Unified Web + In‑App Subscriptions: Seamless User Journeys - Apphud + Paddle

The subscription economy continues to accelerate in 2025, with growth driven not only by mobile-first products but increasingly by web-based platforms expanding their monetization strategies. According to State of Mobile 2025 by Sensor Tower, consumer spending on subscription apps grew by 18% year-over-year, with a significant portion of that growth now coming from web and desktop purchases. At the same time, platform regulations are shifting in favor of developers: Apple's and Google's evolving billing policies, along with the enforcement of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the EU, are giving apps more flexibility to direct users to web payment options.

As a result, many mobile-first products are now transitioning toward hybrid monetization models, offering subscriptions through both app stores and directly on the web. This dual-channel strategy allows app teams to reduce platform fees, experiment with pricing and packaging, and serve international users with localized payment methods.

However, this shift introduces new complexities.

While offering both in-app and web-based subscriptions unlocks business upside, it often results in disconnected systems. Teams end up managing subscriptions through separate platforms, each with its own logic, user identifiers, entitlements, and analytics. The consequences are serious:

• Users may receive inconsistent access depending on where they subscribed.
• Revenue analytics are fragmented, making LTV modeling and retention analysis unreliable.
• Churn reduction efforts are limited, as cancellation or failed payment events are siloed.
• Product teams struggle to coordinate pricing, trial logic, or feature gating across platforms.

In short, subscriptions often live in silos - and that's a problem for any company aiming to build a scalable, high-retention subscription product in 2025.

For marketers and product managers responsible for driving revenue, optimizing conversion rates, and reducing churn, a unified subscription infrastructure, where web and in-app purchases are synchronized, tracked, and managed holistically, is no longer a "nice-to-have." It's essential.

This guide, written jointly by Apphud and Paddle, offers a practical, implementation-focused framework for building unified subscription systems across web and mobile. You'll learn how to avoid common pitfalls, design seamless user journeys, implement entitlement syncing, and track revenue across platforms backed by proven industry practices and use cases.

Let's get into it.

In-App Subscriptions: The Foundation of Mobile Monetization

In-app subscriptions remain the cornerstone of mobile monetization, accounting for a projected $170 billion in revenue by the end of 2025. For subscription app managers, a deep understanding of how in-app models work is critical to designing seamless user journeys and maximizing lifetime value (LTV). Below, we unpack the core elements of in-app subscription ecosystems, drawing on the latest 2025 market research and platform policies.

Controlled by Apple and Google

Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store exercise end-to-end control over in-app subscriptions. They define:

• Billing APIs and SDKs: All purchase flows must use the store's native APIs.
• Revenue Share: Standard rates range from 15 % to 30 % of gross sales.
• Policy Enforcement: Trial offers, promotional pricing, and paywall placements must comply with each store's guidelines, which evolve regularly under regulatory pressure (e.g., the EU's Digital Markets Act).

As a result, subscription managers must architect around store-mandated flows and revenue share models, building their in-app paywalls and entitlement logic to integrate with platform requirements seamlessly.

Trials, Intro Offers, and Billing Cycles

Free trials and introductory discounts are proven levers for user acquisition and retention:

• Trial Conversion Benchmarks: In 2025, 80 % of free trials convert on Day 1 of app use, underscoring the importance of a frictionless onboarding paywall.
• Variety of Introductory Offers: Platforms support period-length trials (e.g., 7-day, 14-day) and percentage or fixed-amount discounts on the first billing cycle.
• Flexible Billing Cycles: Monthly, annual, and, increasingly, weekly subscription options allow teams to test price sensitivity. Weekly plans now comprise about half of subscription revenue in some categories, responding to user demand for lower-commitment models.

Properly configuring trials and billing cycles within the constraints of store billing APIs is vital for optimizing trial-to-pay conversion rates and establishing predictable revenue streams.

