App Store Fees: Commission Rates and Small Business Programs

Which sales carry a fee

Store fees apply to digital goods and services sold through the app: paid downloads, subscriptions, premium content, unlocked features. Apple's App Review Guidelines require in-app purchase for these in most cases, and Google says that apps and in-app products sold through Google Play's billing system "are subject to a service fee". Physical goods and services used outside the app, such as a delivery or a booking, are paid through a normal payment provider. Our guide to in-app purchases and subscriptions covers when the stores' billing is required; this guide covers what it costs.

Apple: standard rate and the Small Business Program

When Apple announced the App Store Small Business Program on 18 November 2020, it said: "The App Store's standard commission rate of 30 percent remains in place for apps selling digital goods and services and making more than $1 million in proceeds". The program itself, described on Apple's Small Business Program page, offers "a reduced commission rate of 15% on paid apps and Apple In-App Purchases".

The rules, as Apple states them:

• Who qualifies. "Existing developers who made up to 1 million USD in proceeds in the prior calendar year for all their apps, as well as developers new to the App Store". Proceeds are "sales net of Apple's commission and certain taxes and adjustments".
• Going over the limit. If you pass 1 million USD in the current calendar year, "the standard commission rate will apply to future sales". If your proceeds fall below the threshold in a later year, you can re-qualify for 15% "the year after".
• Related accounts count. You must list all Associated Developer Accounts, meaning accounts you own or control, or that own or control yours. Their proceeds are added together for the 1 million USD test. Proceeds of a transferred app count for every account involved in the transfer.
• You must enroll. The reduced rate is not automatic. The Account Holder enrolls, accepts the latest Paid Apps agreement in App Store Connect and lists any associated accounts. Apple says proceeds are adjusted "fifteen (15) days after the end of the fiscal calendar month in which your enrollment is approved".

Apple subscriptions after the first year

Auto-renewable subscriptions have their own structure. Apple's subscriptions page says: "During a subscriber's first year of service, you receive 70% of the subscription price at each billing cycle, minus applicable taxes. After a subscriber accumulates one year of paid service, your net revenue increases to 85% of the subscription price, minus applicable taxes." Upgrades, downgrades and crossgrades within the same subscription group do not reset that year.

For program members it is simpler: "If you're currently enrolled in the App Store Small Business Program, you receive 85% of the subscription price at each billing cycle (minus applicable taxes), regardless of whether or not the subscription has accumulated one year of paid service." Days added with a renewal date extension do not count toward the year of paid service.

Apple in the EU from 1 October 2026

Apple's page on changes for apps in the European Union says the license agreement updated on 18 August 2026 brought "Unified business terms" into effect on 1 October 2026. Apps in EU storefronts may now offer alternative payment methods alongside Apple In-App Purchase, and developers "must maintain their choice of payment options for 12 months". The rates Apple lists for the App Store in the EU:

• Apple In-App Purchase: 26%, or 15% for members of the Small Business Program, Mini Apps Partner Program or Video Partner Program and for auto-renewable subscriptions after their first year.
• Alternative payment processing inside the app: 20%, or 10% for those same programs and subscriptions after their first year.
• Store services commission on out-of-app offers with a link: 15%, or 10% for program members and subscriptions after the first year. Apple says "Only sales made within 7 days of the link tap are subject to this commission."
• Core Technology Commission: 5% on digital sales in apps distributed outside the App Store, through alternative marketplaces or Web Distribution.

Apple adds that "App Store commission rates apply to the price paid by the customer." If you use another payment provider, you collect and remit the taxes yourself and send Apple a monthly report of those transactions. Apple's Small Business Program page still mentions the earlier "alternative terms in the EU"; the EU page says those terms were phased out and superseded on 1 October 2026, so use the EU page for current rates.

