In August 2020, Epic Games began promoting the option of using third-party payment systems for in-app sales on its popular game Fortnite. Apple dispute represented the incident igniting both institutional and public discussion over the app store commissions. While app and mobile gaming publishers have been complaining about platform commissions, lack of direct interaction with users, and the impossibility to redirect users toward third-party payment systems, the 2020 Epic Games v.

Apps participating in the company’s News Partner Program – introduced in August 2021 – see their commission fees cut down to 15 percent in case of in-app purchased subscriptions. Apps that retain subscribers see their commission fees reduced to 15 percent after the subscriber’s first year, while developers participating in Apple's Small Business Program – introduced in November 2020 - enjoy the same commission fees for both subscriptions and other in-app payments from day one. Standard publishers’ fees to monetize on the Apple App Store have been set at 30 percent commissions for all in-app purchases, subscriptions, or paid downloads, with free hosting for all apps since Steve Jobs’ initial introduction of the platform.Īs of 2022, the Apple App Store presented several reduced commission rate plans for developers that meet certain criteria. As of the third quarter of 2021, iOS apps had a retention rate of 13.6 percent after three days from the first download, which tended to decrease to 4.13 percent after 30 days.Īpple and app publishers: is change coming?Īs of June 2022, approximately 94 percent of mobile iOS apps on the Apple App Store were free to download, meaning they operated on ads-based or freemium monetization models for which the 30 percent Apple App Store fee is still required. Gaming apps accounted for 13.70 percent of all the mobile iOS apps hosted in the Store, while business apps accounted for 10.15 percent of all active apps on the platform. The platform is in continuous expansion, with an average of 34,000 apps released per month in the first half of 2022. The Apple App Store, which started with a limited pool of 500 applications, counted around 2.18 million mobile apps available exclusively to iOS users as of the first quarter of 2022.

Mac app store numbers