Web-to-app funnels are having a moment — but they’re a lot more complex than send traffic to a landing page and profit. In this guide, we’ll break down when web-to-app actually makes sense, the benefits and disadvantages, how to design and test your first funnel, common questions, and what the future holds for web-to-app.
Personally, I love web-to-app because it blends the best of both worlds I work in: e-commerce and apps. You get the storytelling, experimentation, and control of a web funnel, with the retention and lifetime value power of an app. When it’s done right, it feels like the perfect growth setup. However, it does come with its challenges. I’m excited to guide you through it all.
What is a web-to-app funnel?
Web-to-app funnels (sometimes written as web2app) do exactly what they sound like: they start on the web and drive users into your app. That might mean someone signs up or pays on the web before downloading the app (technically called web-to-web), or sometimes the payment happens after they install the app (web-to-app).
In practice, most people just call it all “web-to-app”. And honestly, that’s fair, both approaches bridge the gap between web <> app. Here we’ll focus mainly on web-to-web funnels, as they differ most from in-app-only funnels.
Benefits of using web-to-app
Web funnels aren’t new — they’ve been popular for years, particularly in the health and fitness space — but their adoption has surged recently. Many believe funnels improve attribution and reduce costs, but of course there are pros and cons to web-to-app funnels. Let’s look at both sides.
1. Cost savings (debatable)
The first reason people often consider web-to-app is cost savings. But like I said, it’s not that simple — Apple and Google take 15%–30% in fees; that’s a big cut. By comparison, web payments usually cost far less (around 2%–3%, though when blended across all fees, more like 6%).
It’s natural to think web-to-app can save money, but it’s important to note that lower fees alone shouldn’t be the sole reason to switch.
As Thomas Petit, App Growth Consultant, explains on the Sub Club podcast, “People are going web-to-app for the wrong reason.” Setting up a web-to-app funnel takes time and effort. Testing a completely new flow can reveal that what works in-app doesn’t always work on the web, and conversion rates may even be lower. This can increase your customer acquisition cost (CAC).
The real benefit isn’t always reduced costs; it’s the potential for higher lifetime value (LTV) per user. Even if your overall costs don’t drop, the value each user brings can increase.
2. Improved retention and LTV
Data shows that web subscribers tend to renew at higher rates than App Store or Google Play users, which generally leads to better retention and higher lifetime value. One reason is friction: on a phone, all subscriptions are in one place, making it easy for users to cancel multiple services at once, a trend we often see in January. Another factor is that web subscriptions often skew toward higher-end offerings.
Web users may also be more accustomed to paying higher prices, making them comfortable spending more on your app as well.
3. Simplified tracking and attribution
In 2021, Apple introduced the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policy, which also resulted in the app world rethinking web-to-app. On the web, tracking is simpler, giving campaigns more data and a better feedback loop.
While web-to-app tracking isn’t perfect (for example, feeding purchase data to Meta seven days later can be tricky), it generally provides better insights into subscriber behavior, helping improve campaign performance, e.g. easily seeing how different acquisition sources impact retention and LTV.
4. Monetization freedom
Money-back guarantees? Go for it. Lifetime subscription offers? Bundles? Upsells? Multiple pricing tests? Go absolutely wild.
Over time, app stores have enforced stricter monetization rules and, as above, tracking. The web, however, is pretty much a free-for-all. You can experiment freely without worrying about app store constraints. Please note this is in no way an encouragement to follow dark UX patterns or test a million things at once — regardless of the channel, you should follow best practices and respect ethical monetization and UX. But this is one reason some folks favour web-to-app.
5. Quicker testing for multiple funnels
The rise in popularity of web-to-app has also driven the growth of no-code web app builders, making it easy for non-developers to build funnels quickly. Maybe not quite as fast as a paywall can be built in RevenueCat (fast, less than four minutes! See the speed-building championship), but still speedy work.
Early-stage startups even use Typeform surveys or simple landing pages as their first web-to-app funnels.