Platform Restrictions and Best Practices

While the App Store and Play Store handle critical functions, hosting billing, securing payments, and distributing updates, they impose restrictions that impact product design:

• No Direct Purchase Links: Apps cannot direct users externally to web checkouts; they must use native paywalls unless an alternative flow is explicitly approved by the platform.
• Limited Pricing Granularity: Price points are limited to predetermined tiers; nuanced pricing (e.g., region-specific price adjustments below tier floors) is not supported.
• Unified vs. Split Entitlements: Each platform maintains its own subscription registry. Without a unifying layer, users who subscribe on iOS may not have access on Android, and vice versa.

To navigate these constraints, subscription managers adopt a hybrid entitlement layer, reconciling store-originated receipts and metadata in a backend that abstracts away store differences. This approach ensures that feature flags, content gating, and upgrade/downgrade logic behave consistently regardless of where the subscription was purchased.

Revenue Tracking and Churn Analysis

Advanced revenue analytics and churn management drive informed decision-making:

• Benchmark Renewal Rates: In 2024, the median first-renewal rate for annual plans dropped from 40.4 % to 35.3 % - a 13 % year-over-year decline, while monthly plans saw only a 3 % drop, highlighting shifting consumer preferences toward shorter commitments.
• Cohort-Based LTV Modeling: By grouping users by acquisition source, trial length, or geography, product teams can isolate high-value segments and tailor pricing or marketing efforts.
• Churn Drivers: The majority of cancellations occur within the first 30 days, often triggered by perceived lack of value post-trial. Mitigation tactics include in-app messaging and push campaigns timed before first renewal.

Implementing a data-driven subscription analytics framework, ingesting store webhook events, receipt validations, and user engagement metrics, enables continuous optimization of onboarding flows, paywall messaging, and retention campaigns.

By mastering the mechanics and limitations of in-app subscriptions, alongside continuous performance measurement, subscription app managers lay the groundwork for a unified, cross-platform monetization strategy that drives growth and enhances user satisfaction.

Web-Based Subscriptions: Flexible Monetization Beyond App Stores

While in-app subscriptions provide a solid foundation for mobile monetization, web-based subscriptions unlock new opportunities for growth, margin optimization, and user acquisition. 

As regulatory changes like the EU's Digital Markets Act reshape the mobile payments environment, web subscriptions have evolved from an alternative strategy to an essential growth channel.

Merchant of record model: simplicity meets flexibility

Unlike traditional payment service providers, Paddle operates as a Merchant of Record (MoR), managing the entire sales process end-to-end.

It is the same model Apple and Google use for their app stores, but with lower costs and far more flexibility. As Patrick Yip from Goodnotes explains, “We chose Paddle for one very critical reason: its Merchant of Record model.”

Compliance on autopilot

With Paddle as the MoR, businesses offload the complexity of tax compliance, fraud protection, and billing operations. Paddle assumes liability for sales tax collection and remittance across more than 100 jurisdictions, while its built-in risk management shields companies from fraud and chargebacks.

Subscriptions, refunds, and customer billing inquiries are all handled automatically, removing the internal overhead that often slows finance and support teams.

Freedom in pricing and promotions

Beyond compliance and operations, the MoR model unlocks a level of pricing and promotional freedom that app stores restrict. Businesses can adjust pricing dynamically by geography, user segments, or market conditions, while running custom promotions such as discounts, bundles, or volume-based offers. Billing cycles can be tested and tailored, whether weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual, without platform restrictions. Localized pricing ensures that offers reflect regional purchasing power and helps increase conversion.

Clarity in attribution

Attribution is also clearer. Unlike in-app purchases, which obscure parts of the customer journey, Paddle’s model allows businesses to track activity from the first ad click through to subscription renewal. 

This visibility gives teams a full picture of their marketing effectiveness.

Global reach made simple

For companies expanding internationally, Paddle’s infrastructure removes barriers that app stores impose. 

Businesses can sell globally from day one with support for more than 30 currencies and popular local payment methods such as iDEAL in the Netherlands, Alipay in China, or PIX in Brazil. Customers pay in their local currency, which improves both trust and conversion. Because Paddle maintains compliance in 175 jurisdictions, businesses can enter new markets without facing penalties or needing to build out costly finance teams.

