To make money from users, iOS developers need to use Apple’s in-app payment system. They should give up as much as 30% of their revenue to Apple according to Apple’s In-App Purchase (IAP) Policy. Sounds impressive, right? This explains why many developers want to know how to avoid App Store fees with outside payment solutions.
The use of outside payment solutions was prohibited for years. Following an April 2025 contempt ruling against Apple for anti-competitive practices, Stripe stepped in with a solution — though, as we’ll cover below, the legal fight over exactly what Apple is allowed to charge for these external links is still ongoing as of mid-2026.
In May 2025, Stripe offered an option that allows developers to legally send users to outside checkout pages. Stripe’s standard fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction is currently far lower than what developers pay Apple — though that gap could narrow if Apple wins the right to charge its own fee on external links, a question the Supreme Court has now agreed to decide.
In this brief, we will consider in more detail the Apple App Store commission workaround that Stripe provides for developers.
Understanding Apple’s new US policy on external purchases
Back in 2021, Epic Games (the company behind the hit video game Fortnite) sued Apple. Epic Games claimed that it was unfair for Apple to force developers to use its own payment system and charge a 30% fee.
While Apple mostly won that case, the judge said it had to allow developers to link to other payment options outside the App Store.
But instead of following the court’s order, Apple made it even harder for developers. It added warning messages (called “scare screens”) to discourage users from using outside payment links and still charged a 27% fee—just slightly lower than its usual cut.
In the April 2025 ruling, the judge, Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, said Apple had knowingly ignored the court’s instructions. The judge insists the company should obey to protect profits and follow the law. Now, Apple has been instructed to cease immediately preventing developers from offering alternative payment methods and from placing new restrictions.
The recent investigations clear the way for legitimate alternatives, like Stripe, which is now helping iOS developers beat Apple’s high commission legally. In the following sections, we will consider how to avoid App Store fees with Stripe.
Why consider Stripe for external iOS payments?
Stripe offers a solid replacement for Apple’s in-app purchase framework. Below you can see numerous benefits that this payment solution provides for developers:
Flexible payment options
Stripe accepts payments through credit and debit cards, bank transfer, and popular digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay. It also supports flexible billing options, including free trials. Stripe even supports crypto payments, offering users flexibility in payment. For apps that monetize outside Apple’s billing flow, it also handles recurring payments and subscription management.
Lower processing fees
With Stripe, developers can avoid Apple App Store commission and work with a different overall fee structure. Stripe’s standard fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for domestic card payments is dramatically lower than Apple’s 15% to 30% commission on digital goods and services, with the 15% rate available through apple’s small business program for smaller developers earning under $1 million annually, leaving developers with more of their money.
International support
With operations in over 46 countries and the capability to accept over 135 currencies, Stripe allows companies to reach worldwide with minimal resistance, though selling globally can bring extra costs tied to international cards and currency conversion, so developers may need to optimize pricing by market as cross-border fees affect margins.
Customizable checkout
Stripe either lets developers utilize its pre-made hosted checkout or completely customize their payment process with branded pages to improve conversions and user trust, while supporting a more flexible pricing strategy through dynamic pricing and usage-based billing that traditional app store systems do not offer. It also supports custom discounts, and that custom checkout ownership helps merchants build direct relationships with customers.
Strong security and fraud prevention
Stripe utilizes advanced tools like Stripe Radar for fraud prevention and is fully PCI DSS compliant, allowing for the safeguarding of customer data, reducing financial risk, and helping merchants manage customer disputes and chargebacks, even though they remain fully responsible for chargebacks and can use automated evidence submission to contest them. Stripe also provides more transaction detail, customer communication logs, and usage data for dispute situations than Apple’s system.
Streamlined financial management
Real-time dashboards, transaction analysis, and automatically generated digital receipt records make tracking, reporting, and reconciliation a breeze, while documenting transaction specifics to help reduce disputes and prevent chargebacks during migration to Stripe.
Scalability for growth
From small startups to large platforms, Stripe supports everything from single payments to complex recurring billing scenarios, scaling to different business types.
Optimized user experience
Quick checkout, mobile-optimized flows, and dynamic payment displays can improve conversion rates, especially on iPhone, and Stripe’s flexibility can support pricing experiments that lift checkout performance.
Stripe offers developers a flexible, secure, and efficient way to process payments outside Apple’s App Store, with greater control and significant cost savings.
Implementing Stripe for external purchases in your iOS app (US focus)
Stripe has released an easy-to-follow guide for iOS developers who want to implement external payment links in their apps to avoid App Store commission. Regulatory shifts now allow iOS developers to use links like Stripe in regions including the US and EU, though this section focuses on the US.
