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How much does the Apple Developer Program cost?
The Apple Developer Program costs 99 US dollars a year, or the local equivalent, for both individuals and organisations. Membership is required to publish apps on the App Store and includes access to App Store Connect, TestFlight beta testing and app signing. Apple offers fee waivers to eligible nonprofits, education institutions and government entities.
The membership fee is the smallest part of publishing an app. The real costs are time: building, testing, preparing the listing and getting through review.
Nuwan Madhusanka · Co-founder
3 min read · Published
| Item | Cost or effort | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Developer Program | 99 USD a year | Individual or organisation |
| Organisation enrolment | D-U-N-S number | Free to obtain, takes days |
| A Mac with Xcode | Needed for local builds | Cloud builds such as EAS can replace it |
| Store listing | Screenshots, text, privacy details | Required for every app |
| App Review | Days, sometimes repeated | Apple decides approval |
Individual or organisation
Individuals enrol with their Apple Account and publish under their personal name. Organisations, including small companies, enrol with a legal entity name and a D-U-N-S number, and the app shows the business as the seller. Apps made with builders must be submitted by the business under its own account.
What membership includes
Publishing on the App Store across Apple platforms, App Store Connect for listings and sales reports, TestFlight for beta testers, certificates and identifiers for signing, access to beta software and developer support incidents. Apple takes a commission on paid apps and in app purchases of digital goods, with reduced rates for small businesses.
Fees that are not Apple's
Building the app, whether by a developer, an agency or a builder; cloud build services if you do not use a Mac; design of screenshots; and ongoing updates as iOS changes. For a store app selling physical goods, card payments go through your payment provider, not Apple.
Common mistakes
Enrolling as an individual and later needing the business name on the listing, letting the membership lapse, which removes apps from sale, and budgeting only for the fee and not for review time and updates.
Where it shows up in OneCraft
The store checklist in site settings and the app builder phone panel state that Apple charges 99 USD a year, and that you publish under your own developer account. OneCraft builds the project, either a Capacitor app of a store or menu site for 2 credits or an Expo app in Code mode, and never submits it for you.
Questions people ask
Is the Apple developer fee yearly?
Yes. Membership renews every year at 99 US dollars or the local equivalent. If it lapses, your apps are removed from sale on the App Store until you renew, so keep the renewal on a card that will not expire unexpectedly.
Can I publish an iPhone app for free?
Not on the App Store; membership is required. Apple offers fee waivers to eligible nonprofits, accredited education institutions and government entities. An installable website, or PWA, can sit on iPhone home screens without any Apple fee or review, though it will not appear in the App Store.
Do I need a company to publish an app?
No. Individuals can enrol and publish under their own name. A business that wants its company name shown as the seller enrols as an organisation, which needs a legal entity and a D-U-N-S number. Builder made apps must be submitted by the business.
Does Apple take a cut of my sales?
For digital goods and services sold in the app, Apple takes a commission, with a reduced rate for small developers in its small business programme. Physical goods and real world services, such as food orders or ceramics, are paid through your own payment provider without Apple commission.
How long does Apple enrolment take?
Individual enrolment can be quick once identity is confirmed. Organisation enrolment takes longer, because Apple verifies the legal entity and D-U-N-S number, which can take several days or more. Enrol well before you plan to submit, and get the D-U-N-S number first if you need one.
Make one with websites
The button opens the generator with this use case already described. Change the wording to match your own.
Create a website with OneCraftRelated questions
- App Store guideline 4.2: minimum functionalityApp Store guideline 4.2 explained: why Apple rejects apps that only repackage a website, what 4.2.6 says about builder made apps, and how to give an app a job.
- Google Play developer account verificationGoogle Play developer account verification: the one time 25 USD fee, identity checks, and the 12 testers for 14 days rule for new personal accounts.
- What is EAS Build?What is EAS Build? The Expo cloud service that compiles your React Native app for iPhone and Android, with EAS Submit sending it to the stores. Steps and needs.
Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .