Law & Regulation

Apple Sets New EU App Store Fees, Effective Oct 1

Apple cut its EU Core Technology Fee to a flat 5% commission, effective October 1, 2026. Here is what changed, why it matters, and what EU app businesses should do now.

Law & RegulationBy Servola Tech Desk2026-08-193 min read

AI-assisted, edited by humans. | Editor-in-Chief: Leon Soliman | Editorial standards

Apple Sets New EU App Store Fees, Effective Oct 1

What Changes on October 1

Apple announced the new structure on August 18, 2026 through its own Newsroom, and it takes effect on October 1, 2026 across the European Union. The headline commission for in-app purchases processed through Apple's own In-App Purchase system rises to 26%, down from the 30% baseline developers have known for years but still the top tier in the new schedule. Developers in Apple's Small Business Program, along with Mini Apps and participants in Apple's Video Partner Program, pay 15% instead.

Below that sits a middle tier: apps that keep Apple's payment processing but distribute through an alternative store pay 20%. The bottom tier, and the one most closely watched by regulators, is a flat 5% Core Technology Commission for apps distributed through rival app marketplaces or sideloaded directly from the web, bypassing Apple's store entirely.

Why the Per-Install Fee Was the Real Barrier

The detail that matters most is what disappears, not what appears. The flat 5% CTC replaces the earlier Core Technology Fee entirely, which charged developers per install once an app crossed a free-install threshold. For a popular free app, or a cheap one with millions of downloads, that per-install structure could turn a hit product into a liability the moment it left Apple's own store. It made distributing through a rival marketplace or a website mathematically dangerous, even after the DMA had already forced Apple to permit exactly that kind of distribution.

A flat percentage of revenue behaves completely differently. It scales with what a developer actually earns, not with how many people simply install the app. That is the mechanism that turns a legal right into a usable one.

Brussels Welcomes It, Sweeney Does Not

A European Commission spokesperson said Brussels welcomes the changes and will actively monitor how Apple rolls them out across member states. That welcome is notable given the history: this is Apple's third rewrite of its EU App Store fee structure since the DMA took effect, and an earlier version was already struck down after Apple lost a DMA gatekeeper court challenge in July 2026.

Not everyone is satisfied. Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney said on X that the changes still violate DMA requirements, arguing Apple is still charging developers for the act of using a competitor's payment or distribution system. Given that this is Apple's third attempt and the second one did not survive scrutiny, Sweeney's objection is worth taking as a signal that this may not be the final version either.

What This Means for EU App and SaaS Businesses

Set the legal argument aside for a moment and look at the mechanics. Removing the per-install fee removes a genuine tail risk that had kept real alternative distribution theoretical for most developers, even those who wanted to use it. A flat 5% commission is the first EU fee structure from Apple that could actually make app store competition viable in practice, not merely legal on paper. That is a meaningfully different claim from saying Apple has finally complied with the DMA, and owners should not confuse the two.

For any EU-based app or SaaS business selling digital goods or subscriptions through iOS, the unit economics on in-app purchases changed materially as of October 1, 2026. Whether a product sits in the 26%, 20%, or 5% tier now depends on a distribution decision that was previously not worth making. That is a pricing and channel-strategy conversation to have this quarter, not next year, and with appropriate skepticism that this fee table survives untouched into 2027.

Frequently asked questions

What is Apple's new Core Technology Commission?

It is a flat 5% fee on apps distributed through rival marketplaces or sideloaded from the web in the EU, replacing the earlier per-install Core Technology Fee entirely, effective October 1, 2026.

Does this satisfy EU regulators once and for all?

The European Commission has welcomed the changes and says it will monitor the rollout, but that is not a final legal clearance. This is Apple's third rewrite since the DMA took effect, and Epic Games' Tim Sweeney says it still falls short.

What should an EU app business do before October 1?

Reassess in-app purchase pricing and distribution-channel strategy now. Which of the three tiers a product lands in, 26%, 20%, or 5%, depends on a distribution choice that is newly worth making given the removal of the per-install risk.

A flat commission that scales with revenue instead of installs is the first Apple fee structure in the EU built like a business decision rather than a deterrent, and owners who sell through iOS should treat October 1 as a real deadline, not a footnote.

AppleApp StoreDMAEU CommissionEpic GamesCore Technology CommissioniOS Distribution

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