“No Apple tax means we will lower prices” – Proton promises price drop after US ruling against Apple

• May 2, 2025

• Proton has claimed it will lower its prices after a landmark US ruling against Apple
• A US judge found Apple guilty of violating a federal injunction over illegal monopoly and lying under oath
• Fortnite maker Epic Games sued Apple in 2020, challenging the up-to-30% cut the Big Tech provider takes from App Store’s purchases

Update: On May 8, 2025, we updated this story to include comments we received from Proton.

Proton could lower its pricing by up to 30% after a US judge found Apple guilty of violating a federal injunction over illegal monopoly.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Apple willfully violated her injunction issued in 2021 in the Epic Games case. The Big Tech giant was supposed to halt anti-competitive practices by giving third-party developers more power to redirect users to cheaper non-Apple payment options.

Proton, the provider of one of the best VPN and secure email apps, has welcomed the ruling as a victory against Big Tech. “Proton will finally be allowed to let iOS users purchase subscriptions outside of the App Store. No Apple tax means we will lower prices for users by up to 30%,” wrote the company’s CEO, Andy Yen, on X.

Yen also pointed out how such a court decision could help cut inflation in the US, too, “by dropping the price of a significant chunk of digital purchases by 30% overnight”.

The Fortnite maker sued Apple in 2020 to challenge the up-to-30% cut the Big Tech provider takes from App Store purchases.

“It’s about choice. Apple can charge whatever fee they want for their payment system. But we are now free to offer an alternative option that is up to 30% cheaper. For the first time, the user can decide for themselves (pay Apple 30%, or save 30%),” said Yen.

When we approached Proton to understand the impact on Proton VPN and Proton Mail users in the US and beyond, a company spokesperson told us that a price reduction will come into effect for Apple customers where the tax is being removed.

This means, the company explained, that the price of Proton VPN Plus in the US would be reduced by 34% for iOS customers buying an annual subscription, matching the pricing available on the web for the first time.

“The new rule changes will only be enforced in the US, and we implore the EU to follow suit and actually force Apple’s hand. Over two years after the enactment of the DMA, the European Commission has only managed to give Apple an appealable fine of 0.1% of its annual revenue,” Proton told TechRadar.

“As it currently stands, not only are Apple customers only able to purchase Proton’s products through the App Store, but Apple prevents us from giving any suggestion that any other way of paying or accessing our products exists (for example on Android, or the web) and blocks any app that does so,” the company added.

On May 2, 2025, Spotify confirmed that Apple has finally approved an update to allow the music streaming giant to freely show clear pricing information and links to purchase, fostering transparency and choice for US consumers.

“We can now give consumers lower prices, more control, and easier access to the Spotify experience. There is more work to do, but today represents a significant milestone for developers and entrepreneurs everywhere who want to build and compete on a more level playing field,” wrote Spotify in its official announcement.

Next steps

As mentioned, Judge Gonzalez Rogers found Apple in “willful violation” of the order issued in 2021 and later enforced in 2024, after the Big Tech giant lost the appeal in 2023.

Ways Apple violated the ruling include charging a 27% commission fee to developers when they allow purchases outside the App Store. Other barriers and requirements were also enforced to discourage customers from using competing purchasing platforms, said the Judge as reported by the BBC.

Besides allegedly promoting an illegal in-app purchase monopoly, the company is also facing a criminal contempt investigation as the judge found Apple’s vice-president of finance, Alex Roman, “outright lied under oath.”

Apple is said to “strongly disagree” with the judge’s decision. “We will comply with the court’s order and we will appeal,” said an Apple spokesperson.

We have contacted Apple for further comments and will update the article when we know more.

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Proton has claimed it will lower its prices after a landmark US ruling against Apple A US judge found Apple guilty of violating a federal injunction over illegal monopoly and lying under oath Fortnite maker Epic Games sued Apple in 2020, challenging the up-to-30% cut the Big Tech provider takes…