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Mobile Development · head to head

Fastlane vs RevenueCat

Fastlane logo

Fastlane

Mobile Development

Open-source automation for building, testing, and releasing iOS and Android apps.

From
Free
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

  • Each has a real cost: Fastlane requires command-line and Ruby familiarity to configure and maintain Fastfiles.; 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: Fastlane covers Screenshot automation, RevenueCat covers Cross-platform entitlements.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fastlane and RevenueCat actually diverge.

Attributes where Fastlane and RevenueCat differ
AttributeFastlaneRevenueCat
Pricing modelopen-sourcePer month by tracked revenue
Platformsios, androidiOS, Android, Web, React Native, Flutter

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Fastlane

  • Screenshot automation
  • Beta distribution
  • App store publishing
  • Code signing management
  • CI/CD integration
  • Plugin ecosystem

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.

Fastlane

  • Automating iOS and Android release pipelinesnot RevenueCat
  • Generating localized app store screenshotsnot RevenueCat
  • Distributing beta builds to testersnot RevenueCat
  • Managing code signing across a teamnot RevenueCat
  • Integrating mobile releases into CI/CDnot RevenueCat

RevenueCat

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

Where each one falls short

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

Fastlane

  • Requires command-line and Ruby familiarity to configure and maintain Fastfiles.
  • No hosted UI or dashboard; it is a local/CI toolkit rather than a managed service.
  • Community-maintained plugins vary in quality and maintenance status.
  • No built-in analytics or crash reporting; it must be paired with other tools for those needs.

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

Fastlane

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Fastlane review.

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 Fastlane if

  • You need screenshot automation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on ios, android.
  • You also want beta distribution.
Fastlane 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 Fastlane or RevenueCat better?
Neither clearly leads. Fastlane starts at Free and RevenueCat at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fastlane or RevenueCat?
Fastlane starts at Free and RevenueCat at Free.
Does Fastlane or RevenueCat run on more platforms?
Fastlane runs on ios, android. RevenueCat runs on iOS, Android, Web, React Native, Flutter.
Can I use Fastlane for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Fastlane best used for?
Fastlane is most often used for automating ios and android release pipelines, generating localized app store screenshots, distributing beta builds to testers, managing code signing across a team. Of those, automating ios and android release pipelines and generating localized app store screenshots are not what RevenueCat is typically brought in for.
What can Fastlane do that RevenueCat cannot?
Fastlane covers Screenshot automation, Beta distribution, App store publishing, Code signing management. RevenueCat covers Cross-platform entitlements, Server-side receipt validation, Remote paywalls, Experiments.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Fastlane: Is fastlane a free tool, and what is the licensing model?

Fastlane is open source and free to use. It is an open source platform aimed at simplifying Android and iOS deployment with contributions from over 700 community members.

Source
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.

Fastlane: Does fastlane charge for support or commercial use?

The fastlane website does not mention pricing for support, training, or commercial services. Users are directed to documentation for getting started rather than a purchasing process.

Source
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.

Fastlane: Can fastlane be used in commercial projects?

Yes, fastlane is an open source project. Commercial use is not addressed as a limitation on the website.

Source
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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