Apple Cashed In Over $10B in App Store Fees Last Year, Says Report

Apple earned more than $10 billion USD (about $14 billion CAD) in U.S. App Store commissions during 2024, according to market intelligence firm Appfigures (via TechCrunch).

Per Appfigures’ estimates, Apple’s earnings from U.S. App Store fees more than doubled between 2020 and 2024. The tech giant takes a 15-30% cut of all transactions made through the App Store.

Appfigures’ data suggests that the U.S. App Store generated $33.68 billion USD through Apple’s payment system in 2024. Apple raked in $10.1 billion USD of that in App Store fees — over twice the estimated $4.76 billion USD it made from U.S. App Store commissions back in 2020.

Image: Appfigures

Appfigures’ numbers are estimates and don’t reflect Apple’s earnings disclosures. The iPhone maker doesn’t break out how much it makes from App Store commissions, instead baking it into its “Services” revenue. Earlier this year, a report from analytics firm Sensor Tower found that the App Store and Google’s Play Store generated a combined $150 billion USD during 2024.

Apple’s hefty commissions have come under threat in recent years, with the company fighting legal battles across the globe to protect the 15-30% fee developers are charged on every transaction made through the App Store.

The EU drew first blood last year when it forced Apple to allow third-party app stores and payment systems on its platforms. Apple was dealt a similar blow in the U.S. last week, with a California judge ruling that the company was in “willful violation” of a 2021 injunction that prohibited it from blocking rival payment methods in iOS apps.

The decision granted Epic Games a win in its longstanding battle against the so-called “Apple tax” on App Store purchases. As a result, Apple has been forced to let U.S. app developers link out to external payment options for purchases that forego the company’s cut.

Apple is fighting the ruling, arguing that the decision causes the company “grave irreparable harm.”

“These restrictions, which will cost Apple substantial sums annually, are based on conduct that has never been adjudicated to be (and is not) unlawful,” Apple said in its most recent filing. “Rather, they were imposed to punish Apple for purported non-compliance with an earlier state-law injunction that is itself invalid.”

Appfigures’ estimates, combined with Apple’s strong efforts to maintain the status quo, highlight just how crucial App Store commissions are to the company’s fiscal performance.