Apple made more than US$10 billion from commissions on the U.S. App Store in 2024, according to new figures from app intelligence company Appfigures. If you’re a developer or someone who follows the mobile app industry, this number reflects how much Apple continues to profit from its platform — and why it’s such a hot topic in ongoing legal battles.
App Store revenue has more than doubled since 2020
Appfigures’ analysis shows that Apple’s commission earnings from the U.S. App Store more than doubled in just four years. In 2020, the tech giant made an estimated US$4.76 billion. Fast-forward to 2024, Apple’s cut has jumped to over US$10.1 billion.
To give you more context, developers using Apple’s payment system in the U.S. generated a whopping US$33.68 billion in gross revenue last year. After Apple took its share, developers were left with US$23.57 billion. This shows how much Apple benefits from every app purchase, subscription, or in-app transaction processed through its store.
Globally, the story is similar. In 2022, Appfigures estimated that Apple made around US$61.5 billion from the App Store. By 2024, this figure climbed to US$91.3 billion, with Apple earning more than US$27.39 billion in commissions worldwide.
Apple’s figures don’t quite match — here’s why
If you’ve seen Apple’s reports, you might be confused by the different numbers. In a 2023 report, Apple claimed that the App Store generated US$104 billion globally in estimated billings for 2022. That’s quite a bit higher than what Appfigures suggested.
The difference lies in how Apple defines “billings and sales.” Apple’s report includes direct App Store transactions and revenue made elsewhere, like a Hulu subscription bought on a website. If most of the content is viewed through an Apple device, Apple counts a portion of that as App Store-facilitated revenue. Apple relies on third-party market research to estimate how much content is used on Apple devices versus other platforms.
It’s also important to know that some app businesses use for internal purposes, including those with in-app purchases, don’t appear on the public App Store, and Apple’s commission from these isn’t broken down.
Court ruling forces Apple to change its rules
This discussion comes at a crucial time. A recent U.S. court decision now stops Apple from charging its usual 27% commission on purchases outside the App Store. This legal battle goes back to a 2021 injunction that stemmed from Apple’s antitrust clash with Fortnite’s creator, Epic Games.
In response to that earlier ruling, Apple allowed developers to request permission to add links in their apps that lead users to external purchase pages. However, the company still applied a 27% commission and heavily restricted how these links could be presented, even showing warning screens to discourage users from buying outside the App Store.
Last week, a judge ruled that Apple was in “wilful violation” of the 2021 order by continuing to charge these fees and creating new restrictions. As a result, Apple had to revise its U.S. App Store guidelines. Now, developers can direct users to external payment options without being charged a commission or following strict display rules.
This change has already led to apps like Spotify, Amazon Kindle, and Patreon offering web-based payments. The Delta game emulator has even turned to Patreon to support itself through memberships.
Still, Apple is appealing the court’s decision. Apple claims in its latest legal filing that the changes will cause the company “grave irreparable harm.” Apple argues that it is being punished for behaviour that hasn’t been declared illegal, and the company will lose significant revenue.
Many developers, however, argue that Apple should have lowered its commission rates long ago. Some say the company’s current business model puts too much strain on app makers, especially smaller ones.
Appfigures also broke down the US$10 billion in revenue: about US$6.28 billion came from apps and US$3.83 billion from games. These figures show how much the App Store contributes to Apple’s financial success — and why the company is determined to protect it.