With this method offered by Stripe, one of the external payment systems developers can use for digital purchases, developers can add a clearly labeled button or link that directs users to a Stripe-hosted checkout page in a browser.
This setup involves both a backend component to generate payment intents and a frontend component to handle the redirect.
Key steps in the process of redirecting users to the Stripe-hosted checkout page include:
- Placing an external payment button inside the app interface.
- Using Stripe Checkout on an external site to process payments for digital purchases.
- Setting up webhooks to confirm completed transactions.
- Enabling Apple Pay for a smooth and familiar payment experience.
- Ensuring all links open in the user’s default web browser, per Apple’s guidelines.
Developers can redirect users to Stripe-hosted checkout pages, but they must follow apple’s guidelines for external payment options.
Though this process requires more technical setup than Apple’s in-app purchases, recent policy updates now allow U.S. developers to link to external payment systems like Stripe for digital purchases, helping them bypass Apple’s in-app commission fees. Based on current fees — Apple’s 15–30% in-app commission versus Stripe’s roughly 2.9% + 30¢ — the savings can be substantial, though the exact percentage depends on your price point and transaction volume, and could shrink if Apple’s pending “reasonable fee” for external links is reinstated
Due to a recent court ruling, Apple cannot block this method for App Store fees avoidance, aside from showing a neutral message when users are redirected outside the app.
Navigating Apple’s requirements and guidelines (US specific)
Apple has officially updated its App Review Guidelines to comply with the recent U.S. court decision.
Developers publishing apps on the U.S. App Store are now allowed to add external payment links without Apple’s involvement under the new guidelines, with external links subject to apple’s guidelines under the updated rules.
Apple had been allowing limited external linking in the past, but under pressure from judicial rulings, they were still trying to charge a 27% commission for these transactions. This was held to be anti-competitive and ordered that Apple should allow proper access for other payment systems.
Key requirements in the injunction are:
- No commission on off-platform payments — for now. As of the original April 2025 ruling, Apple was ordered to stop taking any commission on off-platform payments. However, in December 2025, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the finding that Apple violated the injunction, but reversed the outright zero-commission rule — it ruled Apple may charge a “reasonable” fee limited to costs genuinely necessary for facilitating external links, and sent the case back to the district court to determine that rate. In the meantime, Apple has been charging 0% on external link-out purchases in the US.
- Freedom to link. Apple is not allowed to limit how apps display and arrange links that direct users to off-platform payment channels. Plain buttons and calls-to-action are permissible.
- No manipulative deterrents. Apple cannot use warnings, extra login processes, or other measures that could discourage users from selecting out-of-app payment choices. Neutral alerts are okay while directing users away from the app.
The Supreme Court agreed on June 30, 2026, to hear Apple’s appeal (Apple Inc. v. Epic Games, No. 25-1311), with oral arguments expected in the court’s October 2026 term. This means the external-payment landscape described in this article — including the current 0% Apple commission — is not necessarily permanent. Developers building a payment strategy around Stripe should treat this as the current state of play, not a guaranteed long-term rule, and watch for a ruling that could reintroduce some Apple fee on external links.
While developers can now include external payment links in iOS apps on the U.S. storefront without Apple’s interference, most apps are still required to also offer in-app purchases. The main exception appears to be “reader” apps—like Spotify—which, following recent policy updates after the Apple-Epic ruling, can link to external websites for account management and payments and have already begun shipping versions that exclusively use external payments.
Pros and cons of external Stripe integration (US context)
Using an external Stripe integration within the United States can unlock robust payment functionality, but it comes with some trade-offs.
Main benefits of choosing Stripe for payments
Let’s consider the main benefits of using Stripe’s external payment links instead of Apple’s in-app purchase system.
Apple commission savings
Apple’s standard in-app commission remains 15–30% for purchases made through its own in-app purchase system — that part hasn’t changed. What has changed is the external link-out path: as of mid-2026, Apple is temporarily charging 0% commission on purchases made through external links like Stripe, while the courts determine what “reasonable” fee, if any, Apple can eventually charge for that path.
In practice, this means the savings example is currently even larger than a simple comparison suggests: on $10,000 in monthly subscription revenue, Stripe’s own processing fees run about $320, while the same revenue through Apple’s in-app purchase system at the 30% rate would cost roughly $3,000. Keep in mind that if a “reasonable” Apple fee is eventually reinstated on external links, this gap will narrow — so don’t build your long-term unit economics assuming the external path stays commission-free indefinitely.
