Apple Developer Program: what it costs, what the free account can do, and how to enroll

The short answer

The Apple Developer Program costs 99 USD a year, charged in local currency where available. You need it to put an app on the App Store or send it to TestFlight testers. A free Apple developer account is enough to build apps and run them on your own devices, with limits. You enroll either as an individual, and your legal name appears as the seller, or as an organization, which needs a legal entity and a D-U-N-S Number. Nonprofits, accredited educational institutions and government entities can ask for a fee waiver.

What the Apple Developer Program costs

"The Apple Developer Program is 99 USD per membership year. Prices may vary by region and are listed in local currency during the enrollment process."

Three details change what you actually pay:

1. Taxes. Apple taxes the membership at the rate of your region or state where that applies.
2. Renewal. Enroll in the Apple Developer app and the membership is an auto-renewable subscription. Enroll on the web and you can turn on Auto-renew in your account, in the regions that offer it, or renew by hand from 30 days before the expiration date.
3. The Enterprise program costs more. The Apple Developer Enterprise Program is 299 USD a year. It's for companies that distribute apps privately to their own employees, not for the App Store.

Free account vs paid membership

Anyone with an Apple Account can register as an Apple developer for free. Apple's comparison, accessed October 8, 2026:

The free account runs your app on your own iPhone through what Xcode calls a Personal Team, and Apple keeps it short-lived:

"You can register up to 10 App IDs, which expire after 7 days."

"You can register up to 3 devices, which expire after 7 days."

"You can install up to 3 apps per device. Provisioning profiles that enable apps to be installed on a device will expire 7 days from issuance."

That is plenty for learning and for trying an idea on your own phone. Once you want testers or the App Store, you need the membership: App Store Connect and TestFlight are only part of the paid program.

Individual or organization

This is the one decision that is hard to undo, because it decides whose name the App Store shows as the seller of your apps.

As an individual, including a sole proprietor or single-person business, your personal legal name is the seller. You need an Apple Account with two-factor authentication, your legal name in the first and last name fields, and a street address. Apple says P.O. boxes aren't accepted, and an alias or company name in the name fields delays your approval.

As an organization, the legal entity's name is the seller. Apple checks a few things first:

1. A legal entity. For example a corporation or an LLC. Apple doesn't accept "DBAs, fictitious businesses, trade names, or branches".
2. A D-U-N-S Number for that entity. Government organizations don't need one.
3. Legal binding authority. You're the owner, an executive, a senior project lead, or an employee given that authority by one. If you're not the owner, Apple asks for a reference.
4. A work email on your organization's domain.
5. A real website. Apple won't accept social media pages or sites with minimal content.

Apple may also ask an organization for notarized business documents. If you start as an individual and later found a company, Apple's enrollment FAQ says to contact them to convert the account to an organization.

The D-U-N-S Number

A D-U-N-S Number is a nine-digit business identifier from Dun & Bradstreet, and Apple uses it to verify your organization. Individuals don't need one. Apple says it's free in most jurisdictions, and gives these waiting times:

"After requesting a D‑U‑N‑S Number, please allow up to 5 business days to receive your number from D&B."

"Once you receive your D‑U‑N‑S Number, please allow up to 2 business days for Apple to receive your information from D&B."

Look up your company first, since Dun & Bradstreet may have assigned one already. If enrollment says "Your organization is not listed as a legal entity", D&B has your business under a different status, for example as a sole proprietorship. Then you either enroll as an individual or send D&B your registration documents to correct it.

How to enroll, step by step

1. Prepare your Apple Account. Turn on two-factor authentication and make sure the first and last name are your legal name.
2. Start in the Apple Developer app or on the web. The app works on iPhone, iPad and Mac, and in India it's the only way to enroll.
3. Verify who you are. As an individual in the app, you take a picture of a government-issued photo ID. As an organization, you enter your D-U-N-S Number and Apple checks your entity and your authority.
4. Agree to the Apple Developer Program License Agreement. Individuals do it right away. Organizations do it after Apple Developer Support has verified them and sent an email with next steps.
5. Pay. On the web, an individual paying by card has to use their own card, or Apple asks for a photo ID. In the app, Apple Account balances from gift cards aren't accepted.
6. Wait for the confirmation email. Apple asks you to contact support if it hasn't arrived within 24 hours of your purchase, with your Enrollment ID.

The fee waiver

A nonprofit organization, an accredited educational institution or a government entity can ask Apple to waive the fee. Apple's conditions: it can't be an individual, sole proprietor or single-person business, it can't have signed the Paid Applications Agreement to sell apps or in-app purchases, and it can't sell digital goods or services in any of its apps. New members choose the waiver during enrollment, existing ones can request it before their membership expires, and it's re-confirmed at every renewal.

There is no student program. Apple points students to the free account, and their school can enroll with a fee waiver.

If you stop paying

"If your Apple Developer Program membership expires, your apps will no longer be available for download and you won’t be able to submit new apps or updates or access Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles. However, your apps will still function for users who have already installed or downloaded them"

Renew later and you don't have to resubmit anything. Apple says free apps come back within 24 hours, and paid apps once you accept the Paid Applications Agreement again in App Store Connect.

What Apple takes from your sales

The membership fee is separate from Apple's commission on paid apps and in-app purchases. Apple described its standard rate in 2020 as "The App Store’s standard commission rate of 30 percent". Through the App Store Small Business Program, developers who made up to 1 million USD in proceeds in the prior calendar year, and developers new to the App Store, can get "a reduced commission rate of 15% on paid apps and Apple In-App Purchases". You have to enroll in it separately, as the Account Holder. Some regions, like the EU, also have alternative terms with their own fees.

Once you're in

Your first stops are usually TestFlight for beta testing, the App Store Review Guidelines before you submit, and screenshots at the right sizes, next to an app icon at 1024 × 1024 pixels. And once people use your app, WishKit lets them request and vote on features inside it, so you know what to build next.

Frequently asked questions