Apple’s 30% Ad Fee Is Real: Here’s What It Means (And How to Avoid It)

If you’re buying ads for your business on Instagram or Facebook through an iOS device, there’s a high chance you’re losing 30% of your budget to Apple—and you may not even know it.

Apple’s App Store commission fee, long associated with in-app purchases, is now affecting advertising budgets for small businesses, especially those in the wellness and service space that rely on Meta ads to generate leads.

In this article, we’ll break down what this 30% fee really means, where it’s showing up, why Apple is enforcing it—and most importantly, how to avoid it.

What Is Apple’s 30% Ad Fee?

Apple charges a 30% commission on digital purchases made through iOS apps. This traditionally applied to in-app purchases like subscriptions, but as of mid-2023, Apple extended this policy to include advertising purchases made through apps—specifically the Facebook and Instagram apps on iPhones or iPads.

If you purchase Facebook or Instagram ads using the mobile app on your iPhone, Apple now takes a 30% cut of your total ad spend.

So, if you try to “boost a post” from your Instagram app and set a $100 budget, only about $70 will actually go toward showing that ad to potential customers. The rest goes to Apple.

For wellness businesses already working with tight margins, that 30% can be the difference between a profitable campaign and one that never pays off.

Why Is Apple Charging This Fee?

Apple considers any digital purchase made within an app to be subject to its commission structure. This includes:

• Digital goods (ebooks, templates, courses)
  
• Subscriptions
  
• Ad purchases
  

Apple states this commission helps maintain the App Store ecosystem, ensure security, and provide platform support. But for many small business owners and marketers, this feels like an unexpected and unnecessary tax on their growth.

Meta (Facebook’s parent company) has pushed back on this move, arguing that it hurts small advertisers. But so far, the fee remains in place.

How to Avoid the 30% Apple Ad Fee

Here’s the good news: you can still run Meta ads and keep 100% of your budget intact. You just need to purchase and manage your ads outside of the iOS app.

1. Use Meta Business Suite on Desktop

Meta Business Suite is Facebook and Instagram’s all-in-one dashboard for managing your business presence—and it’s completely exempt from Apple’s fee.

To access:

• Go to business.facebook.com on your desktop
  
• Set up or manage your ad account
  
• Create ads through Ads Manager or boost content via the dashboard
  

Key benefit:

Apple’s 30% cut only applies to in-app purchases. If you run your ads via desktop, you keep full control over your spend.

2. Use the Facebook Ads Manager Mobile App (Not iOS Instagram App)

If you’re managing ads on the go, use the Meta Ads Manager app, which is technically a separate application from Instagram or Facebook. It allows you to:

• Monitor performance
  
• Adjust budgets
  
• View ad results
  

Note: Apple’s 30% fee still applies if you pay for ads directly through the app—so avoid using it for actual payment, and stick to desktop when you can.

3. Schedule or Draft Promotions, But Don’t Pay in-App

You can still create drafts of posts or promotions on Instagram, but when it’s time to set the budget and submit payment, do it through your Meta Business Suite account instead.

How Wellness Businesses Are Affected

Wellness business owners—massage therapists, recovery studio owners, fitness pros, and biohacking labs—often use Instagram to market their services.

Most of them boost posts directly from their phone. It’s easy, quick, and intuitive.

But with this fee now in place, they’re unknowingly handing Apple 30% of their ad spend.

That means:

• Fewer impressions
  
• Less visibility
  
• A reduced ROI (without realizing why)
  

If you’re boosting a $50 post, you’re only getting $35 in actual exposure. Do that five times a month, and you’ve lost nearly $75 that could have gone toward client acquisition.

How to Educate Your Team or Clients

If you’re a social media manager, agency owner, or running a team—educating clients and staff on this change is key.

Here’s how to explain it simply:

“If you buy ads on Instagram using your iPhone, Apple takes 30%. But if you do it from your computer using Meta Business Suite, every dollar goes toward reaching your audience.”

Consider adding this to your onboarding checklist, internal SOPs, or client training guides.

The Bottom Line

Apple’s 30% ad fee may not have been on your radar, but it’s impacting ad performance for thousands of small business owners.

Here’s your action plan:

• Stop purchasing ads through the iOS app.
  
• Switch to Meta Business Suite on desktop.
  
• Educate your team or clients so they don’t waste their ad budget.
  

Paid ads can still work—especially for wellness businesses with strong messaging and solid offers. But in 2025, every dollar matters.

Want to Make Sure Your Ad Strategy Is Set Up Right?

If you’re investing in marketing but aren’t seeing results—or worse, you’re unknowingly giving away 30% of your budget—we can help.

The Impact Growth Program includes ad audits, messaging guidance, and done-for-you growth systems that actually generate leads.

Apply Now