From apple-dev-skills
App Store pricing strategy, global equalization, subscription management, and regional pricing decisions using Apple's official 900-price-point system. Use when user asks about pricing tiers, IAP pricing, subscription pricing, regional pricing, price changes, App Store proceeds, base storefront selection, introductory offers, or promotional offers.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
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**Strategic guidance for App Store pricing using Apple's official 900-price-point system, global equalization, subscription management, and regional pricing decisions.**
Strategic guidance for App Store pricing using Apple's official 900-price-point system, global equalization, subscription management, and regional pricing decisions.
All guidance is based on Apple's official pricing capabilities (March 2023 onwards). Do NOT reference pre-2023 fixed tier tables or third-party price matrices — they are outdated.
Apple offers 900 price points per currency (800 default + 100 higher on request up to $10,000). Price increments are:
| Price Range | Increment | Example Prices |
|---|---|---|
| $0.29 – $9.99 | $0.10 | $0.29, $0.39, $0.49 ... $9.99 |
| $10.00 – $49.99 | $0.50 | $10.00, $10.50, $11.00 ... $49.99 |
| $50.00 – $199.99 | $1.00 | $50, $51, $52 ... $199.99 |
| $200.00 – $499.99 | $5.00 | $200, $205, $210 ... $499.99 |
| $500.00 – $9,999.99 | $10–$50 | $500, $510, $520 ... $9,999.99 |
Apple supports multiple price endings per region. Common conventions:
| Convention | Range | Best For |
|---|---|---|
.99 | $0.99 – $9,999.99 | Standard app/IAP pricing |
.00 | $1.00 – $10,000 | Clean numbers, annual plans |
.90 | $0.90 – $99.90 | Discounts, promotions |
.95 | $0.95 – $49.95 | Psychological pricing |
China has additional conventions ( endings in 8, 9, .80, .90). Choose the convention that matches your market positioning.
Developer Proceeds = (Customer Price − VAT/Applicable Tax) × (1 − Apple Commission)
The base storefront is the anchor for all 174 other storefronts. Apple auto-generates equalized prices based on FX rates and taxes.
| Scenario | Recommended Base | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| US-centric business | United States | Largest market, stable currency |
| EU-centric business | Germany or France | Euro anchor, largest EU markets |
| Global but price-sensitive | Your home market | Familiar with local purchasing power |
| Subscription parity desired | Germany | Apple's default for global parity examples |
Critical rule: Apple never changes the base storefront price. All other 174 storefronts may auto-adjust when FX rates move 10%+ sustained over quarters, or 25%+ quickly. You receive 14-day email notice before auto-adjustments.
When you manually set a price for a specific storefront, Apple stops auto-adjusting that storefront forever (unless you reset via global price change).
| Approach | When to Use | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Full auto (recommended for most) | Let Apple manage all 174 storefronts | Prices drift with FX; always equalized |
| Key market parity | Manually lock US/UK/EU to same number (e.g., $7.99 / £7.99 / €7.99) | You must monitor FX and adjust manually |
| Emerging market discount | Manually lower prices in India, Indonesia, etc. | Lose auto-adjustment; must maintain manually |
| Full manual | Enterprise apps with territory-specific contracts | High maintenance burden |
Decision tree:
Subscriptions behave differently from one-time purchases:
| Behavior | One-Time IAP / Paid App | Auto-Renewable Subscription |
|---|---|---|
| Auto FX adjustment | Yes | No |
| Tax/FX change impact | Apple auto-adjusts | You must update manually |
| Price change for existing subscribers | N/A (one-time) | Optional: preserve current price |
| Consent required for increase | N/A | Yes, in certain markets and for large increases |
Subscription price changes:
| Offer Type | Eligibility | Duration | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introductory Offer | New customers only | 1 week – 1 year | Acquisition |
| Promotional Offer | New, existing, lapsed | Flexible | Retention, win-back |
| Offer Code | New, existing, lapsed | Flexible | Marketing campaigns |
One introductory offer per subscription group per customer lifetime.
SKPaymentQueue with the promotional offer identifierasc_list_subscriptions to find subscription IDsasc_create_subscriptionasc_set_subscription_localization for each market's offer textImportant: When removing an existing subscription from a territory, provide advance notice to existing subscribers.
| Mistake | Why It Hurts | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Ignoring tax-inclusive display | You think you earn $0.70 on $0.99, but VAT reduces proceeds in EU | Use App Store Connect's proceeds estimator |
| Manual override on too many storefronts | You lose auto-equalization and prices drift out of sync | Override only 2–3 key markets |
| Forgetting subscription auto-adjust doesn't exist | You expect FX changes to auto-update sub prices | Set calendar reminders to review sub pricing quarterly |
| Wrong tax category | Books taxed differently than software; video has special rules | Assign correct tax category in ASC |
| Price increase without preserved pricing | Existing subscribers churn unexpectedly | Preserve pricing for existing subscribers on increases |
| Intro offer without localization | Offer text shows in wrong language | Localize via asc_set_subscription_localization |
App Store Connect lets you assign tax categories based on content type. This affects tax rates in each territory.
| Category | Content Types |
|---|---|
| Software | Default for most apps |
| Books | E-books, audiobooks |
| News / Magazines | Periodical subscriptions |
| Video | Streaming video, movies |
Action: Review and set the correct tax category in App Store Connect → App → Pricing and Availability → Tax Category. Incorrect categorization means incorrect tax calculation and lower/higher proceeds than expected.
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
asc_get_app_pricing | Get current app pricing schedule (manual + automatic prices) |
asc_list_iaps | List in-app purchases for pricing review |
asc_list_subscriptions | List subscriptions to check current pricing |
asc_list_subscription_groups | List subscription groups for tier strategy |
asc_create_iap | Create a new IAP with pricing to be set in ASC |
asc_create_subscription | Create a subscription with period and group level |
asc_update_subscription | Update subscription metadata (not price — done in ASC) |
asc_set_iap_localization | Localize IAP name/description for pricing display |
asc_set_subscription_localization | Localize subscription name/description |
Note: Setting actual prices requires App Store Connect web UI or the App Store Connect API. The MCP server covers IAP/subscription creation and metadata; price scheduling is managed through ASC's pricing tool directly.
| Price | Signal | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Free + IAP | Freemium | Most common; lowest barrier |
| $0.99 | Impulse buy | Simple utility apps |
| $1.99–$2.99 | Value app | Tools, productivity |
| $3.99–$5.99 | Premium utility | Pro features, no subscriptions |
| $9.99+ | Professional | Niche professional tools |
| Monthly Price | Annual Equivalent | Category |
|---|---|---|
| $0.99–$1.99 | $9.99–$19.99 | Budget/utility |
| $2.99–$4.99 | $29.99–$39.99 | Consumer/prosumer |
| $5.99–$9.99 | $49.99–$79.99 | Premium consumer |
| $10.99–$19.99 | $89.99–$149.99 | Pro/professional |
| $20+ | $150+ | Enterprise/niche |
Annual plans should be priced at roughly 8–10 months of the monthly price (17–20% discount). Too small a discount won't drive annual commitment; too large erodes lifetime value.
asc-submission — Prepare app metadata and screenshots for reviewios-build — Build validation before pricing changes go liveapple-review — Review compliance including IAP restore mechanisms and pricing displaynpx claudepluginhub markdavidgan/apple-dev-skills --plugin apple-dev-skillsProvides behavioral guidelines to reduce common LLM coding mistakes, focusing on simplicity, surgical changes, assumption surfacing, and verifiable success criteria.
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