How modern payment integration works
You don't build a payment system — you connect to one. Processors like Stripe handle the hard, regulated parts: securing card data, moving money, and meeting PCI requirements. Your app collects the payment through their secure components and never stores raw card numbers itself.
This is both safer and simpler. Card details go directly to the processor, your app gets back a token and a result, and your PCI burden stays minimal because sensitive data never lands in your systems.
- Integration with Stripe and other major processors
- Card data captured by the processor, never stored by you
- Apple Pay and Google Pay for fast, trusted checkout
- Support for one-time payments, saved cards, and refunds
- Clear success, failure, and retry handling
- Receipts and payment records tied to each order
Matching the model to your business
Payments aren't one thing. A shop takes one-time charges. A SaaS app runs recurring subscriptions. A marketplace splits a payment between a seller and the platform. Each of these uses different processor features and has different rules and edge cases.
We start by understanding how you actually make money, then integrate the right flow. This matters because subscriptions bring dunning and proration, and marketplaces bring payouts and splits — details that are painful to retrofit later.
- One-time payments for products and services
- Recurring subscriptions with billing cycles and plan changes
- Marketplace splits that route funds to sellers and take your fee
- Handling failed payments, retries, and refunds gracefully
- In-app purchase rules where Apple or Google require their billing
The rules people forget
Two things trip up app payments. First, Apple and Google require their own in-app purchase billing for certain digital goods, and using an outside processor there can get your app rejected. Second, payments need to be reconciled with your backend reliably, using webhooks, so an order isn't marked paid when it wasn't.
We handle both correctly. A free consultation is the fastest way to sort out which payment model and rules apply to your app before anything is built.
- Knowing when Apple/Google in-app purchase is mandatory vs. optional
- Webhook-based reconciliation so paid means actually paid
- Secure handling of payment tokens and never storing card data
- Testing with real processor test modes before going live
- Clear reporting so your records and the processor agree
More on app development
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to take card payments in my app?
Yes, when done properly. With processors like Stripe, card data goes straight to the processor through their secure components and never touches your servers. That keeps customers' details protected and keeps your own PCI compliance burden minimal, because you're not storing sensitive card numbers at all.
Do I have to use Apple's or Google's payment system?
Sometimes. For certain digital goods and subscriptions consumed inside the app, Apple and Google require their own in-app purchase billing, and using an outside processor there can get you rejected. For physical goods and many real-world services, you can use Stripe or another processor. We'll sort out which rule applies to your app early, since getting it wrong causes store rejections.
Can you add subscriptions, not just one-time payments?
Yes. We integrate recurring billing with plan changes, proration, and handling for failed payments and retries. Subscriptions have more moving parts than one-time charges, so it helps to plan that flow up front rather than bolting it on after launch.