Apple is replacing its EU App Store install fee with a unified commission model

Apple updated its Developer Program License Agreement on August 18, 2026 with unified business terms for apps distributed in the EU, effective October 1. The existing Alternative Terms Addendum and StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement will be superseded by Attachment 14. The per-install Core Technology Fee will be replaced by a 5% Core Technology Commission on digital transactions in apps distributed through alternative marketplaces or Web Distribution. Apple’s published rate schedule is now explicit: App Store apps using Apple In-App Purchase pay 26% at the standard rate; apps using alternative in-app payment processing pay 20%; and qualifying purchases completed through external links are charged 15%. Developers in the App Store Small Business Program, Mini Apps Partner Program or Video Partner Program, and qualifying subscriptions after the first year, receive lower rates: 15% for IAP and 10% for alternative processing or external-link purchases. Apps can also offer alternative payments alongside IAP, but the selected payment-option configuration must be maintained for 12 months.

The change replaces an install-threshold risk with a more conventional revenue-linked fee model and gives developers a concrete basis for comparing EU distribution and checkout strategies. A small-business-program app using an external checkout can face a 10% Apple commission rather than the standard 15%, while alternative distribution outside the App Store carries a 5% CTC on relevant digital transactions. Those headline rates are not the whole cost: developers using non-Apple payments must handle payment processing, taxes where applicable, transaction reporting, refunds, subscription support and entitlement operations themselves. Builders should model effective contribution margin by payment path and program status rather than comparing Apple percentages in isolation.

Under Apple’s unified EU terms, the standard commission is 26% for App Store purchases made with Apple In-App Purchase, 20% for purchases processed with an alternative payment provider inside the app, and 15% for relevant purchases completed after an external link. Developers in Apple’s qualifying reduced-rate programs, plus qualifying auto-renewing subscriptions after their first year, pay 15% for IAP and 10% for alternative processing or external-link purchases. These rates make the checkout decision an explicit margin calculation rather than a generic choice between Apple and non-Apple payments.

For iOS and iPadOS apps distributed outside the App Store through alternative marketplaces or Web Distribution, Apple replaces the old per-install Core Technology Fee with a 5% Core Technology Commission on relevant sales of paid apps and digital goods or services. That removes the old annual-install threshold dynamic but still leaves Apple participating in transaction revenue generated through alternative distribution.

Starting October 1, EU App Store apps can offer Apple In-App Purchase alongside alternative in-app payment processing and/or external purchase offers. Apple requires developers to select their supported payment options and maintain that configuration for 12 months, so checkout experimentation is not completely frictionless. Teams should decide the mix only after modeling conversion, support burden and fee differences over a full year.

For transactions Apple does not process, developers remain responsible for payment-provider costs, customer support, refunds and subscription management, and they must report qualifying alternative-payment transactions to Apple for commission calculation. Applicable tax collection may also be the developer’s responsibility. A lower Apple commission therefore does not translate one-for-one into higher margin.

The Alternative Terms Addendum for Apps in the EU and the StoreKit External Purchase Link Entitlement Addendum are being phased out in favor of Attachment 14 of the Developer Program License Agreement. The new framework takes effect October 1, 2026, or when the developer agrees to the updated DPLA if later. Apple also expands eligibility for alternative marketplaces and Web Distribution, reducing some of the legal-establishment requirements that previously limited those routes.

Apple says the changes follow close collaboration with the European Commission and resolve disagreements over its earlier business terms. Reuters reported that the Commission will monitor implementation, while Epic Games continued to criticize the revised fees. Builders should treat the October model as the operative commercial framework, but not assume that EU app-distribution policy is permanently settled.