The difference between iOS and Android though is you absolutely can avoid the Google Play app store and install items directly (or through stores like f-droid).
I'm not a fan of either ecosystem really, but Apple is definitely worse on this one metric because there is no ability to NOT pay them.
Well - Apple makes everything. From my point of view, they are more similar to a game console platform where a completely verically integrated product experience, including marketing spend and everything sort of justifies a partner-like split of revenue. Google is really just hobbling together a pretty shitty phone platform, with terrible OEM support and drivers OEMs do all the work that Apple does but Google slides in there with the app store and takes a cut. To me Google is much worse
I'm not a fan of either ecosystem really, but Apple is definitely worse on this one metric because there is no ability to NOT pay them.