Scalable and sustainable growth

The result is a model that combines the simplicity of app store operations with the flexibility of direct billing. It enables growth strategies that are both scalable and sustainable.

Offering both web-based and in-app subscriptions is no longer a fringe strategy - it's an emerging standard in 2025.

1. Reduce App Store Fees and Dependency

Cost Savings through Direct Charging

• App store commissions offer little transparency and cost between 15 % to 30 % per transaction. New rulings and regulatory pressure now permit developers to guide users toward external payment options, significantly lowering fees.
• Web-based subscriptions, under a Merchant-of-Record (MoR) model, typically incur significantly lower processing fees (~4–5 %), enabling teams to maintain margin while offering flexible pricing strategies.

Greater Pricing Flexibility and Promotions

• Web checkout systems allow custom discounting (e.g., limited-time promotions, regional offers), unconventional bundles, and tailored pricing where options are unavailable in the fixed-price tier structure of app stores.
• The ability to experiment with pricing improves conversion rates and user LTV over time.

Owning the Relationship with Customers

• When processed off-app, subscriptions enable direct access to billing info, user emails, and renewal triggers - data often obscured by store platforms.
• Full ownership of the payment experience allows developers to deliver customized win-back email campaigns, refund policies, and self-service interfaces that reinforce brand trust.

Collectively, these benefits mean subscription app teams can cut reliance on platform-controlled flows, control margins, and deepen customer relationships.

2. Enable Cross‑Platform Access (iOS – Android – Web)

Unified Access Regardless of Purchase Channel

• In 2025, users expect seamless access across device types. A customer subscribing via the web should be granted equivalent in-app access and vice versa. Most consumers prefer a unified subscription experience across platforms.
• Cross-platform entitlement syncing ensures users retain predictable access, regardless of how or where they subscribed.

Expand Reach and Reduce Friction

• Web flows enable acquisition from audiences unable or unwilling to use app store payments, such as enterprise users or international customers without the Play Store access. They also unlock performance on ad channels that don't support deep linking into app stores, such as content discovery and native ad platforms.
• Devices without app stores, like customized Android distributions in emerging markets, still accept web-based subscriptions, broadening reach and simplifying onboarding.

Unified Analytics Across Platforms

• Using separate systems for web and app subscriptions often results in fragmented data pools. Teams struggle to measure LTV, calculate retention, or compare cohorts across platforms.
• A unified backend, receiving events from both web and in-app sources, allows consistent cohort analytics, accurate attribution, and performance comparisons. This clarity informs better segmentation, pricing strategy, and retention planning.

Real-World Example Scenarios

• Discounted web pricing campaigns

Web pricing offers flexibility and reduced commission; in-app access is synced via shared entitlement.

• User switches devices between app and browser

Unified profiles ensure seamless access across platforms without separate subscriptions.

• Performance marketing on web-native channels

Web checkout directs users via landing pages, then syncs to in-app access post-conversion.

• Retention & Win-Back flow coordination

Failed web payments drive automated email recovery; Apphud triggers in-app reminders too, closing the feedback loop.

By combining web and in-app subscriptions effectively, product leaders can reduce platform dependency and margins, unlock marketing flexibility, and deliver unified experiences across iOS, Android, and the web. Subscription app teams equipped with this infrastructure are positioned to experiment rapidly, scale more efficiently, and retain users more reliably.

Improve conversion rates with pricing tests on the web

Real-world scenarios highlight why web and in-app subscriptions work best together.

A discounted web pricing campaign can convert more efficiently, while entitlement syncing ensures subscribers still enjoy full in-app access. 

Users switching between devices experience seamless continuity without duplicate subscriptions. Performance marketing on web-native channels drives users through a landing page checkout, with subscriptions instantly available across platforms post-conversion. 

Gain complete revenue visibility with unified analytics

By combining web and in-app subscriptions, product leaders not only reduce dependency on app store margins but also unlock new marketing opportunities and deliver a truly unified customer experience. 

