App Store Reject

Guideline 3.0

Guideline 3.0 - Business: Irrationally High Pricing

Medium RiskMedium DifficultyTypical Fix: 1-2 days0 Reports
Also known as:Weekly subscription price is irrationally high relative to content offeredIn-App Purchase products do not reflect value of featuresApp price does not match the limited functionality providedConsumable IAP pricing is excessive for the content deliveredMultiple storefronts flagged for irrational pricing on same product

Our Take

Apple is rejecting your app because the prices you've set for the app or its In-App Purchase products do not reflect the value of the features and content offered to the user. Apple considers charging irrationally high prices for content or services with limited value to be inappropriate for the App Store.


This rejection targets a pricing-to-value mismatch -- not the use of IAP itself (which falls under 3.1.x). Apple evaluates whether what the user receives justifies what they pay. Common triggers include weekly subscriptions priced as high as monthly competitors, consumable IAPs with extreme markup relative to the content delivered, and apps with minimal functionality charging premium prices.


Unlike most 3.x rejections which are about payment mechanics, this one is a subjective editorial judgment by the review team. Apple compares your pricing against similar apps in your category and evaluates the perceived value. This makes it harder to predict and harder to appeal, because there is no bright-line rule -- only Apple's assessment of whether the price is 'irrationally high' relative to the value delivered.


The rejection email typically lists the specific IAP items Apple considers overpriced, often by product name and storefront ID.

Resolution Guide

01

**Audit your pricing against competitors** — Search your App Store category for apps with similar features and content. Compare their subscription and IAP pricing to yours. If your weekly price exceeds what competitors charge monthly, that is likely the trigger.


02

**Reduce the flagged IAP prices** — Lower the prices for the specific items Apple listed in the rejection email. A good benchmark: your weekly subscription should not exceed ~25% of comparable monthly subscriptions in your category.


03

**Add value to justify the price** — If lowering prices is not viable, add features or content that justify the pricing. Document these additions clearly in your App Review notes.


04

**Restructure billing intervals** — If your weekly subscription is the issue, consider removing it entirely and offering monthly or annual plans instead. Weekly subscriptions attract the most scrutiny because the annualized cost is often dramatically higher than monthly plans.


05

**Review all storefronts** — Apple may flag pricing on specific storefronts. Ensure your pricing tiers are consistent and reasonable across all regions, accounting for local purchasing power.


06

**Write clear App Review notes** — Explain the value proposition for your pricing. Detail what the user receives: content library size, update frequency, professional features, operational costs, or licensed content.

Prevention

  • Benchmark pricing against top apps in your category before submission
  • Avoid weekly subscriptions unless the content genuinely refreshes weekly
  • If offering multiple billing intervals, ensure the weekly price is not dramatically higher than the monthly price on an annualized basis
  • Include a clear value proposition in App Review notes for any premium-priced app

    • Example Rejection Email

    From:Apple App Review Team
    Subject:Guideline 3.0 - Business: Irrationally High Pricing
    Guideline 3.0 - Business Customers expect the App Store to be a safe and trusted marketplace for purchasing digital goods. Apps should never betray this trust by attempting to cheat users in any way. Unfortunately, the prices you've selected for the app or In-App Purchase products in the app do not reflect the value of the features and content offered to the user. Charging irrationally high prices for content or services with limited value is not appropriate for the App Store. Specifically, the prices for the following items are irrationally high: Weekly - Multiple Storefronts - 6756762516 Next Steps: To resolve this issue, we recommend you take the following steps: - Revise the app or In-App Purchase products to provide more value to the user at the time of purchase. - Choose a price for the app or In-App Purchase products that accurately reflects the value of the content and features offered.

    Consider Appealing

    Appeal if you can demonstrate the value proposition justifies the price -- for example, the app replaces a significantly more expensive professional tool, delivers licensed premium content, or provides a specialized service with real operational costs. Include competitor pricing comparisons and a clear breakdown of what the user receives. However, if your pricing is genuinely out of line with comparable apps, lowering the price and resubmitting is faster than appealing.

    Generate Appeal

    Before & After

    Before — Rejected

    Weekly subscription priced at $19.99/week ($1,039/year annualized) for a simple habit tracker with no premium content or data services

    After — Approved

    Restructured to $4.99/month or $29.99/year, with weekly plan removed. Added detailed App Review notes explaining features included at each tier

    What changed: Apple flags pricing when the annualized cost of short-interval subscriptions dramatically exceeds the value delivered. Removing the weekly tier and offering reasonable monthly/annual plans resolves the mismatch.

    Before — Rejected

    Consumable IAP: 10 credits for $49.99 in a wallpaper app with ~200 wallpapers total

    After — Approved

    Consumable IAP: 10 credits for $4.99, plus a $9.99/month unlimited access subscription. App Review notes detail the AI generation pipeline cost per wallpaper

    What changed: When consumable pricing is extreme relative to content volume, restructuring to a subscription with unlimited access at a reasonable price demonstrates fair value.

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