Definition
What MAR counts
MAR is the number Superwall bases its paywall fees on. Superwall's FAQ says it is "only revenue that is attributed to a Superwall paywall", and that it isn't the same as monthly revenue.
Superwall's pricing page adds that "Subscriptions purchased outside Superwall are free" and "Imported & pre-integration users are never billed".
I read that as: an app showing Superwall paywalls to only some users pays on that share, and an app moving over doesn't pay on the subscribers it already has.
How MAR differs from MTR
RevenueCat, Adapty, Qonversion and Apphud charge on Monthly Tracked Revenue, which covers the revenue they track for your app. MAR covers only the part tied to a Superwall paywall.
For the same app, I'd expect MAR to be equal to MTR or smaller. That's my inference from the two definitions, because neither company compares them.
The percentages also pay for different things. RevenueCat's 1% includes its paywall editor and A/B testing. Superwall lists its subscription infrastructure as free and charges for paywalls.
What the pricing pages leave open
- Whether MAR is counted before the store's cut, as RevenueCat's MTR is.
- How long a subscriber stays attributed to a paywall, and how renewals count.
- Whether Startup and Scale charge the 1% below $10k. The pricing page says "+ 1% of MAR", and the FAQ says "under $10k MAR is free".
I'm a RevenueCat customer, and I built a free calculator where you can set your paywall share and compare the fees.
Examples
What Superwall charges on MAR
| Plan | Monthly price | Fee on MAR |
|---|---|---|
| Indie | $0 | None up to $10k, then 1% of total MAR |
| Startup | $49 | 1% of MAR |
| Scale | $199 | 1% of MAR |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom |
The same app at different paywall shares
This app is made up. It makes $20,000 a month and is on the Indie plan, so the only thing changing is how much of that revenue goes through Superwall paywalls.
| Revenue on Superwall paywalls | MAR | Superwall Indie | RevenueCat on $20,000 MTR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40% | $8,000 | $0 | $200 |
| 60% | $12,000 | $120 | $200 |
| 100% | $20,000 | $200 | $200 |
Crossing $10k is a jump, because the 1% applies to all of it. At $10,000 of MAR the Indie fee is $0, and just above that it's about $100.
Frequently asked
What does MAR stand for?
On Superwall, MAR stands for Monthly Attributed Revenue. Superwall defines it as only the revenue attributed to a Superwall paywall, and uses it to set its paywall fees.
Is MAR the same as MTR or MRR?
No. MTR is the revenue a platform tracks for your app in a month. MRR is normalized recurring revenue. MAR covers only revenue attributed to a Superwall paywall, so it can be much smaller than either.
Do existing subscribers count towards MAR after moving to Superwall?
Superwall's pricing page says "Imported & pre-integration users are never billed". I read that as existing subscribers not counting, though the page doesn't explain how their renewals are handled.
Do you pay Superwall if you don't use its paywalls?
Superwall lists its subscription infrastructure as free at any scale. With no revenue attributed to its paywalls, MAR is zero, so the Indie plan costs $0. Startup and Scale still list a monthly price.