On our smartphones and tablets we can add new features by simply opening the app store and looking for an app that suits our needs. Many of the apps available on Android and iOS are free, but some can be offered for a fee, perhaps because they are developed with a lot of effort or with features that we cannot easily find on free apps. Many free apps are actually trial versions of paid apps and often offer in-app purchases to unlock features or make it more usable (for example by removing advertising). But how do you distinguish between free and paid apps "> 20 Free games without" in-app purchases "for Android
How to tell if an app is paid on Android
To understand if an app is paid on the Android store, simply open the Google Play Store, start searching for the desired app and immediately check the presence of the price: it is clearly visible on the right side, next to the name of the 'app.
Opening the tab of the app we will have the same feedback, with the price clearly visible in place of the Install button (normally available for free apps). If we search for the app from the Google Play Store on a PC browser, the result is identical: in the app tab, we will be able to see the price of the app on the Buy a button, present instead of the Install button.
If instead the app is free but has possible in-app purchases, it is more difficult to notice the difference: when we open the app tab, we will have to check the note under the Install button.
If we find the word Purchase in-app, the chosen application can be installed for free on our device but some features (such as the removal of advertising) can only be obtained by purchasing the Premium package or by subscribing to a subscription.
If we proceed with the in-app purchase, it will bind forever to the Google account with which we made the payment: even after removing the app, the purchase will always be available for future use (except in cases where, in quite fraudulently, the app developer does not decide to reset in-app purchases to increase his profit margins, which often happens with games).
Some apps provide a Premium license differently than apps with integrated purchases: to be able to benefit from the paid features, we will have to support the free app with the purchase of a "license" app ( License, Prime or Unlock ): if the free app finds the licensed app installed, it can work without limits.
For example, the BubbleUPnP and Nova Launcher apps only provide Premium functionality after purchasing the licensed app; to get the licensed apps of the mentioned apps, we can take a look here -> BubbleUPnP BubbleUPnP License and Nova Launcher License.
Note: when we find this type of app, we will always have to install both the free app (which in fact is the actual app) and the licensed app (which is only used to unlock paid features). If we only install the licensed app, we will not be able to use the app.
If we are interested in finding out about the best paid apps for Android, we recommend you read our guide to the Top 10 paid Android apps that are worth buying .
How to tell if an app is paid on the iPhone
If we have an iPhone or iPad, the price of an app is clearly visible every time we search the App Store and we come across an app available only for a fee.The price will be shown to you both in the search results (next to the app name) and in the presentation form.
In these cases we cannot press the Get button, but we will have to tap on the price of the app and authorize the payment with one of the methods entered in the Apple account (PayPal, residual credit or direct debit from the current account).
Compared to Android, paid apps are much more numerous on Apple, as there are very powerful productivity apps, specific for some particular jobs: given the lack of free alternatives on iOS (or very disappointing alternatives), a useful app it is often offered for a fee . This should not be seen as a defect: developing apps on Apple devices costs developers time and money, which can then get their work paid adequately.
Fortunately, even on iOS we can find free apps with in-app purchases: in this case too we can realize the difference by checking the note under the Get button, both in the search screen and in the presentation screen of the app.
These apps allow you to purchase additional features (often offered on multiple packages, with different prices), to remove advertising within the app or to subscribe to a service (such as Spotify or DAZN).
Also in this case, as already seen on Android, purchases will be linked forever to the Apple account used on the device : even by removing the app, we will be able to reuse it in the future without problems (always if the purchase made allowed to keep the Premium features indefinitely).
Conclusions
If we are a beginner with a modern smartphone or tablet, it is better to learn immediately to recognize paid apps and its surrogates (in-app purchases), so you can avoid buying apps by mistake.If we are looking for apps that are truly free and without in-app purchases, we can continue reading the article on the 20 free games without "in-app purchases" for Android .
If instead we wanted to give a paid app to a friend or relative, we invite you to deepen the topic on our guide on How to give App and credit on iPhone, Android, Amazon and Windows Store .