If you’re pre-launch, the joy of having the conversion on the web means you can use it to test messaging, pricing, and positioning early on. As Marcus Burke, Meta Ads & App Growth Consultant, puts it: “You’re not moving to the web to save a 30% store fee. You’re moving to the web as it allows you to differentiate yourself, learn fast, and empower marketing, no matter what your product roadmap looks like.”
6. Faster cash flow
In-app, when you get a new subscriber, great! Oh, wait, please hold up to 68 days for the App Store to pay you. Thanks a lot, App Store, that’s a long time for a cash-strapped startup.
While there are solutions (for example, RevenueCat is launching RC Capital to provide next-day payouts for App Store payout profits), web payments often result in immediate, or very quick, payouts by comparison to app stores.
7. Content-led discovery
As Thomas points out, web-to-app can also be a powerful tool for discovery: larger apps can use web-led content to attract new users. For example, Photoroom offers free web tools that drive awareness and funnel users into their app, creating a content-led growth strategy.
Disadvantages of web-to-app
Before you start building your web-to-app funnel (and attempt to beat that paywall speed-building record), there are some important downsides to keep in mind.
Apps often underestimate how much they’ll need to change or set up for the web. We’ve touched on additional costs and time for testing, but there are a few other factors to consider:
1. Free trials don’t work as well on the web
If your main strategy relies on free trials or a freemium model, it may not translate smoothly online. Web users often enter card details for cards with no balance, so you may need an alternative setup, like a low-cost trial (e.g. $1) or a money-back guarantee.
This can mean fewer free users entering your app, and makes comparing web versus app performance more complicated.
2. Impact on organic rankings and traffic
Many web-to-app funnels convert users directly on the web, which can reduce app installs, ratings, and reviews. In contrast, in-app campaigns drive traffic to app stores, even if users don’t convert immediately.
Fewer installs, ratings, and reviews may hurt your app store ranking and limit organic growth. Nathan Hudson, Founder of Perceptycs, explains the downsides of this as:
“This can also hurt apps scaling paid acquisition who will need support from ASO to continue scaling with their target ROAS. Stronger rankings mean a higher volume of organic installs, which can drastically lower your blended acquisition cost.”
3. Financial and legal complexities
We all cry about the greediness of the app stores charging such high fees, but the reality is they’re actually doing a lot of heavy lifting for us: handling different tax laws, chargebacks, and more.
On the web, you’ll need to handle this yourself. If your app is international, this gets even more complex. While there are solutions for this, like using a Merchant of Records (e.g. Paddle), it’s an additional cost and layer of complexity to the operation.
4. Messier attribution
Running multiple funnels across web and app introduces complexity in tracking and attribution.
- App campaigns rely on SKAN or aggregated install data
- Web campaigns use pixels and server-to-server tracking
If you’re testing both, it can get pretty messy. You risk having more users, which is great, but not being able to tell where they came from or assign them to the right funnel — making it harder to recreate success (or fix failure). You can improve this by ensuring you consistently tag users across web and app, as well as bringing together the data into a single source of truth.
Key differences between web-to-app and in-app purchases
So it’s clear that web-to-app and in-app purchases operate very differently. While web-to-app offers significant benefits, it’s not something you can whip up to test quickly. Web funnels come with added complexities, as Gessica Bicego, Marketing & Growth Consultant, explained in her workshop at App Growth Annual 2025:
“Web funnels may look simple, but several technical layers add complexity.”
- An MMP helps manage deep linking and accurate attribution
- A CRM tool is essential to capture and activate the emails you collect
- You’ll need a payment processor that handles global taxes
- Expect a high failed payment rate (around 50%), but tools and retries can significantly improve acceptance
Here’s a roundup of everything you need to know the differences between web-to-app and in-app purchases.
