Discovery of this random app
Curtis Herbert is back with another Slopes Diaries post, making the argument that Apple’s 30% cut is worth it, but that external payment links will also open new opportunities.
I think the perspective on this topic varies between developers partly based on whether you expect users to randomly discover your app in the App Store, or whether you’re building a service outside the store and the mobile app is just a companion to that. Much of Curtis’s framing is around discovery in the App Store:
Remember, your goal when trying to convert a sale is to try to cause as little friction as possible. Make the user think as little as possible. “Enter your credit card information for this random app to start your free trial” is hardly frictionless compared to IAPs.
There are many advantages to Stripe other than the lower fees. There’s more control and flexibility across the board. Also you get paid daily instead of waiting over a month for Apple to cut a virtual check, as if developers are kids waiting for their monthly allowance.
Apple’s in-app purchase works really well for Slopes. That’s great. For Micro.blog, I’m not convinced there’s much of an advantage. Very few people want to start a new blog and think, “First I’ll search the App Store.”
Developers are in the best position to know what marketing and payment options will work for their app. The whole point of these changes — from the EU’s Digital Markets Act to the judge’s ruling in the Epic trial — is to put the decision back in the hands of developers where it belongs.
