If your yoga studio has a branded mobile app, or you're considering one, there's a cost most studio owners don't know about until they're already paying it. App store platform fees are built into how native iOS and Android apps work, and for an independent studio operating on tight margins, they add up faster than you'd expect.
What app store fees are costing studios
App store platform fees apply to digital goods sold through Apple or Google's in-app purchase system. Think on-demand video libraries or meditation courses delivered entirely within the app. Purchases for in-person services like class packs and memberships are exempt. For studios selling digital content, a percentage of every transaction goes to the platform before it reaches you. At the standard rates that have historically applied, a studio processing $5,000 a month in digital sales could be handing over $500 to $1,500 a year in platform fees before touching a single overhead cost.
There is also the submission process to factor in. Getting a branded native app built, submitted, and approved takes time, money, and ongoing maintenance. Any update goes back through the review process. For a studio owner who is also teaching classes and managing staff, that overhead adds up in ways that don't show up in any fee disclosure.
Up to $1,500 a year in app store fees
What a studio processing $5,000 a month in digital sales could pay in app-store fees through a native app, before a single overhead cost.
How app store fees actually work
When a student makes a a purchase of a digital good inside a native iOS or Android app, that transaction is processed through Apple or Google's own payment system. Both platforms charge a commission on that revenue. Apple's standard commission has historically been up to 30%, with a reduced rate of 15% available through the Small Business Program for developers earning under $1 million annually. Google recently lowered its standard rate to 20% on in-app purchases following a legal settlement, with recurring subscriptions dropping to 10%.
These rates are subject to ongoing regulatory and legal pressure and have changed multiple times in recent years. But the core dynamic for studios selling digital content has stayed consistent: a meaningful percentage of every in-app transaction goes to the platform, not to you.
What is a PWA and why does it change the calculation
A PWA, or progressive web app, is an app that runs in a web browser but behaves like a native app. Users can install it directly from their browser, access it from their home screen, and use it without ever visiting an app store. From a student's perspective the experience is essentially the same: tap the icon, book a class, done.
Because a PWA lives on the web and not inside the App Store or Google Play, purchases made through it are not subject to platform commission fees. Students pay you directly. There is no platform taking a cut.
The install experience is simpler than most people expect. Students open the app in their browser and are prompted to add it to their home screen in a couple of taps. It sits alongside every other app on their phone, opens full screen, and works the way they'd expect.
| PWA | Native App | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform fees on purchases | ✗ | Up to 30% |
| App store required | ✗ | ✓ |
| Install process | Two taps from a browser | App store download |
| Works on iOS and Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| App store approval for updates | ✗ | ✓ |
| Branded with your name, logo, colors | ✓ | ✓ |
| Books classes, manages passes | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lives on home screen | ✓ | ✓ |
Is a PWA as good as a native app for a yoga studio
This is the right question to ask, and the honest answer is yes.
The use case is straightforward. Students need to browse a schedule, book a class, manage their pass or membership, and occasionally update their account. PWAs have closed the capability gap with native apps significantly and now handle the core functionality most service-based businesses actually need. There are categories where native apps still have a clear edge, games, augmented reality, apps requiring deep hardware integration. A booking and scheduling app is not one of them.
PWAs have no app store approval process, which means updates reach every user instantly without a review cycle. For a studio updating class schedules, pricing, or policies, that matters more than any native app advantage.
What Platsana's branded PWA includes
Every Platsana plan includes a branded PWA. Your studio's name, logo, app icon, and brand colours are built in. Students install it from their browser in a few taps, and from that point it looks and behaves like your studio's app, because it is.
No app store submission. No approval process. No platform commission on digital-good purchases. Included on every plan.
A branded PWA on every plan
Your studio's name, logo, and colors. No app store, no platform fees, no extra cost to unlock.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Browsing a schedule, booking classes, managing passes and memberships, and updating account details are all well within PWA capabilities. Native apps hold meaningful advantages in areas like games, augmented reality, and hardware integration. A booking and scheduling app is not one of those areas.
A studio processing $5,000 per month in digital goods (like an online-only set of videos) through a native app could pay between $500 and $1,500 per year in platform fees at standard rates, before any other overhead costs. The exact amount depends on the platform and fee tier.
Yes. Every Platsana plan includes a branded PWA with the studio's name, logo, app icon, and brand colors built in. There is no app store submission process, no approval cycle for updates, and no platform commission on purchases. Branding is not a higher-tier feature.