Substack is taking advantage of a recent change to Apple’s App Store rules by enabling external payment options in its iOS app, letting users buy subscriptions outside Apple’s in-app payment (IAP) system. The shift follows Apple’s May policy update, spurred by Epic Games’ antitrust battle, which opened the door for developers to link to external purchase platforms.
Apps like Spotify, Patreon, and Amazon Kindle have already adopted similar systems. For Substack, the move means avoiding Apple’s commission on web sales while offering subscribers lower prices. Creators will still receive the same payout, as Substack automatically adjusts iOS subscription pricing upward to account for Apple’s fees, though writers can disable this adjustment if they prefer. Substack will continue to take its 10% cut based on the web subscription price.
More than 30,000 Substack publications currently support in-app purchases, and early testing shows that external payment links boosted sign-ups, though the company hasn’t shared numbers. The change only applies to new subscriptions, with no impact on existing Apple-managed ones. Writers don’t need to act unless they want to lower IAP pricing for readers.
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Substack is also offering “migration tools” to help creators access billing data for Apple-managed subscriptions if they ever leave the platform. However, Apple rules still require IAP to remain an option, meaning Substack cannot fully opt out.
For now, the update applies only in the U.S. Substack says it’s still reviewing whether to navigate Apple’s more complex EU and U.K. frameworks.
