Subscriptions in Your Own App: How They Work and What Apple and Google Take

A subscription in your own app works like this: the customer pays regularly, monthly or yearly, and the app unlocks your content in return. If they pay inside the app, Apple and Google usually take 15% from a small business and pass the rest on to you. If they pay on your website, you mainly pay a payment provider fee, which is much lower. Store rules in the EU are changing in 2026, so it pays to run the numbers before you start.

This article is for anyone who sells content: workouts, lessons, recipes, parenting advice, meditations or expert videos. We explain how customers experience a subscription, the difference between paying in the app and on the web, what the stores take, and what we learned from our own app, Baby-Care.

How does a subscription look from the customer's side?

Customers care about three things: what it costs, whether they can try it, and how to cancel. Answer those clearly and they buy more easily.

• Free trial. The customer gets, say, a week for free. If they don't cancel, billing starts automatically. Both Apple and Google support free trials for subscriptions.
• Renewal. The subscription renews by itself until the customer cancels. They don't have to remember anything, and you get recurring income.
• Cancellation. With an in-app payment, the customer cancels in their Apple or Google account settings, just like every other subscription. With a web payment, they cancel with you, for example in their profile or via a link in an email. Cancelling should be easy. A customer who can't find the exit won't come back, and will leave a bad review.

For the customer, paying in the app is the most convenient: they confirm with their face or fingerprint and never type in a card number. The store takes its cut for that convenience.

Pay in the app or on the web?

There are two basic routes, and many businesses combine both.

In-app payment. The customer pays through their Apple or Google account. The store handles payment, renewals, cancellations and the customer's receipt. You receive the revenue minus the commission. For App Store purchases, refund requests are handled by Apple.

Web payment. The customer buys the subscription on your website, enters a card and then logs in to the app, which unlocks the content. You pay a payment provider fee. Stripe, for example, charges 1.5% + €0.25 per payment on standard European cards as of September 2026. But renewals, cancellations, refunds and customer support are on you.

The catch: your app can't talk about web payments completely freely. The stores decide whether and how you may send customers from the app to the web, and they often charge a commission on that link too. The rules differ by country and type of content, so we go through them separately on every project.

What do Apple and Google take as of September 2026?

We describe the rules in simplified form, for customers in the EU. The stores have changed them often in recent years, so always check the current terms before you launch.

Apple (App Store). In August 2026 Apple announced new terms for the EU, effective 1 October 2026:

• In-app payment: 26% as standard. For most small businesses in the App Store Small Business Program (up to $1 million in annual proceeds) and for subscriptions after their first year, 15%.
• A link from the app to a web purchase: 15%, or 10% for small businesses and subscriptions after the first year. The commission only applies to purchases made within 7 days of tapping the link.
• A purchase on your website without a link from the app: according to Apple's terms, Apple takes nothing.

Outside the EU, small businesses in the Small Business Program also pay 15% on in-app payments.

Google (Google Play). From 30 June 2026, in the European Economic Area (as well as the UK and the US), the subscription fee is split in two:

• A 10% service fee on the first $1 million of annual earnings.
• A 5% fee for paying through Google Play. If you use your own payment method or send the customer to pay on the web, this 5% falls away and 10% remains.

So for in-app payments, a small business usually pays 15% with both stores. The differences are in the details, which are worth working through during the design.

What do you keep from €15 a month?

A worked example: a subscription at €15 a month, a customer in the EU, a small business. We calculate in simplified form from the price excluding VAT, with a payment provider charging 1.5% + €0.25. Fees follow Apple, Google and Stripe terms as of September 2026.

What follows from this:

1. The difference per customer looks small; across hundreds it adds up. With 300 subscribers, the gap between the first and the last row is roughly €530 a month.
2. In-app payment isn't a mistake. It is more convenient, and when paying takes one tap, more people buy. The fee savings on the web can be eaten up by fewer people buying there.
3. Combining both usually works best. People who come from your website, newsletter or an influencer pay on the web. People who find the app in the store pay there.

