Apple App Store billings hit $1.4 trillion as AI apps dominate top rankings
The tech giant’s annual update reveals that 90 per cent of transactions incur no commission, while AI-enabled applications show the strongest growth among the platform’s leading software.
Apple has announced that its App Store facilitated $1.4 trillion in developer billings and sales in 2025, an increase from the $1.3 trillion recorded in the previous year. The announcement, released ahead of the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), underscores the scale of the ecosystem and its role in generating financial opportunities for mobile developers beyond simple in-app purchases.
The total figure is driven largely by the sale of physical goods and services, which accounted for $1.1 trillion of the overall sum. Digital goods and services contributed $149 billion, a rise from the $131 billion reported the prior year. Apple noted that commissions, typically ranging from 15 per cent to 30 per cent depending on the transaction type and business size, apply primarily to this digital segment. Consequently, the company stated that 90 per cent of all transactions involved no commission for developers.
In-app advertising revenue also expanded, reaching $151 billion in 2025, up from $150 billion the year before. The platform recorded over 850 million average weekly users across 175 countries and regions. Apple highlighted significant regional growth, noting that billings and sales in China more than doubled over the last six years, while figures in the United States and Europe more than tripled during the same period.
A notable shift in the app landscape was the performance of artificial intelligence-enabled software. Forty of the top 100 apps in 2025 featured consumer-facing AI capabilities, demonstrating stronger billing growth than other applications in the top tier. This trend coincides with industry speculation that Apple may announce plans to allow AI agents on its App Store during the upcoming conference.
The WWDC, which begins next week, is expected to feature further software updates, including a revamp of Siri and deeper AI integrations into its operating systems. The current billings report serves to frame Apple’s commission structure as a smaller portion of the broader financial activity occurring on the platform, which now encompasses retail, grocery delivery, ride-hailing, and travel services.
