Stripe in React Native
Stripe Payment Sheet in React Native + Expo. Physical goods, subscriptions, and when to pick Stripe over RevenueCat. From a developer who shipped 4 apps with both.
What Stripe actually gives you in a mobile app
Stripe is the right choice for physical goods and services. Not digital unlocks. Apple requires IAP for digital goods inside the app, and Stripe is not a workaround for that.
For everything else Stripe can cover — a cart for physical products, a booking fee, a one-time hardware purchase, an agency service payment — it is easier to set up than the competitor stack.
The pieces I ship with
@stripe/stripe-react-native— the official SDK with the native Payment Sheet.- A NestJS endpoint that creates the PaymentIntent server-side. Never create it from the client.
automatic_taxon by default. Stripe computes VAT, sales tax, GST.- A webhook endpoint that confirms the payment and writes the order to Supabase.
Real build time
A fresh Stripe integration in a React Native app, if you already have the NestJS backend: ~6 hours for the first one, ~2 hours for each one after.
- PaymentIntent endpoint + webhook: ~2 hours.
- Client Payment Sheet wiring: ~2 hours.
- Supabase order record + RLS: ~1 hour.
- Apple review fix for the first app (see below): ~1 hour.
Where Stripe gets rejected on Apple review
- Do not offer a digital unlock through Stripe. Apple reviewers check. They will reject the app.
- Do not collect payment in a WebView for goods or services that Apple rules say must go through IAP. This is also checked.
- Physical goods, real-world services, and event tickets are fine.
When RevenueCat is the right call instead
- Subscriptions for digital access inside the app.
- One-time purchases that unlock features in the app.
- Anything where Apple wants 30% and IAP is required.
AI App Factory ships both. Stripe for physical, RevenueCat for digital. You do not choose one forever.
Ship your first app this weekend.
This integration is pre-configured in AI App Factory. One-time purchase.