Quick answer
RevenueCat - RevenueCat wins for most builders because its free tier starts with no required credit card and stays free to a lower revenue cap, making it easier to adopt before monetization ramps up.
How the free tiers compare
Both products are close on feature access in the free tier, but they differ in where the line is drawn and how much friction you hit at signup. Adapty gives you nearly everything for free until $5K in monthly revenue, then charges 1% of revenue above that point. RevenueCat gives access to all features from day one, stays free until $2.5K in monthly tracked revenue, and then also charges 1%. That makes RevenueCat the lower-friction choice for trying subscription infrastructure early, especially if you are still validating an app. Adapty is more generous on the revenue threshold and may fit teams that expect to cross a small monetization floor quickly. Both become usage-based after the cap, so costs scale with tracked revenue rather than seats or fixed bundles.
Adapty vs RevenueCat free tier, side by side
| AdaptyFTV 62 | RevenueCatFTV 68 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free revenue capAdapty uses monthly revenue; RevenueCat uses monthly tracked revenue. | $5K monthly revenue | $2.5K monthly tracked revenue |
| Fee after capBoth switch to the same take rate after the threshold. | 1% of monthly revenue | 1% of monthly tracked revenue |
| Credit card required to startState only because RevenueCat explicitly says optional at sign-up. | Not clearly waived | No |
| Feature access in free tierBoth are close to full-featured, but RevenueCat has a stated post-cap card caveat. | Nearly every feature under the $5K threshold | All features from day one, with some parts unavailable if no card is added after $2.5K MTR |
After you outgrow the free tier
Both products use usage-based pricing after the free tier. Adapty’s first paid step is effectively 1% of monthly revenue above $5K, while RevenueCat’s is 1% of monthly tracked revenue above $2.5K. That means RevenueCat is cheaper for the same revenue level once you are over both thresholds? No: the lower threshold means you start paying sooner, but the rate is the same. At higher revenue, the gap comes from when billing begins, not the percentage itself. For small teams under the cap, RevenueCat is easier to start because a card is optional; Adapty offers more runway before any charges apply.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Adapty | RevenueCat |
|---|---|---|
| $2K monthly revenue / tracked revenueBoth are under their respective caps. | Free (within tier) | Free (within tier) |
| $3K monthly revenue / tracked revenueRevenueCat is above its $2.5K cap, so 1% applies to the amount above the threshold; exact billing details beyond the stated fee are not provided. | Free (within tier) | ~$30/mo est. |
| $5K monthly revenue / tracked revenueAt RevenueCat’s stated 1% rate, $5K implies about $50 if applied to tracked revenue; Adapty is still at its free threshold. | Free (within tier) | ~$50/mo est. |
| $10K monthly revenue / tracked revenueBoth state a 1% fee after their threshold, but the exact billing basis above the cap is only described at a high level in the input. | ~$100/mo est. | ~$100/mo est. |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick Adapty when…
- You expect to pass $2.5K MTR quickly and want the higher free threshold before charges start.
- You want subscription management for mobile in-app purchases plus web API integrations and cloud data export.
- You are okay with a credit card requirement that is not clearly waived in the provided data.
- You want the broader $5K free runway before the 1% revenue share begins.
Pick RevenueCat when…
- You want to start without entering a credit card.
- You are validating an app and want all features available from day one while revenue is still small.
- You expect tracked revenue to stay under $2.5K for a while.
- You want unified subscription backend features across iOS, Android, smart TV, and web.
- You want paywalls, web-to-app funnels, and customer support tools in the same stack.
Bottom line
For most builders choosing a free tier, RevenueCat is the easier first stop because it requires no card to begin and gives full feature access from day one until $2.5K in tracked revenue. Adapty is the better pick if you want more free runway before usage charges kick in, since its cap is $5K. Once you are past the cap, the economics are similar on paper, with both charging 1% usage-based fees.
Read the full listings: Adapty and RevenueCat. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.