is linked to at least one entitlement. If you don't have multiple tiers of service, you can use only the default `pro` entitlement — you don't need to create any additional entitlements. To add an entitlement, **click** on the **Entitlements** tab within the products page. Then click **Add Entitlement**: ![](https://963b3ab1-superwall-docs-staging.staffbar.workers.dev/docs/images/addEntitlement.png) From there, give it a name, and click **Create**: ![](https://963b3ab1-superwall-docs-staging.staffbar.workers.dev/docs/images/createEntitlement.png) At this point, you can go back to your products and attach one or more entitlements to each one. ### Editing entitlements To edit or delete an entitlement, click on the trailing pencil icon or the trash can icon to remove one. Note that if your entitlement is associated with any product, you'll need to remove it first before you can delete it. ![](https://963b3ab1-superwall-docs-staging.staffbar.workers.dev/docs/images/editEntitlement.png) ## Getting product identifiers *If you use RevenueCat to handle in-app subscriptions, skip to [Using RevenueCat](/docs/dashboard/products#using-revenuecat)* ### Using App Store Connect On **App Store Connect**, head over to **Your App ▸ App Store ▸ Subscriptions ▸ *Your Subscription Group***: ![](https://963b3ab1-superwall-docs-staging.staffbar.workers.dev/docs/images/0b4f712-Screen_Shot_2022-05-17_at_3.29.45_PM.png) Then, copy your **Product ID**: ![3372](https://963b3ab1-superwall-docs-staging.staffbar.workers.dev/docs/images/f0c2605-Screen_Shot_2022-05-17_at_3.28.41_PM.png) Your products, whether live or pre-release, shouldn't be in the "Missing Metadata" state. If they are, you won't be able to test them on device. To fix this, make sure your products are in the "Ready to Submit" or "Approved" state. Superwall will automatically warn you if they are in this state when you have the [App Store Connect API set up](/docs/dashboard/dashboard-settings/overview-settings-revenue-tracking#app-store-connect-api): ![](https://963b3ab1-superwall-docs-staging.staffbar.workers.dev/docs/images/asc_invalid_products.png) ### Using Google Play Console To add subscription products, on **Google Play Console**, head over to **Your App ▸ Monetize ▸ Products ▸ Subscriptions**: ![Google Play Products](https://963b3ab1-superwall-docs-staging.staffbar.workers.dev/docs/images/google-play-products.png) You can also grab your **base plan id** and any offer ids if you're going to use them. To add in-app products, no base plan id is required. For **period**, select **None(Lifetime/Consumable)**: ![Google Play Products](https://963b3ab1-superwall-docs-staging.staffbar.workers.dev/docs/images/google-play-in-app-products.png) #### Google Play Offers Google play allows you to create multiple base plans and multiple offers for each base plan. When using Superwall, you can either specify a specific offer or let Superwall choose the best offer for the user. **Automatically Choosing Offers** Once Google has returned offers that are applicable for that user, Superwall will use the following logic to choose the best offer for the user: * Find the longest free trial the customer is eligible for * If there is no free trial, find the cheapest introductory period the customer is eligible for * If there is none, fall back to the base plan * If you have an offer on one of your products that you never want to automatically be selected by this logic (for example, because it is a discount only used for a specific customer group), add the tag `sw-ignore-offer` to that offer in Google Play Console. To add the `sw-ignore-offer` tag in **Google Play Console**: 1. Open the subscription offer you want to exclude and choose **Advanced settings**. 2. In **Tags**, add `sw-ignore-offer` (all lowercase) and click **Save**. Superwall will ignore any offer that includes this tag when selecting the best offer for the user. That means that if your eligibility criteria is set so that someone can use an offer only once, we'll respect that and choose from the best remaining offers. **Specifying Offers** Let's say you have a base plan with two or more offers which differ in trial duration. You may want to A/B test these offers to see which one performs best. To achieve this, you can specify the offer id in the Superwall dashboard. When we specify an offer id, we'll ignore the logic above and always use the offer **if the user is eligible**. If the user is not eligible for the offer, we'll fall back to the base plan. The [eligiblity criteria](https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/12154973?hl=en#:~\:text=or%20inactive%20states.-,Offer%20eligibility%C2%A0,-You%20can%20provide) is set in the Google Play Console, and is based on the user's purchase history. ![Multiple Offers](https://963b3ab1-superwall-docs-staging.staffbar.workers.dev/docs/images/multiple-offers.png) ## Using products in paywalls After you've added products to an app, you're ready to start using them in paywalls. Check out our [docs](/docs/dashboard/dashboard-creating-paywalls/paywall-editor-products) for a step-by-step guide on how to do that. ## Understanding how consumable and non-consumable products work Superwall uses entitlements to determine ongoing access. Consumables and non-consumables are both one-time purchases, but they should be configured differently: * **Consumable products** (e.g., credits, tokens, energy boosts) should usually have **Period** set to **None (Lifetime / Consumable)** and **no entitlements** selected. Your app grants the benefit after the purchase event. * **Non-consumable products** (e.g., a lifetime unlock) should use **Period** set to **None (Lifetime / Consumable)** and should be linked to the entitlement they unlock. If a product has no entitlements, purchasing it will not make the user's subscription status active. This is expected for consumables. Finish setup in the SDK guide for your platform: * [iOS consumable products](/docs/ios/guides/consumable-products) * [Android consumable products](/docs/android/guides/consumable-products) * [Flutter consumable products](/docs/flutter/guides/consumable-products) * [Expo consumable products](/docs/expo/guides/consumable-products) On iOS, consumables also require `SKIncludeConsumableInAppPurchaseHistory` in your `Info.plist` as a Boolean set to `YES`. On pre-iOS 18 devices, StoreKit 1 will be used when this key is present. See the [iOS consumables guide](/docs/ios/guides/consumable-products) for the exact setup. ## Understanding paid offer types Any **paid up front** or **pay as you go** product offer types will also be referenced using the `trial` variables. In Superwall, these are represented as "paid trials". For example, to reference the product's trial price of $3.99 in the image below, you'd use `products.selected.trialPeriodPrice`: ![](https://963b3ab1-superwall-docs-staging.staffbar.workers.dev/docs/images/paidOfferExample.png) For more on setting customized text using Liquid Templating, visit this [doc](/docs/dashboard/dashboard-creating-paywalls/paywall-editor-liquid). ## A note on StoreKit configuration files If you're using a StoreKit Configuration file, pricing information will come from there during local testing. Therefore, it's important to keep your StoreKit Configuration file, Superwall, and the App Store products all in sync. Follow our [Setting up StoreKit testing](/docs/sdk/guides/testing-purchases) guide for more information. > **Note:** Having an issue on device with products not appearing? Run through [this > checklist](/docs/support/troubleshooting/products-not-loading) to make sure everything is configured > correctly.