What Apple and Google Actually Take From App Revenue — And What Changed in 2026

"Apple and Google take 30%" is the line everyone repeats. For most independent developers it hasn't been true for years, and as of mid-2026 Google Play's structure doesn't even resemble a single percentage any more.

Apple: 15% Under $1 Million

Apple's App Store Small Business Program charges 15% on paid apps and In-App Purchases, against the standard 30%.

To qualify you need up to $1 million USD in proceeds in the prior calendar year. That covers the overwhelming majority of independent developers — $1 million in proceeds, not revenue, is a substantial business.

What happens when you outgrow it is worth knowing precisely. Apple states:

"If a participating developer surpasses the 1 million USD threshold in the current calendar year, the standard commission rate will apply to future sales."

So the change applies going forward, not retroactively — you don't get billed the difference on earlier sales. And if proceeds fall back below the threshold, you can qualify again the following year.

Apple also lists a further reduction for developers on alternative terms in the EU: 10% on subscriptions after their first year.

Google Play: It Depends Where Your Users Are

Google Play now runs two different structures depending on the market.

In markets not yet on the new model, the familiar arrangement applies:

Earnings	Service fee
First $1 million USD annually	15%
Above $1 million	30%
Auto-renewing subscriptions	15% regardless of total revenue

That subscription rate is the quiet advantage. A subscription app pays 15% at any scale, while a paid-app or IAP business crosses into 30% once it passes $1 million.

The 30 June 2026 Restructure

In the EEA, UK and US, Google Play moved to a materially different model from 30 June 2026 — and this is where most published advice is now wrong.

Two changes at once. The charge splits into a service fee plus a 5% billing fee, and the service fee depends on when the user first installed or updated your app.

Google defines a new install as "a transaction from a user whose first-time install or first update of the app from Google Play occurred on or after June 30, 2026", and an existing install as one where that happened before.

Roughly, for standard transactions:

User type	Standard transaction	Auto-renewing subscriptions
New install	10% + 5% billing fee	10% + 5% billing fee
Existing install	25% + 5% billing fee	10% + 5% billing fee

Lower rates apply for developers participating in Google's Play Games Level Up or Apps Experience programs, and separate rates apply to transactions through external web links.

The headline effect: a new user acquired after 30 June 2026 costs you far less in fees than a long-standing one on a standard transaction, while subscriptions land at 15% all-in either way.

What This Means Before You Build

Subscriptions are treated favourably on both stores. Google Play charges 15% for auto-renewing subscriptions regardless of revenue, and Apple's EU alternative terms drop to 10% after year one. If your idea works as a subscription, the fee structure rewards that.

The $1 million threshold is further away than it feels. Most independent developers will never approach it, which means the realistic rate to plan around is 15%, not 30%. Revenue models built on a 30% assumption understate what you'd actually keep.

Fees are not your only cost. Both platforms charge developer program membership annually, and app income is self-employment income — in the US, self-employment tax alone is 15.3% of net earnings before income tax.

A Practical Check

Work out three numbers for your own situation:

1. Which store rate applies to you — almost certainly 15%, not 30%
2. Whether your market is on Google Play's new structure (EEA, UK, US) or the older one
3. Whether a subscription model fits, given both stores price subscriptions more favourably

Where to Verify Any of This

Every rate and threshold above is published by Apple and Google on the pages linked below. Google Play's schedule in particular is mid-transition and branches by market, program and install type — check it directly against your own app rather than relying on a summary.