SubTru as an open source
RevenueCat alternative
SubTru is an open source API designed to make managing your users' subscriptions easier and more reliable. SubTru receives subscription events from Stripe, the Apple App Store, and Google Play, processes those events, and provides you an endpoint to fetch your users' subscription statuses so your app can make access decisions in real-time.
SubTru vs RevenueCat
While both SubTru and RevenueCat make adding subscriptions to your web or mobile app easier, there are some significant differences between both products that might make one a better fit for you than the other. The biggest difference is control. With SubTru, you can maintain full control of your own purchase flow, see the backend code used to process subscription events, and even self-host if you prefer to run that code on your own infrastructure.
| Category |  SubTru | RevenueCat |
|---|---|---|
| Code Integration | SubTru integrates with your backend as a single API request that returns which products your user has access to, why they have access, and for how long. Your app can use that response data when making access decisions. | RevenueCat primarily uses an SDK on the client side to make purchases and check access inside your app. Your backend can also request a user's active entitlements from the REST API when using an SDK-less integration. |
| Code Transparency | SubTru is open source under Apache 2.0, so you can access the API code and even self-host. | RevenueCat's backend code is not open source. |
| Pricing | SubTru is free to self-host, and SubTru Cloud offers fixed monthly or annual pricing plans. | RevenueCat costs 1% of tracked revenue after $2,500. |
| Purchase Types | SubTru supports auto-renewing subscriptions from Stripe, the Apple App Store, and Google Play. | RevenueCat supports subscription and non-subscription purchases from Stripe, the Apple App Store, and Google Play, plus RevenueCat Web Billing, Amazon Appstore, Roku Store, and Paddle. |
| Features | SubTru Cloud provides dashboard with customer lookup, organization management, and subscription event logs. | RevenueCat provides a dashboard and additional features like paywalls, A/B experiments, revenue charts, and various no-code integrations. |
When to consider SubTru
- You want more control over your codebase, purchase flow, and paywalls.
- You want visibility into the code that processes your users' subscriptions or prefer to self-host on your own infrastructure.
- You prefer a free, self-hosted SubTru or SubTru Cloud's fixed pricing instead of pricing that grows with your revenue.
When to consider RevenueCat
- You would rather use an SDK to handle purchases instead of writing the Stripe, StoreKit, or Google Play Billing code yourself.
- You sell through Amazon Appstore, Roku, or Paddle, sell one-time purchases, or need Apple Family Sharing, multi-item Stripe subscriptions, or Google prepaid plans.
- You want extra features like a paywall builder with A/B experiments and third-party integrations.
Follow the self-hosting steps or try SubTru Cloud to get started.
Last updated: October 3, 2026