Auto-renewable OR In-App Purchases for Newsstand…which is better?

Question

I am creating a magazine for Apple's Newsstand, and need to offer EITHER an auto-renewable OR In-App Purchase subscription. This magazine is going to be FREE, so there is no need to manage receipts for myself or the user.

MY QUESTION(s): What's the difference?...Are there any advantages/disadvantages to either one?...which is easier to implement?...do either require third-party services?

Answer 1

In terms of implementation neither of them has any significant advantages over the other in my experience. You can do both without any third party services and they are probably of similar complexity. We have implemented both on our app.

From the users perspective it is more subjective, but I personally have a preference for auto-renewable subscriptions as I think it provides a smoother user experience.