After Google Play’s service fee, what’s left?

A lot of people memorize an App Store commission story and price Google Play with the same mental math. Rules, tax display, and settlement rhythm often differ. Same list price does not guarantee the same net.

Indie Android launches often copy the iOS tier “because users expect the same number.” That can be fine for marketing. It is a weak reason to assume the same pocket net. Run a Play-oriented estimate before you freeze both storefronts.

Storecut can use Play-oriented presets so you estimate list → rough net. Illustrative—not a statement.

1. Play ≠ App Store narrative

Don’t paste Apple’s tier folklore onto Play. Contracting party, service-fee structure, whether tax is baked into the displayed price, and how refunds reverse can all diverge.

Compare “same list price, estimated net on each side”—not hallway legends.

If your team already shipped on iOS, write down the list you used and the net you thought you would keep. Then re-estimate under a Play preset with the same list currency. The delta—if any—is what you need to decide: match list digits, nudge Android list, or accept different profit per platform. That decision is product and ops—not a moral win for one store.

2. Estimate with Storecut (Play preset)

Open Storecut, choose a Google Play–related preset, enter list price or target net, and read the estimate. Multi-currency helps when storefronts differ.

Use it to scan magnitude before launch: what this tier roughly leaves; what list you need for a net goal. Not a finance model. [email protected]

A practical pre-launch pass:

Pick the list you plan to show on Play for your main SKU.
Run the Play preset; note estimated net.
If you also sell a subscription, run the period you care about (monthly vs yearly) as its own row.
Compare those nets to your minimum viable margin—not to a blog’s one-line commission story.

When the estimate looks thin, either raise list, cut cost of delivery, or accept a loss-leader on that SKU. Do not paper over it by inventing a friendlier percent in a slide deck.

3. One-time vs subscription (short)

One-time: one list, one commission sketch. Subscription: period and renewals matter for cash rhythm.

Same sticker can mean different monthly feel. For App Store structure detail, see SC-1; on Play, swap the preset and re-run the same thinking.

Indie trap: treating yearly list ÷ 12 as “monthly net.” That ignores how renewals and first-period treatment can differ from a simple divide. If cash flow month-to-month matters, estimate the period you actually bill, then decide how to present the yearly offer in marketing.

4. Tax, region, console mismatches

Presets often diverge from your live console: regional tax, inclusive vs exclusive display, refunds, settlement currency and timing, your actual contracted tier.

The tool gives magnitude and structure. Tax, payouts, and reconciliation follow Play’s console and agreements.

When you expand to new Play countries, re-check estimated net in that storefront’s currency. A home-market tier that felt fine can look different when tax display and settlement currency change. Keep a short table: country or region, list, estimated net, notes from the console. Update it when you change price—not once a year when something feels “off.”

5. Compare only with the same list price + currency

When you pit Play against the App Store, lock the shopper-facing list currency, then compare estimated nets. Currency switching in the tool is convenience—not a bank quote.

Mixing currencies and converting “in your head” warps the compare.

Also lock SKU type: one-time vs one-time, or subscription vs subscription for the same named window. Crowning a “winner store” from mixed product shapes is how pricing arguments stall.

6. Next: side-by-side (SC-3)

After a Play pass, put both stores next to each other with the same list (SC-3). Net magnitude beats arguing about list digits alone.

Card fees are separate—Feecut.

If you also take web payments for the same digital product, keep store commission and processor fees in different columns. Blending them into one “platform tax” number hides which lever you can actually pull.

FAQ

Tax or reconciliation?
No—Play console and bank records.

Mismatch with console?
Tier, tax, refunds, FX timing. Console wins.

Versus Apple?
Read SC-1, then run the same list on a Play preset.

Currency switch = FX quote?
No.

Disclaimer

Not a Google official tool. Illustrative ≠ your agreement. Not tax/legal advice. [email protected]