iOS and Web-to-App Funnel in 2 Hours for $150: Myth or Reality?

In short

Close to reality for an app with Firebase authorization and iOS subscriptions. Build an activation funnel, a Stripe paywall, an authorization screen and a store redirect, then add log-in, the SDK, analytics and a web subscription check to the app. In 2024 it cost $150 a month and took one to two days; the experienced author needed one hour.

Leo · CEO, Segmently Smart Flow

Published · 3 min read

💡 Web2App Funnel Can Significantly Boost Your App's Revenue:

  • Attract new audience
  • Save on App Store and Google Play commissions (15-30%)
  • Conduct rapid experiments (reduce time to market and costs, improve conversions)
  • And more

💁 The benefits are clear, but to make an informed decision about the feasibility of using a Web2App funnel, you need to understand:

  • What tasks need to be completed
  • How much it will cost
  • How much time it will take
  • Who you need to involve

Let's consider a case for such an app:

  • Uses Firebase for authorization (works for email authorization)
  • Monetization through paywalls with iOS subscriptions
  • Uses the Segmently service to create funnels and paywalls

What needs to be done for Web2App

  • 1. Activation funnel
  • 2. Paywall with Stripe integration (save purchase information + email)
  • 3. Authorization screen (can use email collection)
  • 4. Screen that redirects the user to the App Store or Google Play
FoodMate web-to-app funnel map: first screen, paywall with yearly and monthly plans, Create Account, then a Download the App and Log In screen

What needs to be done in the mobile app

  • 5. Adapt the web funnel and paywall for the iOS app: — Add a "Log In" button on the first screen (for users who bought a subscription in the web funnel); Add a "Log In" screen via a custom Segmently screen; Set up subscriptions on the paywall (in the Segmently service)
  • 6. Connect SDK: — Launch onboarding
Swift code that starts the prepared onboarding through OnboardingService and falls back to the app’s start screen if loading fails
Swift code that forwards every onboarding event to Amplitude through the OnboardingService user event listener
  • Set up the authorization screen via a custom screen
Swift code that routes the custom “login” onboarding screen to the app’s own sign-in view controller
  • 7. Add logic to check for a subscription bought on the web: — Check if the user has an Apple or Google subscription; If not, check in Stripe (step 2); Open content for those with a subscription
Swift function that checks for an active iOS subscription and, if there is none, checks for a Stripe purchase by the user’s email

Costs

When this article was written (June 2024), creating the funnel was free (a subscription was needed only before publishing), allowing you to test on a real device using the preview app.

  • Connect an iOS subscription for offline mode - $50
  • Connect a subscription for Web2App - $100

Total (June 2024 prices; current plans are on the pricing page):

$150 per month is enough time to run experiments and determine if Web2App works for your app.

Who to involve

  • Web Developer: 1-8 hours (connecting the authorization screen for the Web2App funnel, can be done with ChatGPT code)
  • iOS Developer: 1-4 hours (connecting SDK, I managed in 5 minutes, but I have extensive experience)
  • Product Manager: 2-32 hours (creating the funnel, depending on experience, qualification, and onboarding size)
  • Designer: 2-4 hours (I did not involve a designer, used a ready-made template and ChatGPT for creating images)

If you use the Segmently service, this work will take 1-2 days, I managed in 1 hour, but I have extensive experience.

Conclusion

$150 and 1-2 days of work will allow you to expand your audience, save on store commissions, test products at the idea or MVP stage, and more.

Key takeaways

  • A web-to-app funnel can attract a new audience, save the 15–30% App Store and Google Play commission and make experiments faster and cheaper.
  • On the web you need an activation funnel, a Stripe paywall that saves the purchase and the email, an authorization screen and a redirect to the store.
  • In the iOS app, add a log-in path for web buyers, connect the SDK with analytics and a custom log-in screen, and check Stripe when there is no store subscription.
  • A web developer, an iOS developer and a product manager cover the work in roughly 1–8, 1–4 and 2–32 hours; the author skipped the designer with a ready-made template and ChatGPT images.
  • By the author’s June 2024 estimate, $150 a month and one to two days of work were enough to test whether web-to-app works for an app.