This week, Apple announced the financial results of its US App Store for 2024. According to the company, the US App Store ecosystem facilitated a total of $406 billion in developer billings and sales in 2024, nearly triple the $142 billion reported in 2019.
Apple also highlighted that developers paid no commission on 90% of the transactions processed through the App Store. These findings come from an Apple-funded study conducted by Professor Andrey Fradkin from Boston University and economist Dr. Jessica Burley.
The study shows that only a small portion of developers pay commissions to Apple, most of whom participate in programs like the Small Business Program, which reduces the standard 30% commission to 15%.
However, these figures have not stopped Apple from fighting increased competition demands in the US App Store market. Last month, a US court ruled that Apple must change its policy regarding external payments following a lawsuit by Fortnite maker Epic Games. As a result, Apple must now allow developers to add web-based payment links in their apps where Apple cannot collect commission. Apple is currently appealing this decision.
Apple’s report states that US-based developers’ earnings have more than doubled in the last five years, while small business developers saw a 76% revenue increase between 2021 and 2024. Apple launched the Small Business Program in 2020, which lowered commissions for developers earning less than $1 million annually.
Apple emphasizes that the App Store allows developers to reach customers in 175 countries and regions and prevents billions of fraudulent transactions. Developers also have access to over 250,000 APIs and frameworks such as HealthKit, Metal, Core ML, MapKit, and SwiftUI.
The report also highlights that in 2024, the US App Store ecosystem generated $277 billion from physical goods and services, $75 billion from in-app advertising, and $53 billion from digital goods and services. Since 2019, spending on physical goods and services has more than tripled, while spending on digital goods, services, and in-app advertising has more than doubled. General retail and grocery delivery spending increased more than fourfold.
