Apple’s U.S. App Store generated over $10 billion in revenue last year, according to a new analysis by app intelligence provider Appfigures.

The firm’s estimates reveal that U.S. App Store revenue from commissions more than doubled between 2020 and 2024, increasing from approximately $4.76 billion in 2020 to over $10.1 billion in 2024.

Based on Appfigures’ data, U.S. App Store developers earned $33.68 billion in gross revenue from their apps and games using Apple’s payments system in 2024, with $23.57 billion being their take-home pay after Apple’s cut.

Although Apple typically doesn’t release App Store revenue during earnings, it did publish a report in May 2023 stating that the App Store globally generated $104 billion in estimated billings for digital goods and services in 2022.

However, Appfigures’ analysis reveals that the App Store made $61.5 billion globally in 2022, growing to $91.3 billion in 2024. Apple made over $27.39 billion in commissions globally last year, according to Appfigures.

This discrepancy between Appfigures’ analysis and Apple’s own can be attributed to a crucial caveat in Apple’s report, which states that “billings and sales” figures are not the same as App Store billings.

When Apple wrote its report, it combined App Store revenue with revenue generated outside the App Store to produce its total for the “!Billings and Sales” category, aiming to demonstrate the App Store’s significance in the overall economy.

Apple calculated the portion of an app’s total revenue facilitated by the App Store, even if the purchase was made elsewhere, by considering the amount of time users spent on Apple devices.

Apple also allows enterprises to distribute apps with in-app purchases, but these aren’t visible in the App Store.

“Grave Irreparable Harm?”

The recent court ruling preventing Apple from charging a 27% commission on transactions outside the App Store makes examining U.S. Apple App Store revenue more relevant than ever.

Apple initially attempted to comply with the court’s injunction resulting from its antitrust battle with Fortnite maker Epic Games by making changes that wouldn’t harm App Store profits.

To do so, Apple gave developers a way to apply for an exception to its App Store rules, allowing them to add web links inside their apps directing customers to external purchases, but Apple continued to charge a 27% commission on those purchases.

However, a judge ruled that Apple was in “willful violation” of the 2021 injunction by collecting fees on purchases made outside apps and creating new anticompetitive barriers.

This decision forced Apple to update its U.S. App Store rules, now allowing developers to link out to other ways for consumers to make purchases without obstacles or commissions.

Several apps have taken advantage of the ability to introduce web payments, including Spotify, Amazon Kindle, and Patreon, with one small game emulator called Delta now supporting itself via Patreon memberships.

Apple is appealing the decision, arguing in its most recent filing that the ruling causes Apple “grave irreparable harm.”

The filing stated that the restrictions imposed will cost Apple substantial sums annually and are based on conduct that has never been adjudicated to be unlawful.

This argument may not resonate with developers, as many believe Apple should have lowered commissions for everyone years ago, not just for small business developers.

Appfigures’ analysis also broke down U.S. App Store revenue by apps and games, generating Apple approximately $6.28 billion and $3.83 billion, respectively, in 2024.

These figures highlight how critical App Store revenue remains to Apple’s bottom line and why it’s fighting to retain control.