Web checkout on the iOS paywall

Web checkout on the iOS paywall how top subscription apps show the web route, how hard they push it, and what they charge on it

Duolingo, Hinge, Bumble, Flo, TradingView, Proton VPN, Runna, Fitbod, Zwift, Magic Edit, AllTrails, Zumba, Plenty of Fish, Fig, Waking Up, BoldVoice, Tolan and Brainrot sell iOS subscriptions through a web checkout offered on the paywall itself. Each paywall is captured as a US user sees it and described on three points: Route, what the web option is on the screen; Emphasis, how hard it is pushed over the in-app one; Offer, whether trial and price differ from the App Store, checked at the web checkout.

Captured

Live iOS paywalls with a web checkout option, US App Store, September 2026.

Why it matters

US apps have been able to link to a web checkout from inside the app since the Epic v. Apple ruling of April 2025. From 1 October 2026, Apple's new EU terms set the commission on link-out purchases at 15% (10% on the Small Business Program) against 26% (15%) for in-app purchase. Paddle and Helium report net proceeds 20 to 60% higher when the web flow is implemented well, and lower conversion when it is copied without testing.

The examples

The paywalls

Web as the main button

Duolingo

language learning

Route: Main button, with the external-link icon in the label. “Pay in app” is a text link below it.
Emphasis: Strong. A full-width filled button against a small link.
Offer: Same. A free week and the same price on both routes.

Hinge

dating

Route: Main button; the plan grid belongs to the web route. “Subscribe with App Store” is a text link beneath.
Emphasis: Strong. The label names the plan and the price, not the route.
Offer: Same. $89.99 for three months on both routes.

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Flo

period tracker

Route: Main button. Plan cards, the free-trial toggle and “Continue” all lead to the web; “Subscribe in the App Store” is a link at the bottom.
Emphasis: Strong. “Continue” hides the route, and the App Store link is the smallest text on the screen.
Offer: Same. $59.99 a year on both routes.

Runna

running plans

Route: Main button. “Pay in App Store” sits under it as text.
Emphasis: Strong, with one softening: “No payment due today, cancel anytime” is repeated under both routes.
Offer: Same. A one-week trial then $119.99 a year on both routes; the web checkout adds local VAT on top and shows $143.99.

Fitbod

strength training

Route: Main button, with the external-link icon. “Purchase in app” is italic text beneath.
Emphasis: Strong. The reminder toggle sits directly above the web button.
Offer: Same. A 7-day trial then the same price on both routes, $15.99 a month on the monthly plan.

Fig

food scanner

Route: Main button, “Redeem 7 days for $0.00,” with the external-link icon. “Pay in app” is an underlined link.
Emphasis: Strong. The $0.00 label makes the web button the free one by wording.
Offer: Same. Seven days free, then $69.99 a year on both routes.

Waking Up

meditation

Route: Main button, “Try it free,” with the subtitle “Subscribe with Waking Up.” “Subscribe with Apple” is an underlined link under an “Or” divider.
Emphasis: Strong. A white full-width button against a single link, with the trial timeline, guarantee and “No Payment Due Now” all above the button.
Offer: Same. Seven days free, then $149.99 a year on both routes.

BoldVoice

accent coaching

Route: Main button. “Use in-app payment” is a grey link at the bottom.
Emphasis: Strong. The full trial explainer sits above the web button; the in-app link gets none of it.
Offer: Same. Seven days free, then $149.99 a year on both routes.

Brainrot

screen time

Route: Main button. “Pay in App” is a text link under it.
Emphasis: Strongest in the set. The in-app link is the faintest text on the screen, and “Money back guarantee” sits under the web button.
Offer: Same. $8.99 a month on both routes.

A choice of two routes

Bumble

dating

Bumble payment method sheet with Pay with card and Pay with Apple

Route: A payment-method sheet, opened by the priced button after the plan is picked.
Emphasis: Mild. Two equal rows, card listed above Apple.
Offer: Same. $32.99 on both rows, so the web route is sold on payment method, not on saving.