| Area | Web-to-app | In-app purchases |
| Fees & margins | Lower processor fees (around 2–3% up to 6% including all costs) but higher build + maintenance effort. Savings aren’t guaranteed once conversion drop-offs are factored in. | 15–30% store fee, but stores handle tax, refunds, billing errors, fraud, and global payment methods. |
| Conversion rates | Typically lower initial conversion due to browser handoff friction. Free trials often underperform without tweaks (e.g. $1 trials, money-back). | Smooth, trusted, one-tap purchase results in the highest trial start and paid conversion rates. |
| Retention & LTV | Users who push through friction tend to be stickier and renew more (potentially higher LTV). | Large volume, but generally slightly lower renewal rates. |
| Attribution & signal quality | More granular tracking and faster feedback loops. Better for creative testing and channel optimization. | Limited by ATT/SKAN, delayed + aggregated signals, harder learning cycles. |
| Pricing & monetization freedom | Full flexibility: lifetime deals, bundles, upsells, guarantees, etc. Great for experimentation. | Must comply with App Store rules, less pricing and UX flexibility. |
| Cash flow | Fast payouts, useful for cash-constrained teams scaling paid UA. | 45–60 day payouts (unless using financing products). |
| User acquisition | Mainly Meta, but it also opens up new audiences and potential channels. | Additional campaign types/channels unavailable to web, e.g. ASO, Apple Search Ads. |
| Operational complexity | High: own billing stack, compliance with tax laws, fraud management, supporting failed payments, CRM activation. | Low: app stores handle payments, taxes, and global compliance. |
| Impact on ASO & organic search | Fewer users hit store pages, rankings can drop if too much spend shifts to the web. | Drives ratings, reviews, and traffic that boost discoverability. |
| Experimentation Speed | Marketers can build/test funnels without waiting for app releases. | More dev-dependent; shipping updates slows testing velocity. |
| Attribution Across Channels | Hybrid setups introduce attribution complexity across multiple funnels. | Single source simplifies measurement, but SKAN / ATT still impacts measurement. |
Who should test web-to-app funnels?
There isn’t one type of app that should test web-to-app; it’s relevant at different stages and for different apps, depending on their category and audience. If you’re wondering ‘should we give it a go?’, these are some of the main groups that should consider testing web-to-app:
1. Early-stage startups
For early-stage startups, web-to-app can be a great way to test your initial funnel and iterate quickly while experimenting with paid acquisition.
That said, it’s best to avoid testing both in-app and web-to-app simultaneously — especially if you’re a small or bootstrapped team — as it can spread your focus too thin. Once you reach a later stage, running both can make sense.
The exception is if you’ve already started with in-app but discover that web is a better fit; in that case, it’s smart to shift your full focus and energy to the web funnel.
2. Apps looking to expand their paid reach
Paid optimization looks very different for app campaigns compared to web campaigns. By focusing on web, you can unlock an entirely new audience you may not have reached before.
It’s often suggested that there’s only about 15% overlap between app and web audiences on Meta, meaning a web campaign can open the door to a whole new audience. Weirdly enough, despite the 100s of apps I download (it’s for work, I promise!) I rarely see an app campaign on Meta, so I’m definitely in that web audience bucket.
3. Apps looking to improve profitability
While skipping app store fees can help, the real profitability boost from web-to-app usually comes from higher lifetime value and better retention. By building stronger relationships with web subscribers who tend to stick around longer, apps can meaningfully improve long-term profitability.
4. Apps focusing on older audiences
Older audiences are generally more comfortable with web-based flows, while younger users (like Gen Z) tend to prefer native app experiences. That doesn’t mean web-to-app can’t work for younger audiences, it just tends to perform better with slightly older demographics who are used to purchasing and subscribing through the web.
5. Certain categories skew more to web-to-app
Web-to-app first gained traction in health and fitness, as well as business apps, but the landscape is shifting. According to the State Of Subscription Apps report 2025, Health & Fitness is now one of the slower-growing web categories. Instead, we’re seeing strong growth across productivity, utility, and education apps as more of these verticals adopt web-first funnels.
We’re also seeing more Lifestyle, Entertainment, and Finance apps adopting web-to-app funnels. Ultimately, it’s less about the category itself and more about what you need to communicate to convince users to try your app.
