Apple to Reduce Affiliate Program Commission Rate to 2.5% for Apps Next Week [Updated] - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple to Reduce Affiliate Program Commission Rate to 2.5% for Apps Next Week [Updated]

by

Apple today emailed its iTunes Affiliate Program members to inform them that its commission rate for all apps and in-app content will be reduced to 2.5 percent on May 1, down from 7 percent, globally.

itunes affiliates
Apple will continue to offer a 7 percent commission rate for all other iTunes content, including music, movies, TV shows, and books. Apple will also continue to offer a one-time 50 percent commission on Apple Music subscriptions.


Through the iTunes Affiliate Program, websites can link to and promote App Store apps and receive a percentage of the sale in return.

Update: Apple now says the reduced 2.5 percent commission rate only applies to iOS in-app purchases.

Related Forum: Mac Apps

Top Rated Comments

ck2875 Avatar
116 months ago
The affiliate program and third-party store parsers would be a lot less necessary if app discovery on the App Store wasn't so horrendous. I basically have to rely on AppShopper & Product Hunt to find price drops & new apps.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Asarien Avatar
116 months ago
Apple must really be strapped for cash.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spyguy10709 Avatar
116 months ago
RIP appshopper
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BeyondtheTech Avatar
116 months ago
Haha, funny joke.

I think these ads just aren't effective, that's why they reduced the rate.
Shouldn't it be the opposite? If the advertising isn't effective, raise them so that advertisers would be more enticed to do it.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
116 months ago
I make $250/month from promoting my own apps (via various methods) using affiliate links. With the cut down to 2.5%, I'll now be making $85/month. So essentially a $2000 loss per year (basically a mortgage payment for me).

I'm a small developer with one partner. We've been on the App Store for years. Will we survive? Yes. But this hurts small shops like me... every dollar counts.

Considering how many billions of dollars you have in your bank accounts, this is lame Apple.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
116 months ago
Does this mean MacRumors articles can just link to the App Store instead of that AppShopper site?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

imac video apple feature

Apple Released Yet Another New Product Today

Friday March 20, 2026 2:39 pm PDT by
Apple has unveiled a whopping nine new products so far this March, including an iPhone 17e, iPad Air models with the M4 chip, MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the all-new MacBook Neo, an updated Studio Display, a higher-end Studio Display XDR, AirPods Max 2, and now the Nike Powerbeats Pro 2. iPhone 17e features the same overall design as...
ios 26 4 pastel

iOS 26.4: Top 10 New Features Coming to Your iPhone

Friday March 20, 2026 2:44 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 isn't the major update with new Siri features that we hoped for, but there are some useful quality of life improvements, and a little bit of fun with an AI playlist generator and new emoji characters. Playlist Playground - Apple Music has a Playlist Playground option that lets you generate playlists from text-based descriptions. You can include moods, feelings, activities, or...
iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Wednesday March 18, 2026 7:39 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another six months or so, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component...