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Apple to charge 5% commission on EU apps distributed outside App Store
The new EU fee structure, effective October 1, replaces prior charges and includes a 20% commission for alternative payments that could drop to 10% for small businesses.
Apple will begin charging a 5% commission on digital transactions for apps distributed outside its App Store in the European Union, replacing a more complex fee system as it moves to comply with the EU Digital Markets Act, Reuters reports. The change comes after EU antitrust regulators ordered Apple last year to remove commercial barriers they said hindered developers from directing users to alternative channels.
Under the updated terms, App Store apps that use alternative payment processing will face a 20% commission, though fees could fall to 10% for developers under Apple’s small business program. For apps distributed via alternative app marketplaces or through the web, Apple will charge a 5% Core Technology Commission.
Apple said the revised approach eliminates the initial acquisition fee and the store services fee that were part of the previous system. The company also said the changes are designed to resolve disagreements with the European Commission, which said it welcomed the updates and will monitor implementation.
Apple plans to introduce a single set of EU terms for developers that the company says is similar to commission-based terms it offers in markets such as Japan and Brazil. Apple’s prior model has involved commissions of up to 30% on in-app purchases, and Epic has argued in a post on X that if the EU accepts the terms and drops enforcement actions, the Digital Markets Act would not deliver its intended benefits.