Is it legal to sell iOS app features outside the Apple App Store?

Yes, recent legal rulings and regulations like the EU's Digital Markets Act now require Apple to allow developers to "steer" users to external websites for payments. While you can offer these options, you must typically use specific platform entitlements and may still be subject to reduced commission reporting.

How do users access their web purchases within the mobile app?

Users typically log into a centralized account system that synchronizes their entitlements across all platforms. Once a payment is confirmed via a webhook from your Merchant of Record, your server updates the user's profile, automatically unlocking the purchased features the next time they open the app.

What is the benefit of using a Merchant of Record instead of a simple payment processor?

A Merchant of Record like PayPro Global handles the entire burden of global tax compliance, fraud prevention, and local regulations, whereas a simple processor leaves those legal responsibilities to you. This allows you to sell in over 200 countries immediately without having to register for local tax IDs in each one.

Does selling outside the app store affect my app's visibility?

No, your app remains available for download and discovery on the official App Store or Google Play Store. You are simply providing an additional, more cost-effective way for users to pay for subscriptions or digital goods via an external web-based checkout.

How do I handle customer support for payments made on my website?

When you partner with an MoR, they typically provide 24/7 global customer support for all transaction-related issues, such as billing inquiries or refund requests. This reduces your operational overhead and ensures your users receive professional assistance in their local language and time zone.

How to Sell Outside the App Store Mobile Apps? [6 Steps]

Leading the change in your revenue for 2026 will be your determination between the native billing ecosystem and the Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) path. In this case, deciding on the correct strategy depends on the size of your user base.

Is the Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) high enough to balance out the cost of a tailor-made web checkout? If you are mostly affirmative, choosing a selling outside the app store approach will enable you to retain the 15–30% margin that platform fees “ate up” previously.

Concept snapshot

Category: Direct-to-Consumer Digital Sales
Used by: Mobile SaaS platforms
Primary Purpose: Enable external web billing
Related Concepts: Merchant of Record, Regulatory compliance, Entitlements, Revenue Recovery, D2C
Stage in Growth: Global Expansion and Scaling

Step 1

Evaluate Current Legal and Regulatory Allowances

In 2024, the European Union’s introduction of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) led to a “modular” fee arrangement where developers in the EU can pay a reduced “Store Services Fee” of 5–13% plus a 2% “Initial Acquisition Fee” instead of the standard 30%. The impact of this regulatory change on a SaaS generating €1M annually in Europe suggests a possible fee reduction of around €150,000, considering processing costs, if a D2C model is adopted.

Region	Regulatory Status (2026)	External Link Policy	Savings (Fee)
European Union	High (DMA Enforcement)	Modular fees are subject to permit requirements	10%-18%
United States	Moderate (Post-Epic)	Permitted with reporting	3%-5%
Japan	High (MSCA Act)	The availability of alternative billing methods was noted	10%-12%
China	Emerging (2026 Update)	Standardized at 25%	~5%

Note

A commission on transactions originating from external links may be applied by platforms within a specific timeframe following a click. Always check the latest developer terms for “External Purchase Entitlements.”

Free Checklist for Selling Outside the App Store

Start selling a mobile app or game outside of the app store with this step-by-step checklist:

Cut 30% platform fees
Automate global sales tax
Set up web checkouts
Manage user accounts
and more!

Get Your FREE Checklist

Step 2

Select a Merchant of Record (MoR)

An Merchant of Record functions as a partner responsible for handling the financial and legal aspects of international sales, potentially reducing the need for direct involvement. Utilizing an MoR can potentially shift responsibility for VAT registration in 40 countries and the management of fraudulent chargebacks.

The 2025 data highlights a possible relationship between SaaS startups affected by an MoR model and a somewhat expedited market entry into new international regions, with a potential approximation of 95% resulting from pre-existing local tax IDs and payment licenses.

Tax Compliance: The MoR figures out, collects, and sends back a global saas sales tax (like GST in Australia or Sales Tax in Texas) regularly.
Liability Shift: Responsibility for fraudulent transactions may shift away from the startup, with the MoR potentially handling legal aspects of dispute resolution.
Localized Methods: Supporting diverse payment methods, including 70+ payment methods (like Pix in Brazil or iDEAL in the Netherlands), might indicate a difference when compared to native stores.

Tip

Review the difference between Merchant of Record vs Payment Gateway to ensure your partner provides full tax indemnity, not just technical processing.

Free Checklist for Selling Outside the App Store

Start selling a mobile app or game outside of the app store with this step-by-step checklist:

Cut 30% platform fees
Automate global sales tax
Set up web checkouts
Manage user accounts
and more!

Get Your FREE Checklist

Step 3

Configure a Web-Based Checkout

Avoiding the phenomenon of cart abandonment heavily depends on how naturally your web store resembles your mobile app.

The upcoming D2C checkouts in 2026 are designed with “overlay” technology, aiming to reduce the user’s awareness of being redirected to a third-party payment processor. The top B2C SaaS checkouts now heavily focus on 1-click payments through digital wallets, as these have a better conversion rate on mobile browsers.

