Apple shares praise from developers happy with 15% App Store fee reduction

Apple announced last week the launch of a new Small Business App Store program that will see the company lower its “App Store” fees for small business owners and independent developers. On January 1, 2021, all developers who earn less than $ 1 million from the “App Store” will pay Apple a 15% commission instead of the standard 30%.

Apple today shared a press release with a long list of quotes from app developers happy with the changes. Apple said the new “App Store” program for small businesses will benefit the “vast majority” of developers, giving them more income to grow their teams and improve their applications.

From Christian Selig, developer of the Apollo app for Reddit:

“It made my morning. It will legitimately help me. It will make decisions such as hiring extra help, or getting better equipment, going to conferences, doing more advertising, etc. , much easier to justify, and it really means a lot to me that Apple is doing such a great thing! It’s going to help my business tremendously. “

From Curtis Herbert, Ski & Snowboard Slopes Developer:

“I was very happy to wake up to the news. This translates to a 21% increase in our revenue for us, which is huge. This lowers the bar for new developers trying to start a business. As COVID has hit many of us, this this year is a well-deserved break that will help many of us weather the storm. “

Apple quotes praised the drop in “App Store” fees, but some developers who earn more than $ 1 million from “the App Store” have been less satisfied.

Spotify said Apple’s fee change demonstrated that “App Store policies” are arbitrary and capricious, “while Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said Apple” is gerrymandering the community with a patchwork of specials “with the program.

Basecamp CTO David Heinemeier Hansson, known for his outspokenness over the controversy over the “Hey” email app, said “Machiavelli would be proud” and that Apple was trying to “paint any winning developer over. of a million dollars as a greedy “.

All app developers who earned less than $ 1 million in 2020 are eligible to join the program and get the 15% reduced commission rate, as are developers who are new to the “App Store”. Apple’s reduced commission applies to paid apps, in-app purchases, and subscriptions.

The fee changes don’t benefit big companies like ‌Epic Games‌ and Spotify that have railed against Apple’s App Store‌ prices, but they do provide relief to smaller app developers who struggled during the global health crisis.