Consumable, non-consumable or subscription? iOS in-app purchase types (2026)
The four kinds of iOS in-app purchase, consumable, non-consumable, auto-renewable and non-renewing, what each suits, and how to choose for your app.
By Sigsten Gustavii· · 8 min read
The iOS in-app purchase type you need depends on what people buy: something used up is a consumable, something kept forever is a non-consumable, and ongoing access is a subscription.
Choosing the type is the decision that shapes your paywall, your pricing and what Apple pays you. This guide sets out the four types in Apple's own words, from its App Store Connect help, what each suits, the rules that come with them, and how to set one up without writing StoreKit code.
| Type | Apple's description | Apple's example | Restorable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumable | Used once, then depleted and bought again | Fish food in a fishing app | No |
| Non-consumable | Bought once; does not expire or decrease with use | A race track in a game | Yes |
| Auto-renewable subscription | Access for a set period that renews automatically unless cancelled | A monthly streaming subscription | Yes |
| Non-renewing subscription | Access for a limited time that does not renew automatically | A year of live gaming content | Yours to manage |
Consumables
A consumable is used up: coins, extra lives, a pack of AI generations, a one-off boost. People can buy it again and again. It suits apps where usage varies a lot between people, or where each use costs you money. Apple's guideline 3.1.1 adds that credits or in-game currencies bought through in-app purchase may not expire, so design them to last until used.
Non-consumables
A non-consumable is bought once and kept: a pro version, a theme pack, a full recipe library. It does not expire, and people expect to get it back on a new phone through Restore Purchases. Apple's In-App Purchase page notes that non-consumables can offer Family Sharing, letting up to five family members share the purchase. It is the clearest offer for a tool people use occasionally: pay once, it is yours. It also asks nothing more of you after the sale, since there is no renewal to manage.
Auto-renewable subscriptions
An auto-renewable subscription charges every period, weekly, monthly or yearly, until the person cancels. It suits apps that keep delivering: new content, synced data, AI features that cost you each time, or a habit people return to daily. It is also where Apple's pricing tools are richest:
- Better proceeds over time. According to Apple's subscriptions page, you receive 70% of the price in a subscriber's opening year and 85% after a year of paid service, or 85% throughout in the Small Business Program.
- Subscription offers: a discounted price or free access for a set time.
- Offer codes you can share through your own channels for free or discounted access.
- Family Sharing for up to five family members, if you turn it on.
Non-renewing subscriptions
A non-renewing subscription gives access for a fixed time, a season or a year, and then simply ends. People buy it again if they want more. It suits time-boxed content, like a course term, a festival or a sports season, where everyone understands that access ends on a date. It comes with more work for you: because it is not managed as a renewing subscription, your app has to track when access ends and make it available across the person's devices itself.
Which type fits your app
| Your app | Fitting type | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A tool used now and then | Non-consumable unlock | One payment for lasting value |
| An app with new content every week | Auto-renewable subscription | Ongoing value, ongoing payment |
| An AI app with real costs per use | Subscription or consumable credits | Revenue follows your costs |
| A game with optional extras | Consumables and non-consumables | Coins used up, levels kept |
| A course for one term | Non-renewing subscription | Access for a fixed period |
| A shop selling real products | None: your own payment provider | Guideline 3.1.3(e) covers physical goods |
Many apps combine types: a free tier, a subscription, and perhaps a lifetime unlock for people who dislike subscriptions. Start with one, and add another only when people ask for it. Every extra option on a paywall is one more decision for the person looking at it, and a simpler offer is often the one that sells.
The rules that come with in-app purchases
- Digital unlocks must use in-app purchase. Guideline 3.1.1 rules out your own checkout, license keys or codes for features and content inside the app.
- Restore what can be restored. Provide a way to restore non-consumables and subscriptions.
- Physical goods and real-world services are different: they must use another payment method, and Apple takes no commission.
- Sign the Paid Apps Agreement beforehand. Apple's help says the Account Holder must accept it in the Business section of App Store Connect, with banking and tax information, before you can offer in-app purchases or test them in the sandbox.
- Up to 10,000 products per app, and products are not shared between different apps.
A paywall people trust
Whatever the type, the screen where people pay decides whether they do. A paywall that is clear also tends to be one App Review has no questions about:
- Say exactly what they get, in a short list, not a slogan.
- Show the real price and period, the way the App Store will charge it, including what happens after any offer ends.
- Make the free path obvious if there is one, with a clear way to close the paywall.
