Service fee (App Store / Google Play)

What the service fee is

The service fee (often called the store commission) is what Apple and Google charge developers for distribution on their platforms. It is the largest line item between gross revenue and what lands in your bank account.

Until 2026, both stores published a single combined rate (15% for most subscriptions and Small Business Program apps, 30% above the $1M threshold). Starting June 30, 2026 in the US, UK, and EEA, Google Play splits its rate into two line items:

• Service fee. What Google charges for being on the Play Store.
• Billing fee. What Google charges separately for processing payments through Google Play Billing. Skipped if you use alternative billing.

Apple still publishes a single combined fee. The two stores are now describing the same cost structure with different accounting conventions.

How the service fee is calculated

The service fee is a percentage of the gross transaction value, deducted before the developer receives the payout. Stores report it on the monthly settlement statement, alongside taxes withheld and currency conversion adjustments.

For a $9.99 subscription on Google Play in the US after June 30, 2026:

1. Gross transaction: $9.99
2. Service fee (10%): -$1.00
3. Billing fee (5%, Google Play Billing): -$0.50
4. Net to developer: $8.49

This is the same net the developer would have received under the old combined 15% rate. The accounting changed, not the bottom line for most indies.

Service fee rates by store (2026)

Apple App Store

• Standard: 30% on the first year of a subscription, 15% from the second year onward; 30% on non-subscription IAPs above $1M annual.
• Small Business Program: 15% on subscriptions and IAPs for developers earning under $1M per year. Year-one subscriptions also 15% with SBP enrollment.

Google Play (US, UK, EEA, after June 30, 2026)

• Subscriptions, all developers: 10% service fee + 5% billing fee (Google Play Billing) = 15% effective.
• IAPs, first $1M annual: 10% service fee + 5% billing fee = 15% effective.
• IAPs above $1M, new installs: 20% service fee + 5% billing fee = 25% effective.
• IAPs above $1M, existing installs: 25% service fee + 5% billing fee = 30% effective.
• Apps & Games programs, new installs: 15% service fee + 5% billing fee = 20% effective.

Google Play (rest of world)

The 5% billing fee is currently published only for US, UK, and EEA. Rates and billing-fee applicability for Australia, Japan, Korea, and the rest of the world will phase in between September 2026 and September 2027.

How the service fee connects to localized pricing

The service fee determines what you net per country, but it does not determine what to charge. PPP-based localized pricing sets the price the user sees. The service fee sits underneath that, taking its percentage of whatever number you set. The two layers move independently.

This is why the 2026 Google Play change does not require most indies to re-localize prices. The fee restructure is invisible to users; what the user pays in Brazil or India is set by the developer.

What is the service fee on subscriptions?

Apple charges 15% for Small Business Program members and 30% for non-members in year one of a subscription, dropping to 15% in year two. Google Play charges 10% service fee plus a 5% billing fee for a 15% effective rate in the US, UK, and EEA after June 30, 2026.

Is the service fee deducted before or after taxes?

It is deducted from the gross transaction value after VAT and sales tax are remitted to the relevant tax authority. The settlement statement shows the order of operations: tax withheld first, then service fee, then payout.

How the service fee connects to PricePush

PricePush calculates per-country prices, not fee structures. The numbers you push to App Store Connect and Google Play Console are gross prices the user sees. Net-after-fees per country is on the roadmap. For now, the percentages are the same across all 175 storefronts, so net follows directly from gross.