Subscription or one-time price calculator
Enter both prices and where you sell. It works out what you keep from each customer, right here on this page, and nothing is sent anywhere.
Try an example:
What it does
It takes one customer and follows them for five years. On the one-time side they pay once, plus any paid upgrades you set. On the subscription side they pay every month or every year, and some of them cancel, at the rate you enter. Then it takes off the store or payment fee you picked and shows what you keep. It also tells you when the subscription starts to cost the customer more than buying the app, because that is the sum your customers will do in their heads.
Where the fees come from
| Where you sell | Fee used |
|---|---|
| Mac App Store, Small Business Program | 15% of every sale and renewal. For developers with up to $1 million in proceeds in the prior calendar year. |
| Mac App Store, standard rate | 30% of a sale. For a subscription, 30% in a subscriber's first year of paid service, then 15%. |
| Paddle | 5% plus 50 cents per transaction, Paddle's standard pay-as-you-go rate. |
| Your own numbers | Any percentage plus any fixed fee per payment. |
Sources: Apple, App Store Small Business Program, Apple, Auto-renewable subscriptions and Paddle pricing, all read November 4, 2026. Rates change, and some countries have their own, so check before you decide.
What it leaves out
Taxes, refunds, free trials, discounts, currency changes and the cost of running a server. It also assumes every one-time buyer pays for every upgrade you set, which is generous. The cancel rate is your guess, and it changes the answer more than anything else here. If you don't know yours, try 5% a month and 20% a year and see how much the result moves. The three examples above use made-up prices.
How it works
It adds up each payment month by month, takes the fee off each one, and multiplies each subscription payment by the share of subscribers still paying at that point. It runs on this page with plain arithmetic, and nothing you type is saved or sent.
Questions
Should my Mac app be a subscription or a one-time purchase?
It depends on whether your costs go on after the sale. If the app needs a server, paid AI requests or constant updates, a subscription covers that. If it is a small utility that works on its own, many people prefer to buy it once. This calculator shows the money side only.
When does a subscription cost a customer more than buying?
Divide the one-time price by the monthly price. A $19 app against $2.99 a month costs the customer more after 7 months.
What does Apple take from a Mac app subscription?
Apple says you receive 70% in a subscriber's first year of paid service and 85% after that, or 85% from the start if you are in the Small Business Program. Taxes come off as well.
Is what I type saved anywhere?
No. Everything is worked out on this page and nothing is sent or stored.