On top of these fees, your own app has an upfront investment and monthly maintenance. They don't grow with your subscriber count, so they aren't in the table. You'll find current prices on the video subscription platform page.

Freemium or paid from day one?

The second big decision is what customers get for free.

Freemium means part of the content is free forever and the rest is paid. People download the app without risk, get used to it and some of them move to a subscription. It suits you when you want lots of users and have enough content to give part of it away.

Paid from day one, with a free trial means the customer tries everything for, say, a week and then pays or leaves. It suits a clearly defined product, such as a programme or course, and an audience that already knows you.

The most common freemium mistake: giving away so much that there is no reason to pay. Or so little that nobody grows to like the app. The line belongs where the customer can already see the value and wants to continue.

A real example: Baby-Care

Baby-Care is the Grow-App founders' own product, an app for parents with content from 14 experts. It has been on the App Store and Google Play since 2022. Three decisions relate to the subscription:

• Freemium. The pregnancy section is free. Full content is available through a subscription.
• Subscription directly in the app. Parents pay through their Apple or Google account, without entering a card.
• Affiliate programme. Influencers who recommend the app get a share of the subscription sales they bring in.

The last point is a good example of why businesses turn to their own solution. Rules like "who brought in which subscription and what share they are owed" can be set up in your own app exactly the way you want.

When is a ready-made platform enough?

Honestly: at the start, it usually is. There are services where you upload videos, set a price and have a subscription running within days. You pay a monthly fee or a percentage of revenue, but there is nothing to develop. You'll find specific platforms and their fees compared in how to sell workout videos online.

A ready-made platform is the right choice while you are still testing whether people will pay for your content. An app of your own won't attract subscribers by itself.

When does your own solution pay off? A quick test

If you answer yes to at least three of these, an app of your own with subscriptions is worth considering:

• People already pay for your content, or you have confirmed they will.
• You have hundreds of subscribers, or a realistic path to them.
• You want your own brand on the App Store and Google Play, not someone else's app.
• You want to combine in-app and web payments depending on where the customer came from.
• You plan partnerships with influencers or partners who get a share of sales.
• You want your own rules: freemium, family plans, gift subscriptions, loyalty discounts.
• Platform fees are approaching an amount that hurts.

If you answered yes only once or twice, start with a ready-made platform.

Website or app? You don't need to know

You don't need to know yet whether you need a store app, a web platform or both. It depends on where your customers watch and where they come from. We explain the differences in our web vs. app comparison.

How to start

1. Write down what will be free and what will be paid. One page, no technical detail.
2. Set a monthly and a yearly price. A discounted yearly plan helps keep customers longer.
3. Run the table above with your own numbers. How many subscribers do you expect in a year, and where will they pay?
4. Validate demand. With a ready-made platform, a pre-sale or a waiting list.
5. Only then think about your own app. At Grow-App we produce a design (Pitch Design) before development, so you see the solution before spending money on programming. Then we build in two-week cycles.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to offer Apple and Google payments in my app?

It depends on the type of content, the country and the store's current rules. In the EU there are more options today than a few years ago, but each comes with its own conditions and fees. During the design we tell you which options fit your case.

Who handles refunds and cancellations?

With in-app payments, the store does: the customer cancels in their Apple or Google account, and Apple decides on App Store refunds. With web payments, you or your payment provider handle it.

Can the commission rates change again?

Yes. Apple and Google have changed their EU rules repeatedly in recent years, and changes are still under way. The figures in this article are as of September 2026. It is sensible to design the app so the payment method can be changed later without a rebuild.

Is a yearly subscription worth offering?

Usually, yes. The customer saves money, you get paid upfront, and customers don't cancel every month they happen to be less active.

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Have content people pay for and want to sell it under your own brand? See what your own video subscription platform can do, or write us a few sentences about your idea. No technical brief needed.