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Mobile Development · head to head

AppsFlyer vs RevenueCat

AppsFlyer logo

AppsFlyer

Mobile Development

Mobile attribution and marketing analytics measuring which campaigns produced which installs

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
RevenueCat logo

RevenueCat

Mobile Development

In-app subscription infrastructure billed at 1 percent of tracked revenue measured before the app store takes its cut

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only RevenueCat has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: AppsFlyer pricing is per attributed conversion on an annual commitment, so a successful quarter raises the measurement bill in step with media spend and overage rates above the commitment are usually punitive.; RevenueCat the fee is 1 percent of revenue measured before the app store takes 15 or 30 percent, so the effective rate against money you actually receive is closer to 1.2 to 1.4 percent, a distinction that is easy to miss when modelling the cost.
  • They diverge on capability: AppsFlyer covers Multi touch install attribution, RevenueCat covers Cross-platform entitlements.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AppsFlyer and RevenueCat actually diverge.

Attributes where AppsFlyer and RevenueCat differ
AttributeAppsFlyerRevenueCat
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPer attributed conversionPer month by tracked revenue
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsiOS, Android, WebiOS, Android, Web, React Native, Flutter

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Mobile Development).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in AppsFlyer

  • Multi touch install attribution
  • SKAdNetwork and iOS aggregation
  • Deep linking
  • Fraud protection
  • Raw data export
  • Incrementality testing

Only in RevenueCat

  • Cross-platform entitlements
  • Server-side receipt validation
  • Remote paywalls
  • Experiments
  • Revenue charts and cohorts
  • Integrations and webhooks

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

AppsFlyer

  • An app spending meaningfully on paid acquisition across several networks that need reconciling against one source of truthnot RevenueCat
  • Publishers who suspect they are paying for fraudulent installs and want them rejected before billingnot RevenueCat
  • Teams that must move event level marketing data into a warehouse for their own modellingnot RevenueCat
  • Apps running deferred deep links from web, email and social into specific in app contentnot RevenueCat

RevenueCat

  • A small app team shipping subscriptions on both stores without writing two receipt validation backendsnot AppsFlyer
  • Changing paywall pricing and layout without waiting for app reviewnot AppsFlyer
  • Running a price experiment and attributing realised revenue rather than checkout events to each variantnot AppsFlyer
  • Giving finance a single view of subscription revenue across App Store, Google Play and web purchasesnot AppsFlyer

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

AppsFlyer

  • Pricing is per attributed conversion on an annual commitment, so a successful quarter raises the measurement bill in step with media spend and overage rates above the commitment are usually punitive.
  • iOS attribution lost genuine capability when App Tracking Transparency arrived, and a good deal of what the interface now shows is modelled rather than observed, which the reports do not always make obvious.
  • The headline price covers attribution only; deep linking, fraud protection, audiences and raw data export are separate modules, so the quoted figure and the invoice differ substantially.
  • Self attributing networks such as Meta and Google report their own numbers, and reconciling those against AppsFlyer is ongoing work that no vendor eliminates.
  • Historic attribution data does not transfer between measurement partners, so switching vendors resets year on year comparisons and effectively locks in the incumbent after a couple of years.

RevenueCat

  • The fee is 1 percent of revenue measured before the app store takes 15 or 30 percent, so the effective rate against money you actually receive is closer to 1.2 to 1.4 percent, a distinction that is easy to miss when modelling the cost.
  • The bill scales with success rather than with usage or headcount, so the largest invoice arrives in the month of your best growth, which is exactly when cash is committed elsewhere.
  • At high revenue the arithmetic turns against you: 1 million USD of monthly tracked revenue is 10,000 USD a month, at which point building and staffing receipt validation in-house becomes a serious comparison rather than a hypothetical one.
  • Subscriber and entitlement state lives in the vendor system, so migrating away requires re-validating historical receipts and running dual sources of truth during the transition, and that switching cost grows the longer you stay.
  • Growth features such as paywalls and web funnels are charged at the same 1 percent of what they track, so revenue attributed to those tools is billed even where you already had the infrastructure to handle it.

Pricing, plan by plan

AppsFlyer

On request
  • AppsFlyer$undefined/year
    • Annual commitment purchasing a volume of attributed conversions, with overage charged above it
    • Deep linking, fraud protection, audiences and raw data export are priced as separate modules

RevenueCat

Free
  • Pro under thresholdFree
    • Free up to 2,500 USD in monthly tracked revenue
    • All product features included
    • No seat charges
  • Pro$undefined/month
    • 1 percent of monthly tracked revenue above 2,500 USD
    • Tracked revenue is measured before the app store commission
    • No minimum commitment stated
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Quoted
    • Volume discounts
    • Flexible tracking configuration

Which should you pick?

Choose AppsFlyer if

  • You need multi touch install attribution.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web.
  • You also want skadnetwork and ios aggregation.
AppsFlyer review

Choose RevenueCat if

  • You need cross-platform entitlements.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android, Web, React Native, Flutter.
  • You also want server-side receipt validation.
RevenueCat review

Questions people ask

Is AppsFlyer or RevenueCat better?
Neither clearly leads. AppsFlyer starts at On request and RevenueCat at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AppsFlyer or RevenueCat?
RevenueCat has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for AppsFlyer and Free for RevenueCat.
Does AppsFlyer or RevenueCat run on more platforms?
AppsFlyer runs on iOS, Android, Web. RevenueCat runs on iOS, Android, Web, React Native, Flutter.
Can I use RevenueCat for free?
Yes. RevenueCat has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. AppsFlyer starts at On request.
What is AppsFlyer best used for?
AppsFlyer is most often used for an app spending meaningfully on paid acquisition across several networks that need reconciling against one source of truth, publishers who suspect they are paying for fraudulent installs and want them rejected before billing, teams that must move event level marketing data into a warehouse for their own modelling, apps running deferred deep links from web, email and social into specific in app content. Of those, an app spending meaningfully on paid acquisition across several networks that need reconciling against one source of truth and publishers who suspect they are paying for fraudulent installs and want them rejected before billing are not what RevenueCat is typically brought in for.
What can AppsFlyer do that RevenueCat cannot?
AppsFlyer covers Multi touch install attribution, SKAdNetwork and iOS aggregation, Deep linking, Fraud protection. RevenueCat covers Cross-platform entitlements, Server-side receipt validation, Remote paywalls, Experiments.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

AppsFlyer: How is it priced?

Per attributed conversion against an annual commitment, plus separate fees for the additional modules. Negotiate the commitment carefully.

RevenueCat: Is it really free to start?

Yes, up to 2,500 USD in monthly tracked revenue, with all features included and no seat charges.

AppsFlyer: Did App Tracking Transparency break attribution?

It removed deterministic device level attribution for users who decline tracking. What remains on iOS is aggregated and delayed, and vendors fill the gap with modelling.

RevenueCat: Is the 1 percent taken from gross or net revenue?

Gross. The vendor bases pricing on pre-platform-cut revenue, so the app store commission is not deducted before the fee is calculated.

AppsFlyer: Can we take our data if we leave?

You can export raw data while under contract. Attribution history itself does not migrate to another vendor.

RevenueCat: What happens if RevenueCat is unavailable?

The SDK caches entitlement state locally so existing subscribers usually keep access, but new purchases and restores depend on the service.

RevenueCat: At what point should I build this in-house?

Somewhere above a few hundred thousand dollars of monthly tracked revenue the annual fee funds engineers, though it also buys cross-platform correctness you then own forever.

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