Play Billing Fees in 2026: What You Actually Keep
Service fee tiers, the 15% small-business rate, alternative billing, and the math that decides whether a subscription or one-time purchase nets you more.
Before you price anything, you need to know what Google keeps. The headline "30%" is rarely the number that applies to you.
The 15% small-business rate
Through the Play Console small-business program, your first $1M in annual revenue is charged a 15% service fee, not 30%. Most independent developers never cross that threshold, so 15% is the rate to plan around.
Subscriptions are 15% after the program
Auto-renewing subscriptions are charged 15% once enrolled in the relevant programs, making recurring revenue meaningfully cheaper to operate than one-time purchases at the standard rate.
Alternative billing changes the math
In eligible regions, offering an alternative billing system reduces Google's fee by a few points — but you take on payment processing, fraud, and support costs. For most small developers the net is a wash; only scale makes it worth the operational burden.
Run the real net calculation
Decide pricing on net revenue per user, not list price. A $4.99 subscription at 15% nets more over a year than a $9.99 one-time purchase at 30% for any user who stays more than four months. Playstore Wizard's pricing recommender runs this comparison for your category automatically.