Apple doesn’t publicly announce these numbers, so analyst estimations are the best indication we have. CNBC’s estimate is based on Apple’s disclosure of how much it paid app developers who sell their software through the App Store. By starting at this number, it is possible to make an educated estimate as to how much Apple made through the App Store in total.
It’s hard to tell the exact reason for the spike in growth, but it likely had something to do with the COVID-19 pandemic. I can say from personal experience that I bought quite a few more games in 2020 than I have in years past, as well as subscriptions to fitness and productivity apps to try to regain some control of my life during quarantine.
When Apple reports on its financials, it lumps the money it makes from the App Store in with its services revenue, which is by far its fastest-growing category. The company takes a 30 percent cut of most of the money coming in to the App Store, which, while there are caveats and exceptions, represents billions of dollars of revenue.
App Store earnings may look a little different in 2021, as Apple is making changes via a new small business program. Through this program, app developers that generate less than $1 million USD per year on the App Store will only have to pay a 15% revenue cut to Apple. Developers generating more than that will be subject to Apple’s standard 30% platform revenue cut, which has landed Apple in a number of lawsuits over the last couple of years most notably with Epic Games in a case that is still being argued today.
