Apple made $10 billion from U.S. App Store commissions in 2024. Now it’s fighting to keep it
As the numbers climb, Apple’s grip on that revenue is starting to loosen.
Every time you download an app, buy a subscription, or make an in-app purchase on your iPhone, Apple takes a cut. And last year, that cut added up to more than $10 billion in the U.S. alone, according to new estimates from analytics firm Appfigures.
That’s right — over $10 billion, just from commissions on U.S. App Store transactions. And it’s growing fast. Back in 2020, Apple made about $4.76 billion in U.S. commissions. By 2024, it had climbed past $10.1 billion.
In total, U.S. developers earned $33.68 billion through the App Store’s payment system in 2024. After Apple’s app store cut, they kept $23.57 billion. In other words, for every dollar flowing through the App Store, Apple pocketed nearly a third.
Globally, Appfigures estimates the App Store brought in $91.3 billion last year, with Apple’s commissions topping $27 billion worldwide.
Apple’s Revenue Stream Faces a Leak
But even as the numbers climb, Apple’s control over the App Store — and the billions it pulls in from it is facing real threats.
It all traces back to Apple’s long-running legal battle with Fortnite maker Epic Games. After years in court, Apple was ordered to stop blocking developers from sending users to outside payment options. Apple responded by technically allowing outside links, but slapped a 27% commission on any purchases made that way and forced developers to include warnings about buying outside the App Store.
That workaround didn’t convince the courts. Last week, the court ruled that Apple had “willfully violated” the earlier injunction by continuing to charge commissions and adding unnecessary hurdles. Now, Apple’s been forced to open the door wider, letting developers link out to external payments without commissions or restrictions.
Big names like Spotify, Amazon Kindle, and Patreon wasted no time adding these links, giving users a direct path to pay outside Apple’s system
That spells big trouble for Apple, because it means purchases that once flowed through the App Store, and counted toward its revenue, are suddenly out of reach.
In the past, Apple didn’t just count direct App Store sales. It also claimed a share of transactions it said were “facilitated” by the App Store, even if the actual purchase happened elsewhere. For example, if you subscribed to Hulu on the web but mostly watched on an iPhone, Apple counted part of that spending as its own. Now, with developers steering customers directly away from the App Store, Apple’s ability to justify counting those outside purchases looks shakier than ever.
Of course, Apple isn’t taking this quietly. It’s appealing the ruling, warning in court filings that the decision causes “grave irreparable harm” to its business. Apple argues the restrictions will cost it “substantial sums” every year and punish it for behaviour that wasn’t even ruled illegal.
The App Store has been a massive money machine for Apple, bringing in over $10 billion in U.S. commissions last year alone. But as regulators and courts push for more competition and fewer restrictions, that machine might be about to slow down. Whether Apple can hold onto its App Store dominance or will have to settle for a smaller slice is a fight that’s far from over.
