Apple changes fees for alternative app stores in EU

Apple is simplifying how it charges developers who distribute apps outside its own App Store in the European Union. Announced on June 26, 2025, the overhaul consolidates a previously layered fee system into a single 5% Core Technology Commission on digital goods and services sold through alternative marketplaces and web distribution channels. The new structure takes effect January 1, 2026, replacing the per-install Core Technology Fee that Apple had introduced when the EU’s Digital Markets Act first forced the company to open its ecosystem to competing app stores. What actually changed The old fee model worked like this: developers distributing through alternative channels paid a per-install charge on top of other commissions, creating a stack of costs that was difficult to predict and, in some cases, financially punishing for apps with large free user bases. Under the revised framework, Apple charges a flat 5% on paid apps and digital goods or services sold outside the App Store. The layered fees that had drawn complaints from developers and regulators alike are gone. Apple has said that under the previous per-install model, most developers were effectively paying less than 1% in ...