As Gessica highlights, apps that perform best with web funnels often share these traits:
- Your product needs more explanation (not easy to convey in a few lines or visuals)
- The experience relies on emotional triggers that can be unlocked through questions or storytelling
- You can offer immediate value during onboarding (e.g. quiz results, personalized plan, free tool)
- Web onboarding helps educate, engage, and prequalify users before driving them to purchase.
So, category is the least important factor; it’s really about what your app needs to convey to convert users effectively.
6. B2B brands where employers pay
As someone who’s always been deep in B2C, I hadn’t initially considered this use case, but as Thomas explained on Sub Club, web-to-app can be especially valuable for B2B brands.
App stores bill directly to an individual’s card, which isn’t ideal for company-paid subscriptions. The web, on the other hand, allows employers to easily manage team billing, set up company-wide subscriptions, and streamline payment processes, all of which make B2B purchases far smoother.
Testing and measuring the success of web-to-app: free blueprint
As we’ve covered, web-to-app funnels come with added complexity, so take your time and set them up correctly. A common recommendation is to start with a funnel that mirrors your existing in-app flow; this helps speed up setup and minimize differences when comparing results.
That said, don’t just default to a quiz funnel. While quizzes are popular, they’re far from the only option.
To give you a hand, here’s my blueprint to building your first web-to-app funnel.
1. Determine your success metrics and test plan
When testing web-to-app vs. in-app purchases, looking only at conversion rates or CACs can be misleading. It takes time to optimize web conversion rates and build a system that smoothly drives users from the web to the app.
You may see higher trial-to-paid conversions, but other metrics may initially drop. Instead of focusing on short-term numbers, analyze average revenue per paying user (ARPU) and your LTV-to-CAC ratio, factoring in the extra costs of running a web funnel.
For most apps, it’s not an either/or decision. The key question is whether web-to-app helps you reach a new audience profitably. Define how long you’ll test (typically three–six months to get meaningful retention data) and what specific approaches you’ll try, to avoid never-ending tests.
Remember
Costs and performance benchmarks differ between web and app environments, making direct comparisons tricky.
2. Work out your web-to-app setup
Often, many people equate web-to-app with onboarding quiz funnels. While it’s a classic approach, it’s just one of many options — and your web-to-app funnel shouldn’t be a replacement for onboarding.
When testing, consider alternative flows such as:
- Landing page → Checkout
- Landing page → Sign-up → Install
- Smart banners (AppsFlyer, Adjust, etc.)
- QR codes → App Install
- Email sequence → Web Paywall → Checkout
- Lead magnet → App install
- Blog post → Install
- Webinar funnel → Checkout
- Landing page → Web app demo → Checkout
That is not to hate on quizzes — they’re great for personalization, education, and more complex journeys, but they aren’t the only way. As Nathan puts it:
“Don’t just copy what everyone else is doing — think through what makes sense for your product. What are your unique selling points? What are your customers’ pain points? How can you best highlight and address those on the web before they even download your app? It might not be a web onboarding quiz.”
A simple starting point? Gessica shared that using a mini landing page can be an ideal first test to validate your web-to-app funnel before adding complexity.
Credit: Gessica Bicego
What’s great about Gessica’s example is that it mitigates some of the risks of a pure web funnel, particularly around payment setup, but it doesn’t unlock web campaigns on Meta, since payments still occur in the app.
For building landing pages and web quizzes, there are plenty of no-code tools available to help get started: Unbounce, ConvertKit, Web2Wave, and more.
3. Determine the offer structure
Most apps rely on hard paywalls, free trials, freemium, or some hybrid, but the offer structure often needs to change for web-to-app funnels. This is because:
- Free trials convert worse on the web due to fraud and lower-intent users
- Web checkout friction means users expect a clear, immediate benefit
Instead, we often see:
- Paid trials (e.g. seven days for $1)
- Money-back guarantees (effective for content or service apps)
- Web-exclusive savings (passing fee savings on to users)
You can also simplify plan choices for web users:
- Lead with a single annual plan for clarity and higher LTV
- Keep monthly pricing in-app to encourage the correct behavior
I really like the example of Plantin, a plant-identifying app. They highlight that the best deal is on web and offer a free trial (but keep it very short) which strikes the right balance between incentivizing users and reducing friction. That 30% off, because it is via the website, makes you feel like you’ve found a special deal.