In-App Subscription Setup with Apphud

Implementing in-app subscriptions shouldn't require stitching together a dozen services. With Apphud, subscription app teams can manage the full lifecycle of mobile purchases, track key revenue metrics, and launch web-to-web flows - all in one place.

Here's how to do it:

Step 1: Create Your Apphud Account

Start by registering for a free Apphud account. Once inside the dashboard, you'll be prompted to add your first app (iOS or Android).

Follow the Quickstart Guide for step-by-step instructions on integrating your platform.

Step 2: Configure Your In-App Products

Before connecting to the SDK, make sure your in-app purchases are properly set up in App Store Connect and/or Google Play Console. Once complete:

• Add your Product IDs to Apphud
• Organize them using Permission Groups, Paywalls, and Products - Apphud's structure for managing entitlements and pricing options.

Refer to the Products Guide to understand how to map your store items to Apphud's architecture.

Step 3: Install and Initialize the SDK

Install the Apphud SDK for your platform (iOS or Android). After installation:

• Initialize the SDK
• Identify your users using a custom User ID or Device ID
• Enable server-side receipt validation for accurate tracking

This is a thorough guide to help you with this step.

The setup ensures that Apphud can monitor subscriptions reliably across devices and restore access when necessary.

Step 4: Access Deep In-App Revenue Analytics

Once live, Apphud delivers exhaustive analytics built specifically for subscription apps:

• Trial starts and conversions
• Renewals and refunds
• Churn rate and reactivations
• LTV, ARPPU, MRR, and subscriber cohort behavior

The documentation includes all tracked events and metrics.

Apphud is purpose-built for tracking the full lifecycle of in-app subscriptions.

Step 5: Syncing Web and In-App Subscriptions with Apphud Flows

To bridge web and mobile experiences, Apphud offers Flows - a web-to-web campaign engine optimized for subscription apps.

Flows allow you to warm up users on the web, encouraging them to subscribe before they ever install the app. This improves conversion quality and reduces reliance on App Store billing.

Why Flows?

• Acquire Users on the Web: Build marketing flows that convert before install
• Collect Web Payments: Seamlessly integrate with tools like Paddle for web-based transactions
• Restore Access in App: After app install, premium access is automatically restored via attribution or email
• Measure Everything: All data (LTV, ARPPU, churn, etc.) is integrated with Apphud analytics

How It Works

Flows is built around three core components:

1. Flows Builder Kit

Design stunning, localized, and animated flows in Framer, no coding needed, using powerful AI tools, ready-made components, and seamless team collaboration.

2. Web Library

Easily connect any flow to Apphud with a lightweight SDK that supports dynamic content, localization, and instant integration.

3. Apphud Analytics

Track and optimize every step of your web-to-web funnel using unified analytics for revenue, LTV, ARPU, and more.

Syncing Between Apphud & Paddle

Apphud handles entitlement synchronization by integrating deeply with both Paddle and mobile platforms. Best practices include:

• Use Paddle Webhooks to pass payment status into Apphud
• Ensure attribution parameters are captured at the web level (UTM, user ID)
• Set up fallback options like email-based restoration for unmatched users

Apphud will unify the subscription status across web and mobile, ensuring a seamless user experience and accurate analytics.

By combining Apphud for in-app subscription management and Flows for web-based acquisition, subscription apps can create a unified, revenue-optimized system that boosts LTV, simplifies user journeys, and removes the silos between platforms.

Let's now explore how Paddle complements this setup on the web side.

Web Subscription Setup with Paddle

Setting up web subscriptions with Paddle is designed to be straightforward, even for teams new to direct payment processing. Here's how to implement a robust web subscription system that integrates seamlessly with your mobile app infrastructure:

Step 1: Create Products and Pricing 

Start by defining your subscription products in Paddle's dashboard: 

• Product catalog setup: Create subscription plans that mirror your in-app offerings or introduce web-exclusive options
• Pricing strategy: Configure regional pricing, promotional discounts, and trial periods
• Billing cycles: Set up monthly, annual, or custom billing intervals that align with your business model

Paddle's pricing tools allow you to test different strategies without the approval delays common in app stores.