Plenty of Fish

dating

Plenty of Fish payment sheet asking “How would you like to pay?”

Route: A sheet opened by the priced button after the plan is picked: “How would you like to pay?”
Emphasis: Strong within the sheet. “Continue with Credit Card” is the filled button; “Pay with in-app payment” is a text link.
Offer: Same. $34.99 a week on both routes, plus tax on the web.

AllTrails

hiking

Route: A sheet opened by the trial button, “Subscribe your way,” with “Choose payment method” above “Continue with App Store.”
Emphasis: Mild. A dark filled button over a light grey one; neither label says “web,” so the choice reads as payment method rather than a route change.
Offer: Same. Seven days free, then $35.99 a year on both routes.

Zwift

indoor cycling

Route: Two stacked buttons: a filled “Start free trial” that opens the web checkout, and an outlined “Sign up with Apple” for the App Store.
Emphasis: Mild. Same size, filled against outlined; the App Store button is named by the provider rather than by the app.
Offer: Web-only plan. Monthly is the same on both routes, 14 days free then $19.99, with tax added on the web; the annual plan at 16% off exists only on the web checkout.

Zumba

fitness

Route: Two buttons side by side: a filled web button and an outlined App Store button.
Emphasis: Mild. The web button is labelled by the saving, “Save an extra 10%,” the App Store button by the action, “Join Today.”
Offer: Web cheaper. The same 7-day trial, then $89.99 a year against $99.99, with the code SAVE10WEB applied automatically at checkout.

Web as a link, a badge or a plan

TradingView

charting

Route: A text link under the in-app trial button: “Pay on web to save.”
Emphasis: Low. One line of text, but the label names the route and the reason.
Offer: Web cheaper. $155.40 a year against $219.99 in-app, a 29% gap. The paywall promises the saving and only the checkout shows it.

Proton VPN

privacy

Route: A badge on one plan. The 2-year option in the in-app list is marked WEB ONLY; the button buys through the App Store.
Emphasis: Low. A badge, no separate web button.
Offer: Web-only plan. Two years at $119.76, the same $4.99 a month as the yearly, so the web wins on commitment length rather than rate.

Tolan

AI companion

Route: A text link under the in-app upgrade button on the plan sheet: “Pay with credit card.”
Emphasis: Low. The in-app button is the default and carries the Apple Pay mark; the web route is one line of text named by payment method.
Offer: Same. $24.99 a month, or $199.99 a year with a 3-day trial, on both routes.

Magic Edit

photo editing

Route: None visible. One button serves both plans: with Yearly selected it opens the web checkout, with Weekly it opens the App Store sheet.
Emphasis: Hidden. Nothing on the screen names a route, so the split is only felt after the tap, and the pre-selected plan is the web one.
Offer: Web-only plan. Yearly, 3 days free then $89.99, sells only on the web, at the figure the paywall prints; weekly at $6.99 stays in-app.

What to test

Most apps in the set keep the same trial and price on both routes and sell the web on payment method; a few sell it on the offer. Judge every test on net proceeds per paywall view, after Apple's fee, Stripe's fee and tax, not on conversion rate: a web route can convert worse and still win, and the web checkout adds local VAT on top where the App Store absorbs it.

Route. One button that goes to the web with in-app as a link, against a payment choice after the plan is picked.

Emphasis. How small the in-app option can get before total purchases start to drop. Watch web share and total purchases together.

Offer. The same trial and price on both routes; a lower price on the web; or a plan only the web sells, with monthly staying in-app and the annual or multi-year plan routed to the web, shown in the in-app list with a badge or kept for the checkout page.

Add web checkout, raise proceeds per user, stay approved

Done well, the web route raises net proceeds by 20 to 60%. Copied without testing, it lowers conversion, and since April it can get an app pulled from the store. Applica designs the route, the emphasis and the offer for your paywall, tests them against your in-app baseline, and keeps the flow inside Apple's rules.

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Web checkout on the iOS paywall: how top subscription apps show the web route, how hard they push it, and what they charge on it