Cresc

    Expo pricing vs Cresc for React Native OTA

    Short answer: do not compare Expo MAUs directly with Cresc daily queries. They are different meters. Compare the monthly scenario instead: base price, included capacity, and whether extra usage can create a surprise bill after that capacity is used.

    Pricing snapshot checked against Expo official pricing and billing docs on April 17, 2026.

    What is being compared?

    ServiceMeterWhat counts
    Expo EAS UpdateUpdate MAUs + global edge bandwidthA unique installation counts as an update MAU only if it downloads at least one update during the billing period.
    CrescDaily update checksA client request counts when the app asks Cresc whether an update is available, regardless of whether a new update exists.

    That means the two products do not share one universal quota unit. A readable comparison has to use monthly scenarios, not raw tier names.

    Expo pricing snapshot

    PlanMonthly priceIncluded EAS Update capacity
    Expo Free$0/mo1K update MAUs
    Expo Starter$19/mo + usage3K update MAUs, 100 GiB bandwidth
    Expo Production$199/mo + usage50K update MAUs, 1 TiB bandwidth
    Expo EnterpriseCustomPublic pricing page does not publish a comparable monthly number

    Expo's official usage-based pricing for EAS Update adds:

    • $0.005 per additional updated user
    • $0.10 per additional GiB of global edge bandwidth

    Cresc pricing snapshot

    PlanMonthly priceIncluded delivery scale
    Cresc Standard$19/mo10K daily queries
    Cresc Premium$39/mo100K daily queries
    Cresc Pro$99/mo1M daily queries
    Cresc Max$399/mo10M daily queries
    Cresc Ultra$1,699/mo100M daily queries

    Scenario comparison

    ScenarioExpoCresc
    First paid tierStarter is $19/mo, then usage-based billing after 3K update MAUs and 100 GiB.Standard is $19/mo with 10K update checks per day, CDN delivery included, and no automatic overage bill.
    Production trafficProduction is $199/mo, then usage-based billing after 50K update MAUs and 1 TiB.Pro is $99/mo with 1M update checks per day. Upgrade when real traffic needs more headroom.
    High volumeEnterprise pricing is custom, so there is no public monthly number to compare.Max and Ultra are fixed public tiers at $399/mo and $1,699/mo, so capacity planning stays explicit.

    The useful takeaway is predictability. Cresc gives fixed public tiers and does not turn a traffic spike into an automatic overage invoice. Expo can be economical when your update MAUs and bandwidth stay inside the plan allowance, but it can add usage charges when either meter crosses the included limit.

    When a Cresc tier is no longer enough, upgrading does not make the buyer forfeit the unused portion of the current plan. The higher tier takes effect after payment, the old subscription is cancelled, and the current plan's remaining value is converted into extra days on the new tier.

    Expo's own usage example

    Expo's official billing documentation gives this example for the Starter plan:

    • 20 updates
    • 5 MiB each
    • 10,000 updated users

    Their documented extra usage comes to $95.31 for that month. Adding the Starter subscription itself means the all-in monthly cost would be $114.31. That total is an inference from the official example plus the public Starter plan fee.

    How Cresc scales

    Cresc is not metered as a continuously discounted usage product. Plans only move upward. Start with the tier that covers current release traffic. When a plan ceiling is no longer enough, upgrade to the next fixed tier with a larger daily update-check allowance:

    Cresc planMonthly priceIncluded delivery scale
    Standard$19/mo10K daily queries
    Premium$39/mo100K daily queries
    Pro$99/mo1M daily queries
    Max$399/mo10M daily queries
    Ultra$1,699/mo100M daily queries

    Upgrading changes the allowance, not the app integration or release flow. The unused value is preserved with this conversion:

    extraDays = floor(currentRemainingDays * currentPlanMonthlyPrice / newPlanMonthlyPrice)
newExpiry = now + 30 days + extraDays

    That is the economic story worth emphasizing: fixed public ceilings, intentional upgrades, and preserved unused value instead of a usage bill that can grow across multiple meters.

    Which pricing model is easier to budget?

    • Choose Expo if you are already deep into Expo services and are comfortable budgeting around update MAU plus bandwidth overages.
    • Choose Cresc if you want OTA pricing to stay closer to a fixed monthly infrastructure cost and prefer adding capacity intentionally as real usage grows.