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Mobile Development · head to head

Expo vs RevenueCat

Expo logo

Expo

Mobile Development

React Native framework and cloud platform for building and shipping 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: Expo free tier build counts and MAU support are low, pushing active projects to paid plans quickly.; 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: Expo covers Expo SDK, RevenueCat covers Cross-platform entitlements.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Expo and RevenueCat actually diverge.

Attributes where Expo and RevenueCat differ
AttributeExpoRevenueCat
Pricing modelfreemiumPer month by tracked revenue
Platformsweb, ios, android, apiiOS, 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 Expo

  • Expo SDK
  • EAS Build
  • EAS Submit
  • EAS Update
  • Expo Router
  • EAS Hosting
  • EAS Insights

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.

Expo

  • Building cross-platform apps with React Native without native toolingnot RevenueCat
  • Running cloud builds and store submissions via EASnot RevenueCat
  • Shipping over-the-air updates to bypass app store reviewnot RevenueCat
  • Adding file-based navigation with Expo Routernot RevenueCat
  • Hosting companion web apps and APIsnot RevenueCat

RevenueCat

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

Where each one falls short

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

Expo

  • Free tier build counts and MAU support are low, pushing active projects to paid plans quickly.
  • Usage-based overage charges for builds, CI/CD minutes, and MAUs can make costs less predictable.
  • Concurrent build limits on lower tiers slow down teams with frequent releases.
  • Some native functionality still requires ejecting to bare workflow or writing custom native modules.

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

Expo

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 15 Android and 15 iOS builds
    • Low-priority build queue
    • 60 minutes of CI/CD workflows
  • Starter$19/month
    • $45 build credit included
    • High-priority queue and large workers
    • 3,000 MAUs for updates
  • Production$199/month
    • $225 build credit included
    • 2 concurrent builds
    • 50,000 MAU support
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • $1,000 build credit included
    • 5 concurrent builds
    • 1M+ MAU support

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 Expo if

  • You need expo sdk.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, ios, android, api.
  • You also want eas build.
Expo 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 Expo or RevenueCat better?
Neither clearly leads. Expo 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, Expo or RevenueCat?
Expo starts at Free and RevenueCat at Free.
Does Expo or RevenueCat run on more platforms?
Expo runs on web, ios, android, api. RevenueCat runs on iOS, Android, Web, React Native, Flutter.
Can I use Expo for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Expo best used for?
Expo is most often used for building cross-platform apps with react native without native tooling, running cloud builds and store submissions via eas, shipping over-the-air updates to bypass app store review, adding file-based navigation with expo router. Of those, building cross-platform apps with react native without native tooling and running cloud builds and store submissions via eas are not what RevenueCat is typically brought in for.
What can Expo do that RevenueCat cannot?
Expo covers Expo SDK, EAS Build, EAS Submit, EAS Update. RevenueCat covers Cross-platform entitlements, Server-side receipt validation, Remote paywalls, Experiments.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Expo: What does Expo cost?

Expo offers a free plan, a Starter plan at $19/month with $45 build credit, a Production plan at $199/month with $225 build credit, and custom Enterprise pricing.

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.

Expo: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

The Free plan includes 15 Android and 15 iOS builds, low-priority build queue access, 60 minutes of CI/CD workflows, and support for 1,000 monthly active users on updates.

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.

Expo: How is usage metered on paid plans?

Beyond included build credit, Expo charges per build by platform and worker size, per CI/CD workflow minute, per million Observe events, and graduated per-MAU overage rates for updates.

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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