Stripe Integration for iOS: Avoiding Apple's App Store Commission

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 until the recent ruling. Following a recent court decision that judged Apple for anti-competitive practices, Stripe has stepped in with a new solution. 

In May 2025, Stripe offered an option that allows developers to legally send users to outside checkout pages. Stripe's minimum fee of just 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction helps developers retain more of their funds. 

In this brief, we will consider in more detail the Apple App Store commission workaround that Stripe provides for developers. 

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. 

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:

Stripe accepts payments through credit and debit cards, bank transfer, and popular digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay. Stripe even supports crypto payments, offering users flexibility in payment.

With Stripe, developers can avoid Apple App Store commission. Stripe's flat fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction is dramatically lower than Apple's 15–30% commission, leaving developers with more of their money.

With operations in over 46 countries and the capability to accept over 135 currencies, Stripe allows companies to reach worldwide with minimal resistance.

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.

Stripe utilizes advanced tools like Stripe Radar for fraud prevention and is fully PCI DSS compliant, allowing for the safeguarding of customer data and reducing financial risk.

Real-time dashboards, transaction analysis, and automatically generated receipts make tracking, reporting, and reconciliation a breeze.

From small startups to large platforms, Stripe supports everything from single payments to complex recurring billing scenarios, scaling to different business types.

Quick checkout, mobile-optimized flows, and dynamic payment displays all lead to fewer drop-offs and greater payment success rates.

Stripe offers developers a flexible, secure, and efficient way to process payments outside Apple's App Store, with greater control and significant cost savings.

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. 

With this method offered by Stripe, 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.

Though this process requires more technical setup than Apple’s in-app purchases, it gives developers full ownership of the checkout process and keeps them free from Apple’s 27–30% fees. 

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.

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. 

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. Apple will not take any commission on payments received via the web or other off-platform means. Developers retain all the revenue (excluding payment processor fees) without Apple charging them 15–30%.
• 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.

Despite the court's decision, the matter with outside payment linking is still in the process of being settled.

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 have already begun shipping versions that exclusively use external payments. 

Using an external Stripe integration within the United States can unlock robust payment functionality, but it comes with some trade-offs. 

Let's consider the main benefits of using Stripe's external payment links instead of Apple's in-app purchase system.

Stripe's standard rate of 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction is considerably less than Apple's 15% to 30% commission. For developers selling expensive products or running subscriptions, this means thousands of dollars saved.

Skipping Apple's commission enables developers to keep a greater percentage of their revenues, improving profitability and allowing for long-term business growth.

Developers have the ability to design and manage their own payment flow with Stripe, such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, or branded to their own specifications. This autonomy is a huge improvement over Apple's restrictive, native system.

Stripe shares important customer information, like emails and buying behavior—data that Apple usually keeps secret. This enables more effective marketing, retargeting, and more robust customer relationships.

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.

A 2025 court decision forced Apple to permit developers to offer external payment links with no excessive fees or annoying pop-ups. Developers now have the legal right to offer alternatives.

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.

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.

Stripe is a flexible payment system that offers great Apple commission savings, but the integration of Stripe also comes with some intricacies: 

Integrating Stripe, especially for more complicated setups like recurring billing, usually implies working with APIs, managing webhooks, and installing securely. 

As most support is provided in automated chats or ticketing systems, some payment problems may not get resolved quickly.

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.

Stripe may suspend or close accounts if it finds suspicious activity, with not much notice sometimes—putting revenue at risk.

Companies working across borders (Europe, China) can encounter additional charges and difficulty in dealing with several currencies or local restrictions.

If the app sells inexpensive products, Stripe's charges can be too much to be feasible.

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. 

As a result of the latest court decision of April 2025, iOS developers are finally free from Apple's hefty App Store commissions. Of course, Apple will most likely exclaim against this and dispute the decision.

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.