App Store vs Google Play Comparison

Tiered 30%/15% commission, 175 regions, new EU commercial terms from October 1, 2026

VS
Google Play

10-25% + 5% by revenue tier and install age in EEA/UK/US since June 30, 2026

13 min readiOS

Quick Verdict

There's no single winner; your revenue mix decides. For EEA/UK/US subscriptions, Google takes 10% + 5% with no install-age distinction, while a non-SBP Apple developer pays 30% in year one. On the first $1 million earned annually, both stores converge at the 15% band. If you sell in the EU, factor in Apple's October 1, 2026 table separately.

App StoreGoogle Play
Read the full verdict

Score Comparison

Loading chart...

Detailed Scoring

Detailed Scoring: App Store and Google Play — category-by-category scores out of 10
CategoryApp StoreGoogle Play
Performance
7/10
7/10
Ease of Learning
6/10
7/10
Ecosystem
9/10
8/10
Community
8/10
8/10
Job Market
8/10
7/10
Future-Proof
8/10
8/10

Pros & Cons

App Store

Pros

  • 15% commission under the Small Business Program (prior-year net proceeds under $1 million)
  • Subscription commission drops to 15% after one year, automatically, with no extra application
  • Single application covers distribution to 175 regions
  • Human editorial review plus malware scanning
  • In the EU, the Core Technology Fee and Store Services Fee are eliminated starting October 1, 2026

Cons

  • Standard 30% commission is higher than most of Google's rate rows
  • Account membership costs $99/year, versus Google's one-time $25 fee
  • An organization account requires a legal entity and a D-U-N-S Number
  • Exceeding the SBP threshold switches you to the standard rate for the rest of the year

Best For

Small teams whose prior-year net revenue stayed under $1 millionLong-lived subscription products (15% after year one)Developers who want to try distribution outside the App Store in the EUBrands that prefer a human-reviewed storefront

Google Play

Pros

  • No install-age distinction for subscriptions in EEA/UK/US: 10% + 5% billing fee
  • In EEA/UK/US, every transaction type is 10% + 5% on the first $1 million earned annually
  • One-time $25 account fee, no annual charge
  • A 4-point discount for alternative billing in South Korea and India
  • Under Play Games Level Up / Apps Experience, existing installs are 20% and external web links are 15%

Cons

  • Above the first $1 million, non-subscription transactions: 20% + 5% for new installs, 25% + 5% for existing installs
  • The first-tier rate isn't automatic: it requires registering for the 15% service fee tier
  • The billing fee is a separate line item, so total cost isn't visible in a single row
  • Play Billing is mandatory for digital content sales (physical goods are exempt)

Best For

Subscription-focused products in EEA/UK/US (effective 15%)Teams publishing from Turkey and other remaining-markets regionsIndividual developers looking for a low entry barrierDevelopers who will use the South Korea/India alternative billing discount

Code Comparison

App Store
// StoreKit 2 - load a subscription product and estimate net price after commission
import StoreKit

func loadSubscriptionAndEstimateNet(productID: String, isSmallBusinessProgram: Bool, firstYear: Bool) async throws {
    let products = try await Product.products(for: [productID])
    guard let product = products.first else { return }

    // Apple's official rates: SBP=15% flat, standard=30% in year one, 15% after year one
    let commissionRate: Decimal
    if isSmallBusinessProgram {
        commissionRate = 0.15
    } else {
        commissionRate = firstYear ? 0.30 : 0.15
    }

    let price = product.price
    let netToDeveloper = price * (1 - commissionRate)

    print("Ürün: \(product.displayName)")
    print("Liste fiyatı: \(product.displayPrice)")
    print("Geliştiriciye net kalan (tahmini): \(netToDeveloper)")

    // Purchase flow
    let result = try await product.purchase()
    switch result {
    case .success(let verification):
        if case .verified(let transaction) = verification {
            await transaction.finish()
        }
    case .userCancelled, .pending:
        break
    @unknown default:
        break
    }
}
Google Play
// Play Billing Library 9.1.0 - query subscription, estimate net revenue (Kotlin)
import com.android.billingclient.api.BillingClient
import com.android.billingclient.api.BillingClient.ProductType
import com.android.billingclient.api.BillingClient.BillingResponseCode
import com.android.billingclient.api.QueryProductDetailsParams

fun queryAndEstimateNet(client: BillingClient, productId: String, region: String) {
    val product = QueryProductDetailsParams.Product.newBuilder()
        .setProductId(productId)
        .setProductType(ProductType.SUBS)
        .build()
    val params = QueryProductDetailsParams.newBuilder()
        .setProductList(listOf(product))
        .build()
    // PBL 8.0.0+: the listener receives a QueryProductDetailsResult
    client.queryProductDetailsAsync(params) { billingResult, result ->
        if (billingResult.responseCode != BillingResponseCode.OK) return@queryProductDetailsAsync
        for (details in result.productDetailsList) {
            val offer = details.subscriptionOfferDetails?.firstOrNull() ?: continue
            val micros = offer.pricingPhases.pricingPhaseList.first().priceAmountMicros
            // EEA/UK/US subscription: new and existing installs are the same, 10% + 5% billing fee
            // Remaining markets (including TR): flat 15%
            val fee = if (region == "EEA_UK_US") 0.10 + 0.05 else 0.15
            println("${details.title}: ${micros / 1_000_000.0 * (1 - fee)}")
        }
        // result.unfetchedProductList: products that could not be queried
    }
}

Conclusion

There's no single winner; your revenue mix decides. For EEA/UK/US subscriptions, Google takes 10% + 5% with no install-age distinction, while a non-SBP Apple developer pays 30% in year one. On the first $1 million earned annually, both stores converge at the 15% band. If you sell in the EU, factor in Apple's October 1, 2026 table separately.

Get Free Consultation
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Apple: 30% standard, 15% under the Small Business Program, subscriptions 30% in year one then 15% after. Google Play: in remaining markets, 15% on the first $1 million and 30% above it, subscriptions flat at 15%. In EEA/UK/US, every transaction is 10% + 5% on the first $1 million; above that, subscriptions stay at 10% + 5%, while non-subscription transactions are 20% + 5% for new installs and 25% + 5% for existing installs.

Related Blog Posts

View All Posts

Related Projects

View All Projects
All Comparisons