Apple in the United States: links to other ways to pay

Apple's App Review Guidelines treat the United States storefront differently. Guideline 3.1.1(a) says the link entitlements "are not required for developers to include buttons, external links, or other calls to action in their United States storefront apps." In storefronts where no link entitlement applies, the guidelines do not allow such calls to action, except in the United States. The guidelines do not list a commission rate for these links, so this guide does not state one. If you plan to send US users to your own website to pay, check the current guideline text and your agreement in App Store Connect before you build the flow. For the web side, see our guide to taking recurring payments in a web app.

Google Play service fees

Google's Service fees help page says: "There isn't a single service fee". For transactions with users in Australia, the European Economic Area, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, a new structure applies from a regional rollout date: 30 June 2026 for the EEA, UK and US, and 30 September 2026 for Australia and Japan. The fee depends on whether the user's install is new (first install or first update from Google Play on or after that date) or existing. Google lists:

• First 1 million USD of annual earnings: 10% plus a 5% billing fee, for all transaction types.
• Standard, auto-renewing subscriptions: 10% plus the 5% billing fee.
• Standard, other transactions: 20% plus the billing fee for new installs; 25% plus the billing fee, or 20% for external web links, for existing installs.
• In the Play Games Level Up or Apps Experience programs: 10% plus the billing fee for subscriptions; 15% plus the billing fee for other transactions from new installs; 20% plus the billing fee, or 15% for external web links, for existing installs.

Google says the billing fee "applies when a user completes a purchase of an in-app digital service or feature using Google Play Billing or for the initial purchase of a paid app or game".

Google Play in other countries

In all remaining markets, "until the announced updated service fees are rolled out globally", Google lists the earlier structure:

• developers enrolled in the 15% service fee tier pay 15% on the first 1 million USD of revenue each year and 30% on earnings above that;
• auto-renewing subscriptions are charged 15%, "regardless of revenue earned by the developer each year";
• other transactions can be 15% or lower for developers in programs such as the Play Media Experience Program.

Where developers offer an alternative billing system next to Google Play's billing for users in South Korea or India, Google says the fee on those transactions is the normal fee "reduced by 4%". Google also allows developers to direct EEA users to offers outside the app and to offer an alternative billing system in the EEA, subject to its program requirements.

What to do before launch

Store fees affect your pricing and your business case, so settle them while you plan the app, as our guide to what it costs to build an app suggests. A short list:

• decide which purchases are digital and go through store billing, and which are not;
• enroll in Apple's Small Business Program before your first paid sale, and list any associated accounts;
• check which Google Play fee structure applies in each country you sell in, and whether you are enrolled in the right tier or program;
• for EU and US users, decide whether to offer other payment options, knowing Apple's 12-month rule in the EU;
• save the date of each store page you relied on, and check the pages again before each pricing change.

FAQ

Is Apple's 15% rate automatic for small developers?

No. Apple's Small Business Program page says you need to enroll as the Account Holder, accept the latest Paid Apps agreement and list any Associated Developer Accounts. Proceeds are adjusted 15 days after the end of the fiscal month in which enrollment is approved.

What happens if I earn more than 1 million USD in a year?

Apple says the standard commission rate then applies to future sales, and you can re-qualify for 15% the year after a year in which proceeds fall below the threshold. Google charges a lower rate on the first 1 million USD of annual earnings: 10% plus a billing fee in the new-fee regions, and 15% for developers enrolled in the 15% tier elsewhere.

How much does Apple take from subscriptions?

Apple says you receive 70% of the price in a subscriber's first year and 85% after one year of paid service, minus taxes. Members of the Small Business Program receive 85% from the start.

Do the store fees apply to physical products?

No. The fees apply to digital goods and services sold through the stores. Physical goods and services used outside the app go through a normal payment provider, which charges its own processing fees.

Why are Google Play's fees different by country?

Google is rolling out a new fee structure by region: from 30 June 2026 for the EEA, UK and US and from 30 September 2026 for Australia and Japan. Other markets keep the earlier 15% and 30% structure until the new fees roll out globally.

Planning an app that sells subscriptions or digital content? See our mobile app development service and all our services, or email [email protected].