Branding: For your checkout page, go for the same CSS and hex codes as your app.
Localization: Besides just showing USD, make it your practice to display the price in your users’ local currency by setting up regional pricing.
Upselling: A difference between web and native app store checkouts is the ability to upsell SaaS products for additional sale or present bundled options during the transaction.

Example

The introduction of a “Pro Yearly + Desktop Wallpaper Pack” bundle on a productivity app’s web checkout was correlated with a 15% shift in Average Order Value (AOV), a modification less readily implemented via the native store UI.

Free Checklist for Selling Outside the App Store

Start selling a mobile app or game outside of the app store with this step-by-step checklist:

Cut 30% platform fees
Automate global sales tax
Set up web checkouts
Manage user accounts
and more!

Get Your FREE Checklist

Step 4

Implement a Unified User Account System

You‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‍‍‌ should have a “Source of Truth” for your users, which is separate from the native platform servers. So, when a customer purchases a subscription on your website, your backend should update their status immediately, so that when they run the app, their status is up-to-date.

This is usually achieved by setting up a Webhook: the MoR dispatches a signal to your server, your server then modifies your database, and the app’s next API call “unlocks” the premium features.

The customer decides to subscribe through your website.
MoR dispatches a webhook to your server for instant payment notification (IPN).
Your server updates the user’s account in the database as “Active”.
Upon launching the app, the application registers the status and permits the user to gain the feature.

Free Checklist for Selling Outside the App Store

Start selling a mobile app or game outside of the app store with this step-by-step checklist:

Cut 30% platform fees
Automate global sales tax
Set up web checkouts
Manage user accounts
and more!

Get Your FREE Checklist

Step 5

Integrate External Links Using Authorized APIs

To be compliant, you should utilize platform-specific APIs made available by these platforms, e.g., the link in the app to make in-app payment. The system provides a notification to users when these APIs are invoked, which may be associated with exiting the ecosystem.

To avoid failing the product adoption rate, it is best to show the user the benefit of the link before they click it, for example, by presenting the “Web-Only Discount”.

Tip

The use of dynamic parameters to pre-fill user information at checkout may relate to the perceived smoothness of the user onboarding process.

Step 6

Deploy Automated Revenue Recovery

Revenue and involuntary churn might demonstrate some level of interdependence. It may be influenced by user actions concerning credit card updates. An MoR for external billing includes SaaS revenue recovery toolkits, like smart-retry logic and automated dunning management. Observations of tools indicate a recovery rate of up to 12% for transactions initially unsuccessful in native app stores.

Tool	Function	Impact on Churn
Smart Retries	Retries cards when banks are most likely to approve.	-5%
Emails	Scheduled reminders can prompt users to update their payment information.	-3%
Account Updater	Expired card numbers are automatically updated by the system.	-4%

Conclusion

The establishment of a Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) sales process may correlate with changes in margins and a closer link to customer relationships. Engaging a Merchant of Record provides a mechanism for delegating tax planning and compliance issues, affecting the applicability of fee structures in the 30% range.

Adhering to these steps could influence your software’s global compliance and financial standing as mobile development continues in 2026.

FAQ

Is it legal to sell iOS app features outside the Apple App Store?

Precisely, an agreement between the two parties and the implementation of the latest laws and regulations, e.g., EU Digital Markets Act, among others, have made it mandatory for Apple to permit developers to “guide” etc. users to external websites for payments. Offering such options is not a violation of the rules (but you have to use the platform entitlements being made available to you).
How do users access their web purchases within the mobile app?

They will normally have a single sign-on that is used for an account system. Entitlement synchronization across platforms will be enabled. Once the payment is received from the Merchant of Record, a webhook will be sent to your server, which will then update the user’s profile, and the features unlocked will automatically be available when the app is launched again.
What is the benefit of using a Merchant of Record instead of a simple payment processor?

Unlike a payment processor, which may place the responsibility for global tax compliance, fraud prevention, and local regulations on the user, a Merchant of Record, such as PayPro Global, manages these administrative aspects. This highlights the option to begin sales operations in a broad range of countries (over 200) without immediately addressing the need for local tax IDs in every location.
What effect does selling outside the app store have on an app's visibility?

Currently, your application remains available for download and discovery on the App Store or Google Play Store. You are only offering a new, cheaper option for users to pay for subscriptions or digital goods through an external web-based checkout.
How do I handle customer support for payments made on my website?

Collaborating with an MoR typically involves access to 24/7 global customer support for transaction-related matters, including billing and refund inquiries. This relates to both operational costs and user access to localized and time-sensitive support.

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How to Sell Outside the App Store Mobile Apps?

Concept snapshot

Evaluate Current Legal and Regulatory Allowances

Select a Merchant of Record (MoR)

Configure a Web-Based Checkout

Implement a Unified User Account System

Integrate External Links Using Authorized APIs

Deploy Automated Revenue Recovery

Conclusion

FAQ

Is it legal to sell iOS app features outside the Apple App Store?

How do users access their web purchases within the mobile app?

What is the benefit of using a Merchant of Record instead of a simple payment processor?

What effect does selling outside the app store have on an app's visibility?

How do I handle customer support for payments made on my website?

Ready to get started?

FREE Checklist for Selling Outside the App Store