More revenue from purchases
Skipping Apple’s commission enables developers to keep a greater percentage of their revenues, which can materially improve profit margins and support long-term business growth, though how meaningful those gains are depends on the chosen business model.
Total checkout control
Developers have the ability to design and manage their own payment flow with Stripe, taking control of the checkout flow and payment experience with options like Apple Pay, Google Pay, or a branded setup tailored to their own specifications; Stripe acts as a lean, utility-style payment infrastructure provider rather than a closed app marketplace. This autonomy is a huge improvement over apple app store payments and apple’s system, giving teams more flexibility in how they handle transactions and customer relationships.
Actionable customer insights
Stripe shares important customer information, like emails and buying behavior—data that Apple usually keeps secret. This enables more effective marketing, retargeting, building direct relationships with customers, and more robust customer relationships, while also supporting more flexible monetization strategies beyond simple cost savings.
Cross-platform support
Stripe payments’ links work across iOS, Android, desktop, and web, allowing for easier provision of a seamless user experience on any device—not only within Apple’s ecosystem.
Legal backing for external payments
A 2025 court decision was a game changer for iOS developers, forcing Apple to permit external payment links with no excessive fees or annoying pop-ups. Developers now have the legal right to offer alternatives and optimize pricing or revenue strategy outside Apple’s longstanding model.
No dependence on Apple’s tools
With Stripe, developers don’t have to depend on Apple’s own StoreKit framework and have more control over how they process and present their payment systems. Less dependence on Apple also means choosing the right transaction types for migration: to move payments successfully, audit current revenue streams and shift physical goods and real world services first, since those are the clearest categories for using alternative payment processors outside Apple’s fee rules.
Overall, Stripe gives developers more control, less expense, improved data, and greater flexibility—all of which is a significant step forward regarding monetizing iOS apps.
Challenges developers may face using Stripe
Stripe is a flexible payment system that offers great Apple commission savings, but the integration of Stripe also comes with some intricacies:
Technical demands
Integrating Stripe, especially for more complicated setups like recurring billing, usually implies working with APIs, managing webhooks, and installing securely.
Customer support delays
As most support is provided in automated chats or ticketing systems, some payment problems may not get resolved quickly.
Security and compliance responsibility
Developers need to handle PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance and implement proper security best practices in order to safeguard user data, which can be time-consuming; selling globally with Stripe can also mean manually calculating, collecting, and filing taxes for digital content across different jurisdictions, whereas Apple, as the Merchant of Record, handles sales taxes and local regulations automatically.
Risk of account holds
Stripe may suspend or freeze accounts if it detects suspicious activity, sometimes with little advance notice — putting revenue at risk while the review is underway. This is a different kind of risk than what developers are used to with Apple, where disputes are handled entirely within Apple’s own system. With Stripe, you’re responsible for managing chargebacks and disputes directly, which gives you more control but also means the operational burden — and the risk of a account freeze during an investigation — falls on you rather than on Apple.
International complexity
Companies working across borders (Europe, China) can encounter additional charges, including service fees, and difficulty in dealing with several currencies or local restrictions, while international cards and currency conversion can also affect pricing strategy across markets.
Less suitable for small transactions
If the app sells inexpensive products, Stripe’s charges can be too much to be feasible, especially at low transaction volume or on very small purchases, though apps whose services sold carry higher average order values usually see better economics with Stripe.
For developers who want to know how to avoid App Store fees, using Stripe is the best option. However, while the Stripe payment system is flexible and feature-rich, it also requires technical savvy, ongoing monitoring, and a solid understanding of its pricing model and policies.
At Peiko, we know how to integrate Stripe seamlessly. So you can turn to us if you want to see Stripe as a payment solution for your app.
Conclusion
As a result of the April 2025 contempt ruling, iOS developers currently pay Apple no commission on purchases made through external payment links like Stripe — but this is an active, unresolved legal fight, not a final settlement. Apple has already won the right, on appeal, to eventually charge some fee for facilitating these links, and the Supreme Court has agreed to review the case further, with a decision possible in late 2026 or 2027.
Why is it worth considering outside payment solutions for developers? With Stripe integration, you avoid App Store commission, pay fewer fees, enjoy more payment processing flexibility, and gain deeper customer insights. With Stripe’s reduced fees and flexible checkout, developers can now deliver a seamless, brand-fitting payment experience—on their terms.
Need a switch to Stripe? Our experts can assist you. Reach out to our team for professional help with integrating Stripe payments on iOS, Web2 websites, or Web3 platforms, and start earning more of what you deserve.
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