- Offer Restore Purchases where people can find it, for non-consumables and subscriptions.
- Link the terms and privacy policy from the paywall for subscriptions.
- Ask at a natural moment: when someone reaches a limit or taps a premium feature, not on the opening screen.
These are as much about trust as about rules. A person who understands what they are paying for is more likely to pay, and less likely to ask for a refund.
Setting it up in App Store Connect
According to Apple's help, the work around in-app purchases follows the same order on every route: accept the Paid Apps Agreement and add banking and tax information; create each product with a name, description, price and availability; set a tax category; implement StoreKit in the app with matching product identifiers; and test in Apple's sandbox before release. Apple notes that changes to product details can take up to an hour to appear in the sandbox.
What Apple keeps
On consumables, non-consumables and non-renewing subscriptions, Apple's standard commission is 30%, or 15% in the Small Business Program for developers with up to 1 million USD in proceeds a year. On auto-renewable subscriptions you keep 70% in a subscriber's opening year and 85% after, or 85% throughout in the Small Business Program. Our post on how much Apple takes from app sales has worked examples.
How to add in-app purchases with Borel, step by step
Borel builds native StoreKit paywalls for the two types most apps need: subscriptions and one-time unlocks. You do not write payment code, and Borel takes nothing from what your app earns.
- Build the app on Borel and try it on the live iPhone in your browser.
- Open Payments in the chat's + menu and set up a paid plan: a subscription with its billing cycle, or a one-time unlock, and its price.
- Say what the plan unlocks, in a message like the one below.
- Check the paywall: it shows Apple's own price, with Restore Purchases, terms and privacy links underneath, in the Simulator and on your iPhone with Borel Companion on Pro.
- Accept the Paid Apps Agreement and add banking and tax details in App Store Connect.
- Publish with Pro and Apple's Developer Program. Borel creates the products in your App Store Connect account before the build goes to Apple.
Make Pro a yearly subscription at $14.99. Free people can keep 5 journal entries a week; Pro unlocks unlimited entries, photo attachments and the mood chart. Show the paywall when someone tries to add a sixth entry.Purchases open once the app is on the App Store; until then you can try the whole paywall in the Simulator. The in-app purchases page shows how it looks, and the StoreKit glossary entry explains Apple's side.
The bottom line
Pick the in-app purchase type that matches what people get: consumables for things used up, non-consumables for things kept, auto-renewable subscriptions for ongoing value and non-renewing subscriptions for fixed periods. Use in-app purchase for anything unlocked in the app, offer Restore Purchases, and enroll in the Small Business Program. To build a paywall without StoreKit code, start free on Borel and add a plan from Payments.
Questions people ask
What are the four types of in-app purchase?
Consumable, non-consumable, auto-renewable subscription and non-renewing subscription, as Apple's App Store Connect help defines them.
What is the difference between consumable and non-consumable?
A consumable is used up and can be bought again, like coins. A non-consumable is bought once and kept, like a pro unlock, and can be restored on a new device.
Should I use a subscription or a one-time purchase?
A subscription if the app keeps delivering new value or costs you money to run; a one-time purchase if it is a tool people use now and then. Many apps offer both.
Do in-app purchase credits expire?
They may not. Apple's guideline 3.1.1 says credits or in-game currencies bought through in-app purchase may not expire.
Can family members share in-app purchases?
Yes, for auto-renewable subscriptions and non-consumables, if you enable Family Sharing; Apple says up to five family members can share.
How many in-app purchases can an app have?
Apple allows up to 10,000 in-app purchase products per app.
Can I test in-app purchases with a free Apple ID?
Not on a device: an app installed with a free Apple ID cannot use in-app purchases. On Borel you can see the paywall in the Simulator, and purchases open once the app is on the App Store.
Do I need a Restore Purchases button?
For anything restorable, yes: non-consumables and subscriptions. People expect to get their purchases back on a new phone, and Apple's guidelines expect a restore mechanism.
Can I sell physical products with in-app purchase?
No. Guideline 3.1.3(e) says physical goods and services used outside the app must use another payment method, such as a card payment, and Apple takes no commission on them.
Which in-app purchase types does Borel support?
Subscriptions and one-time unlocks, set up from Payments in the chat's + menu, with a StoreKit paywall and Restore Purchases.
I think the right purchase type is the one that matches how people use the app, not the one that earns most on paper. If you are unsure which yours is, describe the app to me and I will tell you what I would pick.
– Sigsten
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