App Store Sales Saw Unprecedented Growth in 2020, Grossing Over $64 Billion

Apple's App Store saw unprecedented growth in 2020, grossing more than $64 billion in sales, according to a report by CNBC.

app store blue banner

The figure is up from an estimated $50 billion in 2019 and $48.5 billion in 2018. This is a significant growth of 28 percent in 2020, compared to growth of just 3.1 percent in 2019.

Apple does not disclose how much revenue its ‌App Store‌ makes every year, but it has released data points every January since 2013 that include the total Apple has paid to developers since the start of the ‌App Store‌ in 2008. ‌App Store‌ revenue is reported as part of Apple's Services division, which reported sales of $53.7 billion at the end of Apple's 2020 fiscal year, which ended in September.

According to an Apple press release from earlier this week, the company has paid developers $200 billion since 2008. This is up $45 billion from the figure that was announced in January 2020. Equal to 70 percent of ‌App Store‌ sales, allowing for Apple's 30 percent cut of digital sales, the ‌App Store‌ grossed around $64 billion last year.

Prior to this information being available, the analytics firm Sensor Tower calculated that ‌App Store‌ spending reached around $72 billion in 2020 and the majority of spending across all app stores occurs on Apple's ‌App Store‌, with about 70 percent of sales.

The ‌App Store‌ is a core area of growth for the company, and Apple recently announced that New Year's Day saw a new single-day spending record of over $540 million.

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...

Top Rated Comments

-DMN- Avatar
59 months ago
That’ll happen when you’re forced to sit at home all day.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
59 months ago
this is what happens when Apple goes the extra mile in App Review, strict guidelines, and free developer resources.

these things cost extra money to do. Apple deserves their cut.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iapplelove Avatar
59 months ago
The App Store app has given me anxiety for years now. Just the new layouts alone drive me nuts. Thankfully now apps update on their own. No need to even open the app unless I must download something new, which again has not happened for a long long time.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bawstun Avatar
59 months ago

Normally, I’m a pretty calm individual. Something about the App Store drives me crazy. Hate it.
It’s their horribly confusing user-interface. They couldn’t make a more unintuitive app if they tried. Actually, Apple Music may actually be worse, so I take that back. But their developers really suck as of late. Horrible design choices internally...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iapplelove Avatar
59 months ago

Have you tried Yoga? It really helps reduce stress and anxiety
Normally, I’m a pretty calm individual. Something about the App Store drives me crazy. Hate it.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Red Oak Avatar
59 months ago
CNBC is wrong. They assume Apple’s take is 30% for all App revenue. A meaningful and growing % is at 15%

So, the total gross generated by the App Stire is well over $70 billion
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)