Comment on Don't expect iPhone apps to get cheaper now that you can pay for them outside of the App Store
LWD@lemm.ee 1 year agoI’ve definitely noticed that basic tools on iOS and Mac OS tend to cost money compared to their Android / Windows / Linux counterparts. But still, just because they can, doesn’t mean they should… Or at least, that they should be legally allowed to.
I won’t shed any tears for Amazon etc having to give Apple a huge chunk of cash, but this sounds like a way to frustrate small developers who don’t have a whole team to devote to their finances.
kirklennon@kbin.social 1 year ago
Amazon doesn't have to give Apple a huge chunk of cash though. Apps don't pay anything to Apple for real-world stuff being sold. Amazon pays nothing for the tens of billions of dollars purchased every year from iPhones. The only thing they pay Apple for is if someone uses the Prime Video app to buy or rent something or subscribe to Prime Video, but who does not already have an Amazon account (with saved card) that they're signed into. We're probably talking a number measured in the thousands of dollars. Uber, for example, pays Apple nothing other than their annual developer account fee (or fees, assuming they have multiple accounts).
Nobody is going to actually use this program so there's no real world extra accounting cost. Previously Apple charged 30% for a combined payment handling and commission. A court determined they had to let developers handle their own payments so Apple complied and said the commission is 27%. It's invariably cheaper to just stick with Apple's 30%.
Everyone always wants more money. Developers would love to pay less; Apple would love to make more. The 30% max fee (in practice less for many developers) has been pretty successful for everyone involved. I think people can quibble over the "right" number, but I don't think it's wrong that there's a sales commission for access to a profitable platform.
Earthwormjim91@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Important to note that the 30% cut is also only on developers that bring in >$1M in revenue from the App Store and in app purchases. Which is less than 1% of developers.
For those under $1M it’s only 15%, which is on par or cheaper than what developing your own payment processing or to use another third party processor.
ABCDE@lemmy.world 1 year ago
15% is not cheaper than using your own payment processor, don’t be silly. Stripe costs me around 3% and can be set up in five minutes.
Earthwormjim91@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Stripe standard is 3% plus 30 cents per transaction.
https://lemmy.world/pictrs/image/0f5ae9fa-8fdc-463a-b6ac-453183061517.png
If your app costs $1 or you IAP costs $1, stripe would cost you 33 cents for that transaction. Or 33%.
To get down below 15% total you would need to have your average transaction would need to be $2.50 or higher.
The average app price on the App Store is 88 cents. statista.com/…/average-apple-app-store-price-app/
And the median in app purchase is about $1.30. techcrunch.com/…/apples-in-app-purchase-prices-ju…
The vast majority of developers would pay more to use something like stripe.
LWD@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Except if you choose not to use the Apple default, Apple charges you 15-30% on top of the solution you chose yourself, correct?
In other words, Apple is trying to crowd out competition by encouraging independent developers to avoid any option that does not have their all-encompassing logo plastered on it, all while claiming to give them choice…
Earthwormjim91@lemmy.world 1 year ago
No, Apple only charges commission on purchases within the app using apples system. You can implement your own and tell people to make a purchase they need to go to your website.
That’s what Netflix has always done as one example.