Google Play Store app pricing now capped at nearly $5,000

Google Play Store app pricing just blasted past old records. The new ceiling for app prices—and in-app purchases or subscriptions—now sits at just under $5,000. Yes, you read that right: a single app, upgrade, or digital subscription can now cost more than some smartphones.

Google has been pushing this limit up for years. The cap was $200 for ages, then $400 in 2015, and $1,000 last year. Now, Google Play Store app pricing is in a whole new league, with only South Korea holding out at the old $400 max.

But before you picture a flood of junk apps demanding insane prices, there are guardrails in place. Only established developers with a spotless record and over $1 million in annual Play Store sales can even apply for the higher pricing. And it’s not automatic—developers have to request approval from Google and explain exactly why anyone should pay this much for an app or IAP.

The new Google Play Store app pricing cap also covers in-app purchases and subscriptions. Honestly, it’s no surprise Google is thinking about sky-high numbers, especially after launching its own $3,000-per-year AI Ultra subscription. The bar is high, and so are the stakes.

Bottom line: Unless you’re buying something extremely specialized—or you’re a developer with a killer use case—most apps will still be much cheaper. But the days of a $1,000 app being the most expensive thing on the Play Store? Those are officially over.