What does the App Store really cost you versus web checkout?

App Store, Google Play or web checkout: what do you actually keep?

Enter your monthly app revenue, average in-app price and international share. Get Apple's 30% and 15% tiers, Google Play, and web checkout via Stripe or Paddle priced side by side, with the cost of filing sales tax and VAT yourself counted where you are the seller, plus the monthly revenue where the cheapest option changes.

Nothing is uploaded. Calculated in this browser from numbers you enter and approximate list rates you can edit. It cannot see your account and is not tax advice.

1. Your sales

App revenue per month (USD, gross of commission)

Average in-app price (USD)

International share of sales (%)

Cost of filing sales tax and VAT yourself (USD/month)

Revenue growth per month (%)

Fee ceiling, effective % of revenue (optional)

Ceiling applies to

2. Comparison

Option	Fees per month	Your tax filing	Total per month	Effective %	You keep per month	12-month cost with growth

Where the lowest-cost option changes

App revenue per month (USD, gross of commission)	Lowest total cost

At small revenue the fixed monthly cost of registering and filing sales tax yourself dominates, which favours a store that is the seller of record. As revenue grows the store's percentage costs more than a filing service, which favours web checkout. Fixed per-sale fees also hit 99-cent and few-dollar prices hardest. This compares fee per dollar of revenue only: it does not model the share of buyers who will not leave the app to pay on the web, and that drop in conversion can erase the saving. Set the filing cost to what a bookkeeper or tax service would really charge you.

Rate cards (editable)

Option	% of each sale	Fixed per sale (USD)	Extra % on international	Other % add-ons

Apple, Google Play and Paddle are treated as the seller of record, so no filing cost is added. Press Compare after changing a value.

Prefer a CLI, or want a fee ceiling in CI?

node cli.mjs compare --revenue 5000 --price 4.99 --intl 60 --growth 5
node cli.mjs compare --revenue 5000 --provider apple30 --max-fee-pct 20   # exit 1 over ceiling
node cli.mjs crossover --price 9.99 --tax 150
node cli.mjs compare --revenue 5000 --prices prices.json --json

Get cli.mjs and engine.mjs — Node 18+, nothing to install, no network call. More: App Store vs web checkout for indie apps.

Common questions

Does this read my App Store Connect or Play Console account?

No. It uses only the monthly revenue, average sale price and percentages you type, and rate cards you can edit. It cannot see your store accounts, country, payout settings or statements. Treat every figure as a way to compare options, never as what you will be charged.

Where do the fee rates come from?

They are approximate public list rates as best known in 2025, shown with an as-of line, and every number is editable. Apple's 15% tier needs enrolment in its Small Business Program and Google's 15% tier has its own eligibility and annual-revenue limits; subscriptions often get a lower rate after a first year. Processors add payout, currency-conversion and dispute charges, so check each pricing page before deciding.

Can my app actually sell through web checkout?

That depends on the store, your app category, your country and the rules in force today, and those rules have been changing through court rulings and regulation. Apple and Google are the seller of record for in-app purchases and file sales tax and VAT for you; with web checkout you are the seller, or you use a merchant of record like Paddle, which charges more. The calculator models filing as a monthly cost you enter. Read the current store guidelines and ask your accountant before moving any payment flow.

Is my data uploaded anywhere?

No. The page calculates in your browser and sends nothing. The CLI reads local files and makes no network call.