RevenueCat Revenue Chart vs. Ad Platform ROAS: What to Compare
Reconcile RevenueCat Revenue, net-of-tax revenue, and Proceeds with campaign ROAS using matched cohorts, transaction types, and reporting periods.
Short answer: Match the number to the decision.
- Use RevenueCat’s Revenue Chart to choose a subscription-revenue measure.
- Use an ad platform’s ROAS to optimize campaigns inside that platform.
- Use RevenueCat Proceeds against matching ad spend for a practical payback view.
- Match the revenue definition, date basis, conversion event, and attribution settings before comparing dashboards.
- Use Airbridge cohort ROAS when you need subscription outcomes by acquisition campaign, creative, or country.
RevenueCat’s Revenue chart shows revenue generated during the selected period, not automatically the revenue of users acquired by one campaign in that period. In Charts v3 it includes subscription purchases, non-subscription purchases, and ad revenue, with the documented refund and adjustment treatment. Use the chart filters and acquisition cohort needed for the comparison. RevenueCat Revenue chart.
Which number should you trust for the decision?
Trust the number whose scope matches the decision.
| Decision | Starting point | Scope to keep visible |
|---|---|---|
| Business revenue in a calendar period | RevenueCat Revenue chart | Includes the selected transaction and revenue types; subscription-only analysis requires the relevant filter. |
| Revenue after estimated store deductions | RevenueCat Proceeds | An estimate after store taxes and commission, not a bank-payment statement or business profit. |
| Optimize one ad account | That platform’s ROAS | Its attribution rules, event value, currency, and reporting date. |
| Evaluate an acquisition cohort | Revenue from that cohort at a fixed age ÷ its assigned spend | Include only the stated cohort and cost basis, with refunds and renewals handled consistently. |
For example, assume a campaign spent $2,000 and the subscriptions connected to that campaign generated $1,600 in Proceeds during the chosen evaluation period. The cohort ROAS on that proceeds basis is $1,600 divided by $2,000, or 0.8x.
Which RevenueCat revenue definition belongs beside campaign ROAS?
Choose the RevenueCat measure that matches the value definition behind the platform metric or the financial question you are asking. RevenueCat’s Revenue Chart definitions distinguish revenue, estimated store taxes, and estimated store commission.
| RevenueCat measure | Charts v3 meaning |
|---|---|
| Revenue | Selected-period revenue, including the documented purchase and ad-revenue types, less refunds and downward adjustments recorded in that period. |
| Revenue (net of taxes) | Revenue less estimated store tax deductions. |
| Proceeds | Revenue less estimated store taxes and commission. Ad revenue follows the SDK-reported amount; store tax and commission estimates are not applied to it. |
In Charts v3, refunds reduce revenue in the period the store processes them; the chart also subtracts downward adjustments recorded when the final amount for a subscription period is lower than previously reported. Charts v2 applied refunds to the period of the original purchase, so a later refund could change an earlier period’s total. Keep the chart version consistent when reviewing a trend across historical periods.
Match the value basis explicitly: gross revenue, revenue net of estimated taxes, or proceeds. A default total that includes non-subscription or ad revenue needs filtering before it is compared with subscription-only campaign value. ROAS is a revenue-to-cost ratio; contribution profit also depends on the costs excluded from that ratio.
How do you line up the periods before comparing the numbers?
Set the comparison up in a fixed order. This lets you keep subscription value, campaign credit, and cash payment timing in separate columns.
- Name the decision and metric. Choose campaign optimization, subscription revenue, or payback. Select Revenue, Revenue (net of taxes), or Proceeds to match the amount you want to compare.
- Define the acquisition group. Choose a campaign, launch period, or install cohort and give subscriptions enough time to renew if renewals are part of the question. A day-7 value and a day-90 value describe different maturity points.
- Write down the ad platform’s reporting setup. Record the conversion event and value, attribution window, eligible click or view touchpoints, reporting-date basis, and date range. Keep those settings steady across the comparison.
- Compare the same acquisition group and spend. Put its subscription revenue measure beside the campaign spend for that group. Keep the platform-reported result in a separate column as a platform-specific comparison.
- Keep bank payments on a cash timeline. Compare store payments with cash-flow needs, and use subscription revenue measures for campaign performance.
The date shown in an ad platform can follow ad interaction, while a subscription revenue chart can reflect revenue and refunds recorded within a chart period. Airbridge’s Google Ads discrepancy guide explains that Google Ads aggregates data by the day a user interacted with an ad, while Airbridge aggregates by the day the conversion event occurred. A campaign’s attributed result can therefore appear in a different date bucket from the subscription event that generated revenue.
When does Airbridge help connect subscription outcomes to acquisition?
Airbridge fits when you need to see subscription outcomes by the campaign that acquired users, instead of reading a revenue total without that campaign context. Airbridge compares cohort ROAS by campaign, creative, and country on the cohort days you choose.
Those checkpoints help answer different growth questions. Day 1 gives an early signal; day 30, 60, and 90 show later revenue and renewal contribution. Comparing the same cohort across these points keeps an early read distinct from a longer payback assessment.
Airbridge compares campaign performance and trial-to-paid funnels for app campaigns, including web-to-app journeys; full web event measurement and PC attribution are Growth features. Apple Ads keyword names require Apple Ads Advanced and the Campaign Management API.
After configuration, Airbridge can receive supported subscription events from RevenueCat and match user and device identifiers so those events connect to the right users. To avoid counting the same subscription events twice, make sure the Airbridge SDK does not also collect them. Subscription revenue aggregation from RevenueCat is included in the Core Plan. This connection supports acquisition analysis by bringing supported subscription events into the channel view; RevenueCat remains the source that defines its Revenue, Revenue (net of taxes), and Proceeds chart measures.
For a founder watching a small paid budget, this gives a practical division of labor: read RevenueCat for the selected subscription-revenue definition, use each ad platform’s ROAS for its own campaign optimization, and use Airbridge when you need campaign, creative, country, or trial-to-paid context around subscription outcomes. Then compare spend and a clearly chosen revenue measure over the same acquisition period and maturity window.
Reconcile one cohort before changing a budget
Choose a single campaign cohort, fix a review age such as day 30, and export its subscription transactions and assigned spend. Explain refunds, currency conversion, excluded transaction types, and unmatched customers in separate lines. Reconcile that small cohort first; matching two broad calendar totals can conceal a different underlying user population.
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