Winback HQ vs RevenueCat Win-back Campaigns (2026)
Winback HQ writes one personal win-back note per lapsed subscriber from your RevenueCat or Stripe export, lets you choose who gets an offer, and charges 15% of the revenue from people who come back, for 6 months. RevenueCat's win-back campaigns (beta) instead email every expired subscriber one standard English offer that links to a web checkout, sent automatically by RevenueCat. They solve different parts of the same problem, and an app can use both.
We make Winback HQ, so read this with that in mind. Every statement about RevenueCat and Apple below comes from their own documentation, read on 19 October 2026 and linked under the table. If something has changed, email support@winbackhq.com and we will correct it.
Side by side
| RevenueCat win-back campaigns (beta) | Apple win-back offers | Winback HQ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who gets it | Every eligible customer whose subscription expires (the EXPIRATION event). Expirations you cause, such as revoking an entitlement, are skipped. Audience and eligibility cannot be configured in the beta. | Customers whose subscription has expired and who meet eligibility rules you set in App Store Connect: paid duration, time since it expired, time between offers. | Lapsed subscribers in your export, sorted into cancelled, card failed and trial never paid. You choose which groups get a message and which get an offer. People who opted out of marketing are left out. |
| Channel | A transactional email sent by RevenueCat with a Claim offer button. | The App Store, the subscription settings in the customer's Apple account, your app (win-back offer sheet), and a direct link you can share in your own channels, such as email. | A note per person that you send from your own email tool (CSV export). We connect your RevenueCat or Stripe webhook with you. |
| What the message is built from | A standard email template. No customization and English only in the beta. | No message of its own; it is an offer. What the customer sees depends on where they find it. | Templates you edit, filled from each person's export data, such as first name, plan, last seen and progress, with a unique return code. |
| Where they re-subscribe | On the web, through a Web Purchase Link (RevenueCat Billing, Stripe Billing or Paddle). Works app to web and web to web. | In the App Store, on the same auto-renewable subscription, at the free or discounted price you set. | Where they subscribed before. For App Store users the note can carry your Apple win-back offer link. No web billing needed. |
| Setup | RevenueCat Web, an offering and a Web Purchase Link, then one campaign per app (one app to one link). | Create the offer in App Store Connect. Apple's docs say to check eligibility through the App Store Server API before sending the direct link. | Free in-browser planner on an export, or Winback set up with you. |
| Price | Not stated on the win-back campaigns docs page. | Not covered on Apple's win-back offers page. | No monthly fee. 15% of revenue from people who come back, for 6 months (10% for the first 10 apps). Planner free. |
| Status | Beta. RevenueCat says setup and capabilities may change. | Live StoreKit feature. | Live. |
Sources, read 19 October 2026: RevenueCat docs, win-back campaigns; RevenueCat docs, Customer Center; Apple, supporting win-back offers in your app. Winback HQ details from our pricing and planner.
The differences, in five lines
- Who it reaches. RevenueCat's win-back campaigns (beta) email every eligible customer whose subscription expires, and in the beta you cannot choose the audience. Winback HQ sorts lapsed subscribers into cancelled, card failed and trial never paid, and you choose who gets a message and who gets an offer.
- What the message is built from. RevenueCat's beta uses one standard email template, in English only. Winback HQ writes one note per person from that person's own export data, such as plan, last seen and progress, from templates you edit, each with a unique return code.
- Where they come back. RevenueCat's email links to a Web Purchase Link, so people re-subscribe on the web, and you need RevenueCat Web with RevenueCat Billing, Stripe Billing or Paddle first. Winback HQ needs no web billing, and for App Store users the note can carry your Apple win-back offer link.
- Who sends it and how it is priced. RevenueCat sends its email for you, automatically, from the moment access ends. With Winback HQ you send from your own email tool, and you pay 15% of the revenue from people who come back, for 6 months, with no monthly fee.
- What RevenueCat does well. It is fully automatic, with no export to run, and its Customer Center (Pro and Enterprise plans) can show a retention offer inside your app before someone cancels. If one English email to a web checkout is enough for you, start there.
Where RevenueCat Customer Center fits
Customer Center is RevenueCat's self-service screen inside your app. RevenueCat lists what it lets customers do: cancel, restore purchases, contact support, request refunds and change plans (both iOS only), and it can automatically show promo offers to retain customers and ask why they are leaving. It works while the person still has your app open, before they go. Winback HQ works after they have gone. RevenueCat says Customer Center is on its Pro and Enterprise plans.
When to use which
Use RevenueCat's win-back campaigns when
- You already sell on the web through RevenueCat Web (RevenueCat Billing, Stripe Billing or Paddle).
- One standard English email to everyone whose subscription expires is enough.
- You want it fully automatic, with nothing to export or send.
Use Winback HQ when
- You sell only through the App Store and Google Play and do not want to add web billing to win people back.
- You want cancelled people, failed cards and unpaid trials to get different notes, written from what each person did.
- You want to choose who gets an offer, cap the discount and the budget, and leave out people who opted out.
- You would rather pay only when someone comes back: 15% of their revenue for 6 months, no monthly fee.
Many apps can use both: RevenueCat's automatic email at expiry, and a personal note from Winback HQ to the groups it does not cover. Apple's win-back offer can sit inside either one as the discount.
FAQ
How is Winback HQ different from RevenueCat's win-back campaigns?
RevenueCat's win-back campaigns (beta) automatically email every expired subscriber one standard English offer that opens a web checkout, and need RevenueCat Web. Winback HQ sorts lapsed subscribers into cancelled, card failed and trial never paid, writes one note per person from their own data, lets you choose who gets an offer, needs no web billing, and charges 15% of returning revenue for 6 months. You send Winback HQ's notes from your own email tool.
Can I use Winback HQ and RevenueCat's win-back campaigns together?
Yes. Winback HQ only reads your exports or webhook events. It does not change subscriptions, grant access or create offers, so RevenueCat's campaign can keep running.
Is RevenueCat Customer Center a win-back tool?
Not for people who have already left. RevenueCat describes it as a self-service screen inside your app where subscribers can cancel, restore or contact support, and where you can show promotional offers to retain them. It is on RevenueCat's Pro and Enterprise plans.
Do Apple win-back offers replace a win-back message?
No. Apple's win-back offer is the discount, shown in the App Store, in Apple account settings and in your app. Apple also gives you a direct link to share in your own channels, such as email. Winback HQ can put that link inside a personal note to App Store users who meet your rules.
Which should I use first?
If you already sell on the web through RevenueCat and one English email to a web checkout is enough, start with RevenueCat's campaign. If you sell only through the App Store and Google Play, want different messages for different people, or want to control who gets an offer, Winback HQ covers that.
See who you could win back this month
Upload a RevenueCat or Stripe export to the planner. It sorts lost subscribers into cancelled, billing failed and trial expired, writes one message per person with a unique return code, and gives you a CSV. Files stay in your browser.