Step 2: Implement Checkout Flow

Paddle provides multiple integration options to match your technical requirements:

• Hosted checkout: Paddle’s no-code solution for setting up optimized, conversion-tested checkout pages with minimal integration effort.
• Inline checkout: Embed checkout directly into your website for a seamless user experience. 
• Custom integration: Build fully customized flows using Paddle's APIs while maintaining MoR benefits.

The checkout system automatically handles payment method selection, currency conversion, and tax calculation based on the customer's location.

Step 3: Handle Post-Purchase Events

Configure webhooks to sync subscription events with your app's backend: 

• Subscription creation: Trigger user entitlement updates when payments succeed
• Renewal processing: Maintain access continuity as subscriptions renew
• Cancellation handling: Manage subscription endings and access revocation
• Payment failures: Implement dunning sequences for failed payment recovery

Step 4: Use the Customer Portal for Self-Service Management

Paddle's customer portal reduces support overhead by enabling users to:

• Update payment methods and billing information
• Download invoices and payment receipts
• Manage subscription upgrades, downgrades, and cancellations 
• Access billing history and upcoming payment dates
• This self-service approach improves customer satisfaction while reducing operational costs.

Paddle Overview

Paddle serves as the web monetization infrastructure that makes selling subscriptions outside app stores both simple and profitable. 

As a Merchant of Record, Paddle handles the operational complexity of global payments while giving you complete control over pricing, promotions, and customer relationships

• Global payment infrastructure: Accept payments in 30+ currencies with localized payment methods 
• Complete tax compliance: Automatic tax calculation, collection, and remittance in 100+ jurisdictions 
• Subscription management: Handle billing cycles, proration, upgrades, and cancellations automatically
• Churn reduction tools: Automated payment recovery, cancellation flows, and customer retention features 
• Developer-friendly integration: APIs, webhooks, and SDKs designed for seamless mobile app integration

Why leading apps choose Paddle: 

Companies like Runna (Acquired by Strava), HubX (100M+ users), Goodnotes (24M+ users), and thousands of other subscription businesses trust Paddle to power their web monetization because we eliminate the technical barriers to selling globally while providing the flexibility they need to optimize and grow.

With Paddle handling the complexity of web payments and Apphud managing mobile subscription analytics, your team can focus on building great products while maximizing revenue across all platforms.

Here are some concrete use cases showing how a subscription app can unlock value by integrating Apphud with Paddle.

Use Case 1: High-Commitment Web Campaigns with Mobile Access

Scenario

A language-learning app wants to run a "Get Lifetime Access" promotion on its website, offering a one-time, per-unit-priced payment via Paddle at a discounted rate. Instead of directing users into the app store paywall (and incurring 15–30 % fees), the marketing team builds a Flows campaign that:

• Presents the lifetime-access offer on the web (using the Apphud Flows Builder Kit + Paddle paywall)
• Processes the payment through Paddle
• Automatically grants "premium" entitlement in the iOS and Android apps via the Apphud integration

Value Delivered

• Margin Preservation: Saving up to 25 % in store commissions on high-ticket purchases.
• Seamless UX: Users who buy on the web open the mobile app and immediately see all premium features unlocked, no extra login or manual activation required.
• Holistic Analytics: Marketing and product teams view purchase, activation, and engagement metrics for these web-sourced subscribers alongside native in-app subscribers in a single Apphud dashboard.

