When purchasing a game, app, or subscription to one of these services with our iPhone, we’re doing so through Apple’s service, which means the company itself would take a portion of that payment, depending on what we’re buying.
This can be useful for both developers who want to start publishing their projects on the App Store, and for users who, out of simple curiosity, want to know how much the game or app company would get from everything they paid for it.
What percentage does Apple keep of Store sales?
It’s important to clarify that these fees aren’t just for app purchases—that is, payments we make to install a game, for example—but also for in-app purchases, including subscription plans, unlocking levels, purchasing coins, and everything else within the app.
The commissions that Apple applies are the following:
- 15% of sales up to one million dollars annually (if you exceed this figure, it increases to 30%).
- 30% of weekly, monthly, annual, etc. subscriptions. If they exceed one year, it is reduced to 15%.
That is, if you are a small developer, you will lose 15% of sales and 30% of a monthly subscription that someone purchases, for example, however, if you are large, and we are talking about apps like Candy Crush, Pokemon Go, etc., Apple will take 30% of everything from you, which seems quite exaggerated to us, since not only would you have to take this into account, but also subsequent taxes depending on your country, possibly leaving you with less than 50% of what the original buyer paid.
That’s why many choose to have cards that you can purchase on their website, or alternative payment methods where they even give you more for the same price, since by not incurring these fees, both they and we earn more.
Although this commission model has received considerable criticism, Apple defends its approach, saying that access to its infrastructure, which includes security, support, and visibility in the App Store, justifies these percentages. For developers, especially smaller ones, the platform’s large user base gives them a unique opportunity to reach a global audience without having to spend heavily on advertising or build an entire infrastructure themselves. This allows them to focus more on their product and less on the logistical aspects of the business.
And you, what do you think about all this? Do you think it’s a good idea for Apple to take €1.50, for example, from a €10 purchase, and then later take 30% of the app’s internal subscriptions? The truth is, yes, they offer a lot of advertising to small developers who, without the App Store, might not reach as many people, but the commissions seem somewhat unfair to us, especially for those who advertise in other ways and only use the store so everyone can download it, since until now, there were no other methods.
