Epic v. Apple: Apple offers 15% commissions on US linked-out purchases for standard apps, 10% for partner programs and renewals, and 5% for Small Business apps
Apple has submitted its proposal for the fees it should be allowed to charge for purchases made outside of the App Store system in the Epic Games case.
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple’s US linking rules previously paired permission to direct users to outside payments with a 27% fee for standard developers and 12% for small businesses, a structure Apple defended in court as a good-faith compliance effort. The new proposal substantially lowers those rates and adds separate treatment for partner programs and renewals.
The filing continues Apple’s long-running position that it may collect a commission even when a developer uses a competing payment system, first articulated in its earlier court filing on competing payments. The dispute has shifted from whether linked-out purchases can be charged to what a court-permitted take rate should be.
First-order effects
- If accepted, standard US apps that link users to outside purchases would face a 15% Apple commission rather than the prior 27% structure, while Small Business apps would be charged 5% rather than 12%.
- Developers in Apple partner programs and those collecting renewals through linked-out flows would be assigned a 10% rate, creating distinct economics by developer status and transaction type.
Second-order effects
- Developers gain a stronger incentive to compare Apple’s in-app purchase economics with external checkout, particularly where a 5% or 10% linked-out rate applies.
- Apple’s proposal narrows the pricing gap created by its earlier US rules, while preserving a commission claim on transactions completed outside the App Store.
Third-order effects
- The Epic case is increasingly defining a regulated platform-take-rate framework in which payment-linking access and commission levels are negotiated together rather than treated as separate questions.
- If courts accept tiered rates, app-store competition may turn more on eligibility categories—such as small-business status, partner participation, and renewals—than on a single uniform commission.
The trend: App-store regulation is moving from forcing payment-link access toward setting differentiated economic terms for transactions that leave the platform’s checkout.