Over time, as you optimize, you’ll start to match offer structure to traffic intent and channel. For example, high-intent users may respond well to annual savings, while cold audiences may need a low-risk entry point or more explanation of how the money-back guarantee works.
4. Improve your initial funnel
In most cases, you’ll probably want to start by focusing on optimizing your creatives. Especially if you’re running web campaigns for the first time, you’re reaching a new audience, and your creatives will impact the quality of users you attract.
Trust is also a huge factor in web-to-app. In-app, you rely on the app store’s credibility and reviews; with web-to-app, you need to actively build and optimise trust, such as highlighting features, showing social proof and ratings, or introducing video paywalls to serve as mini demos.
From there, ensure you optimise your payment page. You don’t have the same restrictions as in-app on the paywall, so work to ensure the value is clear, that there is a good incentive to choose web, and that it continues to build trust.
A few general best practices to keep in mind:
- Make checkout easy (e.g. Apple Pay)
- Ensure a seamless handoff to the app (deep link, auto-login)
- Maintain a mobile-first UX
- Limit plan choices to prevent overwhelm
Once these bits of housekeeping are done, you can further improve your funnel, whether that’s testing and refining the landing page or optimizing your quiz questions (because yes, quizzes can be really useful tools). Questions in a quiz format help to build trust, but irrelevant or vague questions that don’t feel personalized can hurt your conversion rate.
5. Optimize the individual funnels further
The beauty of web-to-app is that you can customise your funnel for each audience. Anastasiia Karlova, Head of Marketing at Plantin, shared an insightful example:
They tested an ‘identify mushrooms’ ad with a web funnel focused on helping users understand which mushrooms they encountered and whether they were edible. It performed well on the web, but once users reached the app, there was no mushroom-related content, and they churned.
This shows that web funnels need to align with the app journey. Optimise each funnel for its channel, ensuring that the experience and content on the app matches what the user was promised on the web.
What’s next for web-to-app?
The future is exciting for web-to-app. Here’s my predictions for what we’ll see:
- A larger number of apps testing web funnels as scaling through in-app channels becomes more competitive
- More hybrid funnel models, with apps consciously deciding when to send users to the web versus pushing for in-app paywalls
- After the Epic vs. Apple ruling (allowing web payments via app in the US), we can also expect to see this expand to other countries and markets, creating new opportunities for web-to-app strategies
As it becomes simpler to build and personalize funnels, we’ll likely see more segmentation and tailored flows for different audiences — for example, wellness app BetterMe already has at least 12 highly optimized funnels!
Web-to-app won’t make you grow overnight, it requires a conscious decision based on your app and how the pros and cons apply. That said, it offers a huge opportunity to unlock a new audience and grow your app. The surge in web-to-app funnels is happening for a reason — while it isn’t for every app, every app should consider whether strategically testing web-to-app could add value as an alternative or complement to their in-app funnel.
Frequently asked questions about web-to-app funnels
It’s when a user starts their journey on the web — through a landing page, quiz, or another flow — and then converts to install or subscribe in the app. The purchase can happen on the web or in-app.
After Apple’s ATT changes in 2021, attribution became harder. Web funnels also offer cleaner tracking, faster iteration, more control over pricing and messaging, and potentially higher LTVs.
Not always. Web fees are lower (blended around 5–6% vs. 15–30% through the app stores), but conversion rates can be lower, and additional tools may be needed. The net financial gain varies depending on your setup.
Not necessarily. No-code web funnel and landing page builders make it possible to test a funnel with minimal engineering support. Developer help may be required to ensure shared logins or deep linking are set up to reroute users after download.
Yes, web-to-app funnels have always been allowed. Since the 2025 Epic ruling, apps in the US can also link out to external purchase options.
Apps with users familiar with the web, higher price points, or more complex onboarding journeys, like health, education, or productivity apps, tend to see the strongest results.