The 15% app store fee: if you’re under $1M, stop donating margin
A credited summary of RevenueCat’s practical guide to Apple’s Small Business Program and Google Play’s 15% service-fee tier, plus the subscription commission quirks teams still miss.
Original source: RevenueCat - “The 15% App Store fee you’re probably not paying (but should be)” (Jan 27, 2026)
The gist
A lot of teams still talk like the default commission is always “30%”. RevenueCat’s reminder is blunt but useful: if you’re under $1M/year, you likely qualify for 15% on Apple (via the Small Business Program) and get a reduced tier on Google Play.
This is not a loophole. It’s mostly paperwork and it changes unit economics immediately.
Apple: Small Business Program (what to remember)
- Eligibility is based on prior-year proceeds (and Apple counts associated developer accounts toward the threshold).
- Once approved, the reduced rate applies to paid apps, IAP, and subscriptions.
Operational takeaway: someone should “own” this in the same way someone owns tax/VAT setup. It’s a growth lever, not admin.
Google Play: 15% service fee tier (the practical point)
RevenueCat highlights the key mechanic: Google charges 15% on the first $1M each year, then 30% above that for the remainder of the year.
Subscription commission is not the same everywhere
Their useful table-level reminder:
- Apple subscriptions can drop to 15% in year 2+ for a given subscriber (even if you’re not SBP).
- Google subscriptions are 15% from day one (as described in the post).
Tiny win
If you’re a subscription team, add a single recurring check to your finance/growth calendar:
- confirm SBP / associated accounts status (Apple)
- confirm account grouping/enrollment (Google)
- sanity-check that your dashboards/tools are using the right commission assumptions
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