How much of a cut does Roblox take? An in-depth investigation

As an independent Roblox developer with several popular games that have generated over 500,000 Robux in the past year, I‘m often asked:

"Just how much of a cut does Roblox take from your earnings anyway?"

It‘s an important question for anyone trying to make real money by creating games, selling virtual items, or monetizing content on the platform. And the answer is more complex than you might think.

Roblox‘s varying marketplace fees

Here‘s the basic rundown of Roblox‘s monetization structure:

Roblox charges a marketplace fee on most transactions. This ranges from 30% for activities like:

• Selling collectibles, gear, or any virtual items
• Receiving Robux from game passes and developer products

To 70% for group funds transfers and payouts to other users.

However, Premium subscribers get reduced marketplace fees (as low as 25%) and can even earn back 100% from clothing items sold in their catalog.

Understanding these variables is key to maximizing income as a developer. Let‘s break it down further…

Selling virtual items: Creators get 30%

When you develop games, accessories, avatar features and successfully sell them across the millions of players on Roblox, the revenue breakdown is:

• 30% goes to the asset‘s creator
• 40% to the specific seller/distributor
• Roblox takes the remaining 30% as their platform marketplace fee

For example, say I design an awesome Scuba Diving Helmet that players love and sell it for 100 Robux per unit.

For every helmet sold, I would receive 30 Robux deposited straight into my Robux balance after the fees are applied.

*Data source: Roblox Developer Hub

As you can see, the marketplace fees are substantial – but so is the potential audience size.

Even taking home only 30% of each sale, developers have leveraged Roblox to earn over $50 million combined through their games and items!

Clothing items earn creators up to 70%

Selling clothing items works a bit differently…

For T-Shirts, Shirts and Pants categories, the revenue breakdown is:

• 70% earned for the clothing item creator
• Roblox takes a 30% marketplace cut

So designers of popular avatar apparel tend to see much higher payouts compared to game developers.

However, note that:

• Roblox takes a 10 Robux listing fee when first uploading any clothing item
• And the site applies 30% tax on top of clothing sale prices

For example, say I designed a cool Bejeweled Skirt for avatars that retails for 100 Robux after tax.

• I would first pay 10 Robux to list it
• Then the 30% tax brings the list price up to 143 Robux
• Of the final sale value, I earn 70% – 100 Robux goes into my account balance

So clothing designers take home more per transaction, but have to pay recurring listing fees to sustain their catalog…

Group funds have high transfer fees

Things get even more complicated when transferring Group Funds directly to other users.

Unfortunately, Roblox takes a substantial 30% fee on all group payouts.

So if I wanted to transfer 1,000 Robux to a friend:

• I‘d have to pay out 1,429 Robux from my Group funds balance
• After the 30% fee, my friend would receive exactly 1,000 Robux

Always factor this hefty transfer fee into your Group payout budgeting.

Premium subscribers get reduced fees

Here‘s the game-changer when earning on Roblox:

Premium subscribers get 5-10% lower marketplace fees on all transactions.

The exact discounts vary, but Premium tends to offer:

• 25% marketplace fee (vs. 30% normally)
• 100% revenue share from selling clothes
• Additional Robux earnings through the Premium monthly bonus

Upgrading to a Premium membership can quickly pay for itself with boosted creator payouts.

For example, say I sold 10,000 Robux worth of game passes last month:

• As a free user I would‘ve earned 3,000 Robux post-tax
• With a Premium sub, I would‘ve earned 3,750 Robux – 25% more!

Source: Roblox Premium Features

What about DevEx earnings cashouts?

Roblox also lets creators exchange their earned Robux for real-world money through its Developer Exchange (DevEx) program.

But DevEx has much higher fees, stringent requirements, and a long processing time:

• Must have at least 100,000 Robux earned
• Verified ID and tax forms required
• Actual USD payout is only $0.35 per 100 Robux
• Transfers can take 2-3 weeks to process

So while the option is there, I prefer reinvesting most of my Robux into expanding my game catalog rather than cashing out.

Tracking transaction fees and payouts

Thankfully, Roblox provides extensive analytics and payout reports within Studio and your profile Account > Transactions page.

Here creators can view:

• Date, description and amount of every transaction
• Exact tax and fees charged
• Net Robux payout delivered

This helps give transparency around the total platform fees Roblox collects over time.

I‘ve compiled a sample transactions history report from my account below:

Shows marketplace fees, clothing revenue, group payouts and more

Monitoring these transaction logs lets me forecast earnings, optimize prices to cover fees, and reconcile my total Robux balance.

Every creator should get intimate with these reports.

Estimating hourly earnings potential

To wrap up this in-depth look at Roblox monetization, I wanted to provide some estimates around potential real-world earnings based on the platform‘s payout structure:

• The average Roblox game pass sells for 75 Robux

• After the 30% marketplace fee, creators earn ~53 Robux per pass

• A dedicated solo developer can likely push ~15 new game pass sales per day

• That‘s 795 Robux earned daily, or ~25,000 monthly

• Given the $0.35 per 100 Robux DevEx rate – that would net ~$87 USD cash value per month

For a student or hobbyist creator putting in a few hours each day, that‘s an impressive supplemental income!

Of course top developers like myself earn far more, commonly exceeding $3,000+ per month in Robux…

But hopefully this gives you an idea of the monetization potential even for smaller indie creators.

Final thoughts

While Roblox‘s platform fees can feel steep compared to traditional digital storefronts, no other platform allows creators to reach over 50 million active players.

And both gaming and clothing designers have leveraged these massive audiences to generate millions in Robux earnings.

So rather than focusing on Roblox‘s cut, the best mindset is simply to:

• Build compelling experiences that resonate with players
• Reinvest earnings to expand your catalog and capabilities
• Monitor data like transactions reports to optimize prices and payouts

The rest takes care of itself.

At the end of the day, no other platform allows everyday creators to make money from their passions at this scale.

And for that, handing over 30% to Roblox is an acceptable tradeoff!