Family Sharing vs Group Purchases: How to Price Each iOS Subscription Plan

Family Sharing vs Group Purchases at a glance

Here is how the two options compare, point by point. The key difference: Family Sharing gives access away for free, and Group Purchases charge for it. A plan can earn in a very different way depending on which one you pick.

• Who pays. Family Sharing: one family member. Group Purchases: one buyer, for several seats.
• Who gets access. Family Sharing: the payer plus up to five family members. Group Purchases: the people the buyer invites.
• What you earn. Family Sharing: one subscription. Group Purchases: one charge per seat, at your price or your volume bands.
• Default setting. Family Sharing: off, you turn it on product by product. Group Purchases: on by default for most new and existing StoreKit 2 subscriptions.
• Can you undo it. Family Sharing: no, once it's on, it stays on. Group Purchases: you choose the setting in App Store Connect.
• Status. Family Sharing: available now. Group Purchases: previewed at WWDC26, arriving this winter.

Volume Purchasing and the new developer terms

Apple also announced Volume Purchasing at WWDC26. Businesses and schools can buy seats through Apple Business Manager or Apple School Manager. On October 13, 2026, Apple published updated developer agreement terms covering Group and Volume Purchases.

Option 1: Share the plan with a family. How Family Sharing works

Family Sharing is only available for auto-renewable subscriptions and non-consumables. You turn it on product by product in App Store Connect, and only the Account Holder or an App Manager can do that. Apple's help page warns that once it's on, you can't turn it off. One person pays the full price and up to five family members get access at no extra charge. You earn from one subscriber.

Plans where sharing pays off

Turn it on when the family plan itself is the reason people buy:

• Household tools. A shared shopping list, a family calendar or a home maintenance tracker. A household app that can't be shared feels broken.
• Kids' content. Parents expect one payment to cover every child's device.
• Family media and learning apps. A plan the whole family can use is a selling point.

Plans where sharing loses money

Keep sharing off for these plans:

• Personal tools. Journals, fitness plans, habit trackers and coaching apps are used by one person. If you share them, you give the product away.
• Apps with costs per user. If every active user costs you server or AI usage, six people on one payment can make the plan lose money.
• Plans you haven't priced yet. You can't undo the switch, so wait until you know your numbers.

How to price a family plan

Don't turn on sharing for your main plan. Create two products in the same subscription group: a personal plan with Family Sharing off, and a family plan with it on, priced higher. Each product has its own switch. Set the family plan price using what one household really costs you, not what one user costs. If your costs grow with each user, assume a full family on every family subscription. Then the plan still makes money when all six seats are used.

Option 2: Sell the plan as seats. How Group Purchases work

This is the change most founders will miss. Apple says selling to groups and organizations is on by default for most new and existing StoreKit 2 subscriptions. Subscriptions that already have Family Sharing on are opted out by default, and you decide how the two work together. Apple handles the invites. It creates an invite link, tracks who accepts and handles cancellations. If you'd rather manage seats yourself, new App Store Server API endpoints let you do that.

How seat pricing works

Three rules to know before you set a seat price:

• By default, each seat is sold at your current price in App Store Connect.
• With volume pricing, you can set up to five price bands, with a lower price per seat for bigger purchases.
• Apple's help page says that when multiseat purchases are on, only the group purchaser is eligible for Family Sharing.

Plans that should sell seats

Seats make sense when a small team or a group of friends uses the product together. Examples include a shared workspace, a booking tool for a small studio or a team training app. Here, a lower seat price for bigger groups is a fair trade. Every seat still pays.

Plans that should not

Solo productivity apps are where the default can hurt you. If a group buys seats at a volume price, that price can quietly undercut your personal plan. If the product isn't built for teams, turn group selling off for that plan, and do it on purpose. Before winter, open each subscription in App Store Connect, check its group setting and make a choice. Don't let a default decide for you. Not sure which plans should be shared, sold as seats or kept personal? Book a call and we'll go through them with you.

Which option fits your app

For each type of app, here is the setup for the personal plan, Family Sharing and group seats. To compare models before you set prices, try our app monetization quiz. To see what you keep after Apple's cut on each plan, use the App Store fee calculator.

• Habit tracker, journal, coaching. Personal plan: yes. Family Sharing: off. Group seats: off.
• Family calendar, shopping list. Personal plan: optional. Family Sharing: on, on a separate family plan. Group seats: off.
• Kids' learning app. Personal plan: optional. Family Sharing: on, on a separate family plan. Group seats: only if you sell to schools.
• Small team workspace or booking tool. Personal plan: yes. Family Sharing: off. Group seats: on, with volume bands.
• AI app with costs per user. Personal plan: yes. Family Sharing: off, unless a full family is priced in. Group seats: on, if every seat covers its cost.

What your code needs to tell apart

Your pricing only works if the app can tell the different kinds of access apart. In StoreKit 2:

• Each transaction has an ownership type: PURCHASED for the person who paid and FAMILY_SHARED for family members.
• When access ends, StoreKit removes it in the app. If you use App Store Server Notifications, your server gets a REVOKE event.
• Group Purchases and Volume Purchasing need StoreKit 2. Apps still on the original StoreKit API can't offer them.

Why "has an active subscription" is not enough

If your app only checks "has an active subscription", it can't treat a family member differently from the payer, and it won't notice when shared access ends. It's cheaper to get this right before launch than to fix it after. For the release side of the same Apple changes, see the guides in our Mobile, iOS and Apple topic.

How we build this into your MVP

Our iOS app development includes RevenueCat in-app subscriptions and paywalls ready at launch. Your MVP is Fixed at $3,460 and delivered in about 20 days. You see progress every week, design is included, the code is 100% yours on your GitHub and you get 2 weeks of fixes after launch. The full scope is on our MVP Development page. If you add a family plan or seats later, see Continuous Support. Want each plan priced and set up right from day one? Book a call.

What is the difference between Family Sharing and Group Purchases?

With Family Sharing, one person pays and up to five family members get access at no extra charge. With Group Purchases, one buyer pays for several seats and invites people to use them. Family Sharing gives access away. Group Purchases charge for each seat.

Can I turn off Family Sharing for my app's subscription?

No. Apple's help page says that once Family Sharing is on for an in-app purchase, you can't turn it off. If you're not sure, launch with a personal plan that has sharing off and add a separate family plan later.

Are Group Purchases on by default?

Yes, for most new and existing StoreKit 2 subscriptions, starting this winter. Subscriptions with Family Sharing on are opted out by default. Check each plan in App Store Connect and choose on purpose.

Can one plan use both Family Sharing and Group Purchases?

Apple lets you choose how they work together. When multiseat purchases are on, only the group purchaser is eligible for Family Sharing. The people they invite are not.

Should a new app offer a family plan at launch?

Only if your product is used by a household. Otherwise, launch with a personal plan, learn what each user costs you, and add a family plan once the numbers are clear.