Xsolla and Appcharge are two of the names mobile game publishers compare when they move purchases to the web. Xsolla is the broad, long-established toolbox. Appcharge is the mobile-DTC specialist. Here's how they compare from their own public pages, and what a third option looks like.
Create your store free to see the third option on your own game.
Xsolla vs Appcharge vs Appside
| Xsolla | Appcharge | Appside | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2005 (Wikipedia) | 2022 (Wikipedia) | 2026, AI-native from day one |
| Focus | PC, console and mobile, plus launcher, login, payouts, ads and publishing | Direct-to-consumer payments for mobile games | Web stores for mobile games and apps |
| Subscriptions | Yes: Web Shop added subscriptions in August 2025 (BusinessWire, Aug 13, 2025), with "recurring benefits like VIP access" | A products/subscriptions marketing page (plans, trials, prepaid bundles, dunning, MoR); no page in docs.appcharge.com mentions subscriptions (docs index checked Oct 28, 2026); the call to action is "Request a demo" | Yes. Memberships, season passes and monthly cards, billed by card in USD, EUR and GBP; signed events to your backend for every change; cancel in one tap keeps access to the paid date; documented contract. First Star Pass sold on the Starward demo store on Oct 28, 2026. Product page |
| Published price | None on the pricing page. Its 2022 blog said Web Shop is 5% per transaction | None. Partners typically pay 4 to 5% (Appcharge blog) | 3.9% per successful payment. No setup fee, no subscription, no minimum |
| Getting started | Signed licensing agreement, application review "within 3 business days" without a guarantee, sandbox until signed (docs) | "Get in touch" form (homepage) | Create your store free, self-serve |
| Building the store | Site Builder: you assemble pages and add your catalog | Template Studio: pick a layout and apply your brand (Appcharge blog) | Drafted from your app link, with theme, hero, pack names and pack art |
| Integration | About six steps in its 2022 getting-started guide | Six parts in the Payment Links flow (docs) | Three steps: player token, openStore() or purchase(sku), signed webhook |
What the price difference means
Every point is real money at scale. At $1M a month of web revenue:
| Rate | Monthly fees | Yearly fees |
|---|---|---|
| 5% | $50,000 | $600,000 |
| 4% | $40,000 | $480,000 |
| 3.9% (Appside) | $39,000 | $468,000 |
Compared with 5%, that's $132,000 a year that stays with you. Model your own numbers in the app-store fee calculator.
A worked example: $1,000,000 a month of web revenue
| Provider | Rate used | Monthly platform fee | Where the rate comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xsolla | 5% | $50,000 | Xsolla's 2022 Web Shop blog; its pricing page shows a partnership form, no rate card (seen October 25, 2026) |
| Appcharge | 4% to 5% | $40,000 to $50,000 | Appcharge's blog: partners "typically pay between 4% and 5%" (March 29, 2026) |
| Appside | 3.9% | $39,000 | The published rate on this site |
Illustrative, at published or self-reported rates; payment processing, tax, refunds and volume discounts sit outside these numbers. On a year of that revenue the gap between 5% and 3.9% is $132,000.
Moving to Appside from either
- Keep the code that grants items. Point it at Appside's signed
order.paidwebhook. - Issue a short-lived player token from your server.
- Open the store with
openStore(), or one pack withpurchase(sku).
Coming from Appcharge, the migration guide maps each step. More detail: Appside vs Xsolla, Appside vs Appcharge, and the best Appcharge alternatives.