Annual revenue of 406 billion! Apple App Store developer income and sales have nearly tripled in five years
Apple's App Store generated $406 billion in billings and sales for developers last year, nearly three times what it was five years ago. Small developers saw a 76% increase in revenue from 2021 to 2024. Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that the App Store has created extraordinary opportunities for various developers. Apple also announced that it has prevented over $9 billion in potential fraudulent transactions and intercepted nearly 2 million risky app submissions in the past five years. Recently, Apple has faced antitrust lawsuits due to controversies surrounding its App Store policies
According to Zhitong Finance APP, Apple's (AAPL.US) App Store generated $406 billion in billing and sales for developers last year, nearly three times the figure from five years ago.
The iPhone manufacturer stated that small developers are thriving in its app store, with revenue growth of 76% from 2021 to 2024. More importantly, Apple claimed that 90% of the billing and sales facilitated by developers in the App Store did not pay any commission.
Apple CEO Tim Cook stated, "For more than 15 years, the App Store has created extraordinary opportunities for app developers, entrepreneurs, and businesses of all sizes," adding, "This includes many American developers who have innovated, grown their businesses, and achieved remarkable success on the App Store."
Before the release of this data, Apple announced on Tuesday that it had prevented over $9 billion in potential fraudulent transactions over the past five years, with $2 billion in 2024 alone. Apple also intercepted nearly 2 million risky app submissions.
In recent years, Apple has faced controversy over some of its App Store policies, including payment methods. Earlier this month, a federal judge in California ruled that Apple violated a court order requiring it to allow more competition in app downloads and payment methods in its App Store, and the case will be referred to federal prosecutors.
The order stemmed from an antitrust lawsuit filed by Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, in 2020. The dispute arose when Apple removed Fortnite from the App Store after Epic developed a payment scheme to bypass the 30% commission on in-app purchases.
Apple argued that its App Store creates an environment that allows developers to promote their products to global users through a secure payment system.
Apple stated, "American developers have also achieved great success globally, as they can list their apps in stores across 175 countries and regions," adding, "The seamless payment and business system support of the App Store enables these developers to easily monetize their apps in the U.S. and around the world."
