Glossary · Paywalls and growth
What is web-to-app?
Web-to-app
Web-to-app is a way to sell a subscription on the web before the customer opens your app. A person clicks an ad, answers a quiz or sees an offer on a web page, pays on a web checkout, and then opens the app through a link that attaches the purchase to their account. The payment goes through your web checkout instead of the store's billing.
Four pieces make it work: a landing page or funnel, a web checkout such as Stripe Checkout, a way to identify the customer, and a link back into the app. For a known user you add their app user ID to the checkout link. For an anonymous buyer, a redemption link lets them buy first and attach the purchase to an account inside the app afterwards. RevenueCat documents the same two paths in its Web Purchase Links and Redemption Links guides.
The rules differ by store and country. On the US App Store, Apple's guidelines let apps link to web purchases without an entitlement, and other regions have their own conditions, so read the external purchase link entry before you add a link inside the app.
RevenueDot sells on your own Stripe account. A hosted purchase link at /pay/<project>/<link> takes ?app_user_id= for signed-in users, ends on a success page with a redemption link, and the SDK's redeemWebPurchase moves the purchase to the app user so the entitlement is active. Funnels, web discounts and custom domains are built in.
Sources: RevenueCat Docs: Web Purchase Links · RevenueCat Docs: Redemption Links · Apple: App Review Guidelines
FAQ
Web-to-app: questions people ask
What is a redemption link?
A link that opens your app after a web purchase and hands the purchase to the SDK, which attaches it to the app user so their entitlement turns on.
Do web purchases give the same access as store purchases?
Yes, if the web product is attached to the same entitlement. The SDK treats the purchase like any other once it is redeemed.
Can I do web-to-app on iOS?
It depends on the storefront and where the link sits. Read Apple's Guideline 3.1.1(a) and the External Purchase documentation for the countries where you sell.
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