Definition
What an introductory offer is
An introductory offer is a one-time incentive Apple lets developers attach to an auto-renewable subscription to lower the cost of starting a subscription for new subscribers. Each Apple ID is eligible for one introductory offer per subscription group, applied at first purchase.
Introductory offers come in three variants:
- Free trial. No-cost period (3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, or 1 year)
- Pay as you go. A discounted recurring price for a fixed number of periods (e.g. $1.99/month for 3 months, then $9.99/month)
- Pay up front. A one-time discounted price for a fixed period (e.g. $5 for 6 months, then $9.99/month)
Each subscription product can have one introductory offer per region (App Store storefront). You configure the offer in App Store Connect and Apple enforces the eligibility rules.
How introductory offers work in App Store Connect
The configuration flow:
- Open the subscription in App Store Connect
- Navigate to the Subscription Pricing section
- Add an introductory offer per territory (you can offer it in some countries and not others)
- Pick the offer type (free, pay as you go, pay up front)
- Set the duration and the offer price (for paid variants, must be lower than the regular price)
Apple's price-point ladder still constrains the offer price. You cannot set arbitrary numbers like $1.50/month; you pick a price point whose local-currency rendering is close to your target.
Introductory offer vs promotional offer vs offer code
This is where Apple's terminology gets confusing:
| Concept | Who it targets | Distribution | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introductory offer | New subscribers only | Shown in normal paywall | Once per Apple ID per subscription group |
| Promotional offer | Existing or lapsed subscribers | Surfaced inside your app via server check | Many per user over time |
| Offer code | Anyone you give the code to | Outside your app, redeemed via URL/sheet | Once per code |
All three grant similar-looking offers (free period, discounted period) but the eligibility and distribution differ. Introductory is the most common, used as the standard trial on most subscription paywalls.
How long can an introductory offer be?
For free trials, Apple supports preset durations: 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year. For pay as you go or pay up front, the duration is the same set of presets. You pick one duration per territory configuration.
Are introductory offers per country?
Yes, you configure them per territory. You can offer a 7-day free trial in the US, a 30-day free trial in India, and no trial at all in some markets. Apple's territory list maps directly to storefronts, and each territory carries its own price-point set.
How introductory offers interact with localized pricing
The intro offer price localizes the same way the regular price does: by price point per storefront. If your regular subscription is at the price point that renders as $9.99 in the US and ₹799 in India, and your pay-as-you-go intro offer is at the point that renders as $1.99 in the US, that same point renders as ₹159 in India (the storefront's price point at that level).
Localized pricing on the base subscription is what determines whether the intro offer feels valuable. A free trial followed by an FX-translated ₹1,660 is much harder to convert than the same trial followed by ₹499. The trial is the same; the post-trial price is what moves conversion.
Examples
Three intro offer configurations
| Variant | What user gets | What user pays after |
|---|---|---|
| Free trial | 7 days free | $9.99/month |
| Pay as you go | $1.99/month for 3 months | $9.99/month |
| Pay up front | $5 for 6 months | $9.99/month |
Apple's eligibility rules: each Apple ID gets one introductory offer per subscription group, regardless of which variant you configure. If a user used the free trial last year and you switch to pay-as-you-go this year, returning subscribers are not eligible for the new offer.
Frequently asked
What is an introductory offer on the App Store?
An introductory offer is a one-time incentive (free trial, pay-as-you-go discount, or pay-up-front discount) Apple lets you attach to a subscription for new subscribers. Each Apple ID is eligible for one introductory offer per subscription group.
What is the difference between an introductory offer and a free trial?
A free trial is one variant of an introductory offer. Apple groups three variants under introductory offers: free trial, pay as you go (discounted recurring), and pay up front (one-time discounted period). All three target new subscribers and share the same eligibility rules.
How long can an Apple introductory offer be?
Apple supports preset durations: 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year. You pick one duration per territory configuration. You can offer different durations in different countries.
Can the same user get multiple introductory offers?
No. Each Apple ID is eligible for one introductory offer per subscription group, ever. Switching variants (free trial to pay-as-you-go) does not reset eligibility for users who already redeemed an intro offer in that group.
Further reading
- Localized Pricing 101 for Subscription AppsLocalized pricing sets country prices intentionally so subscriptions feel fair and convert across markets, not just currency-converted.
- App Store Pricing by Country: The Developer's ReferenceA reference for App Store pricing by country: how Apple's 900 price points work, what auto-conversion gets wrong, and what prices should look like.
- Real Localized Pricing: PPP Baselines + Prices That Feel LocalStore auto-conversion is currency math. Real localization is PPP-style baselines + rounding rules that land in familiar thresholds.