Use Case 2: Cross-Platform Churn Reduction & Cohort Optimization

Scenario:

A fitness coaching app experiences involuntary churn when credit cards expire on web subscriptions. To tackle this, they:

• Track billing-issue events from Paddle via Apphud (marking subscriptions with unpaid invoices)
• Trigger end-user workflows: an automated email from Flows reminding users to update payment, plus an in-app push notification for those who still have the app installed
• Activate Retain from the Paddle dashboard to automatically send proactive emails that prompt users to update their payment methods before they expire. Optionally activate cancellation flows and salvage offers to further reduce churn.
• Use unified Paddle + Apphud analytics to compare renewal success rates and churn rates between web and in-app subscribers

Value Delivered

• Reduced Involuntary Churn: Proactive notifications boost successful renewals, recovering revenue that would have been lost.
• Data-Driven Improvements: By segmenting cohorts (web vs. in-app) and tracking their renewal behavior, the team refines dunning email timing, paywall messaging, and even decides where to allocate ad spend for the highest ROI.
• Single Source of Truth: All billing issues, renewals, and cancellation events, regardless of origin, flow into Apphud, eliminating siloed reporting and enabling precise LTV and MRR forecasting.

These use cases illustrate how Apphud’s Paddle integration turns isolated web payments into a fully unified subscription experience, delivering operational efficiencies, higher margins, and better retention for subscription app managers.

Use Case 3: Global Market Expansion with Localized Payments

Scenario:

A meditation app wants to expand into Asian markets where credit card adoption is lower and users prefer local payment methods.

The team implements Paddle's localized payment infrastructure supporting Alipay, WeChat Pay, and local banking transfers. Region-specific pricing that reflects local purchasing power. 

Value Delivered:

Expanding into new markets often requires more than just offering a product internationally. Many users will not convert through traditional credit card payments, and providing local payment methods can make a significant difference. On average, offering region-specific options increases checkout completion rates by 30 percent.

When payments from every channel and geography are unified, operations become much simpler. With all subscription data flowing into Apphud, businesses maintain a single source of truth regardless of how or where customers pay.

This unified approach also creates opportunities for richer insights.

Companies can compare performance across markets, evaluate pricing sensitivity, and understand user behavior in different regions, allowing them to shape strategies with far greater precision.

Use Case 4: Premium Upsell Campaigns with Cross-Platform Analytics

Scenario:

A productivity app decides to launch a limited-time promotion for its “Professional Plan,” targeting existing basic subscribers who are ready to upgrade. Instead of running the offer through the app store, the team builds a web-based upgrade flow in Paddle, which allows them to set promotional pricing and avoid the restrictions that come with in-app upgrade rules. To ensure visibility, subscribers see targeted in-app notifications directing them to the promotion on the web.

Apphud sits at the center of the campaign, tracking how users move through the upgrade path, measuring the revenue lift from the promotion, and analyzing how subscriber behavior shifts after the upgrade. For those who visit the upgrade page but don’t immediately convert, the app sends follow-up email sequences to re-engage them and encourage the move to Professional.

Value delivered:

By processing upgrades on the web, the app keeps more revenue by avoiding platform fees on higher-tier subscriptions. The team gains the flexibility to test different offers and pricing strategies without waiting for app store approvals, while maintaining complete attribution across the entire user journey from in-app notification to final upgrade. With Apphud’s data, they can also see how upgraded subscribers behave differently across web and mobile, uncovering new insights that improve retention strategies.

As subscription businesses evolve, the line between web and in-app experiences is rapidly blurring. Users expect seamless access across platforms, while teams need centralized analytics, flexible payment options, and operational efficiency. Running subscriptions in silos is no longer sustainable - it leads to fragmented data, inconsistent user journeys, and lost revenue opportunities.

By combining Apphud's powerful in-app subscription infrastructure with Paddle's flexible web payments, subscription apps can unify the entire user lifecycle: from acquisition to activation, retention, and revenue tracking. With tools like Apphud Flows, cross-platform entitlements, and full-funnel analytics, product and marketing teams can build better user experiences while maximizing margins.

Simplify your subscription stack today - and unlock the full value of a unified web + in-app subscription model with Apphud and Paddle.

Nataly

Head of Marketing at Apphud

7+ years in product marketing. Nataly is responsible for marketing strategy development and execution. Committed adherent of the agile methodology.