The AltStore PAL app store has become free for users thanks to a grant from Epic Games
Epic Games has supported the developers of AltStore PAL — an app store created as an alternative to the App Store in EU countries. They have invested in them as part of the Epic MegaGrants program.
The creators of AltStore PAL reported that they received the grant for "innovation in app distribution." The amount of the grant has not been disclosed.
The developers plan to use the funds to pay Apple’s Core Technology Fee. Recall that it amounts to 50 euro cents per month for each app download in the EU and starts to be charged once the number of downloads exceeds one million per year.
GOOD NEWS EU 🇪🇺 For innovation in app distribution, Epic Games has granted us a MegaGrant grant that we plan to use to cover Apple’s Core Technology Fee going forward — and we won’t take it for granted!
What does this mean? AltStore PAL is now FREE — no subscription necessary 🎉 pic.twitter.com/JSJo3FdhBx
— AltStore.io (@altstoreio) August 14, 2024
In light of this, the creators of AltStore PAL have eliminated the fee for users to access the store. Previously, users had to pay 1.5 euros per year — this money was used to cover the Apple fee.