What an Apple Developer account gives you
An Apple Developer account is your membership in the Apple Developer Program. It costs $99 per membership year, shown in local currency during enrollment.
With it, you can publish apps on the App Store, distribute beta builds through TestFlight and manage everything in App Store Connect. Without an active membership, your apps are no longer available for download and you can’t submit updates.
Individual or organization: which account to choose
The main difference is the name on the App Store. An individual account shows your personal name as the seller, and an organization account shows your company’s name.
| Individual | Organization | |
|---|---|---|
| Seller name on the App Store | Your legal name | Your organization’s legal name |
| D-U-N-S Number | Not required | Required (free) |
| Legal entity | Not required; sole proprietors enroll as individuals | Must be a legal entity that can sign contracts |
| Website | Not required | A public, working website on your organization’s domain |
| Team access | Just you | Several people with different roles |
For a business app, an organization account shows customers who stands behind the app. It also lets you add a developer or studio to the team without sharing your password.
Requirements before you enroll
Both account types need an Apple Account with two-factor authentication turned on. Use your legal first and last name, because a nickname or company name in those fields delays approval.
Individuals must be of legal age in their region. Organizations must be a legal entity and cannot enroll under a DBA, a trade name or a branch.
The organization’s website must be public, working and on a domain linked to the organization. Apple doesn’t accept social media pages or sites with minimal content.
How to get a D-U-N-S Number for Apple
A D-U-N-S Number is a nine-digit number from Dun & Bradstreet that Apple uses to verify your organization’s identity, legal status and address. It is free for Apple developers.
Apple’s D-U-N-S lookup tool checks if your organization already has a number and lets you request one if it doesn’t. Allow up to 5 business days to receive it, then up to 2 business days for Apple to receive it. Paying to expedite with Dun & Bradstreet doesn’t shorten that wait.
Check the details first. Apple verifies your organization’s legal name and address through its D-U-N-S record. Make sure the record matches your legal documents before you enroll.
Agreements, tax and banking for paid apps
Free apps need only the Apple Developer Program License Agreement you accept when you enroll. Paid apps and In-App Purchases need more.
To sell apps or offer In-App Purchases, the Account Holder must sign the Paid Apps Agreement in App Store Connect. After that, you submit the required tax forms and your banking information so Apple can pay you.
Apple won’t let you create a new app or In-App Purchase until you accept the latest version of an agreement. When Apple updates a contract, the Account Holder has to sign in and accept it.
App Store Connect: roles and access
App Store Connect is Apple’s dashboard for your apps: listings, builds, pricing, agreements, reports and messages from App Review. Each person on your team gets a role with its own permissions.
The roles include Account Holder, Admin, App Manager, Developer and Marketing. Only the Account Holder signs agreements, so that role should stay with you or your company, never with a contractor.
TestFlight: testing before the App Store
TestFlight is Apple’s app for beta testing. You upload a build to App Store Connect and your testers install it from the TestFlight app on their devices.
You can invite up to 100 internal testers, who are members of your App Store Connect team. You can also invite up to 10,000 external testers by email or with a public link.
Each build is available for 90 days. The first build you send to external testers goes through App Review, and later builds may not need a full review.
Apple’s commission on paid apps
If you sell your app or In-App Purchases, Apple takes a commission. Developers with up to $1 million in proceeds in the prior calendar year, and developers new to the App Store, can qualify for the App Store Small Business Program and its 15% rate.
The page on app development cost lists the other recurring costs after launch.
Next steps after your account is active
With the account active, you register your app in App Store Connect, upload a build from Xcode on a Mac and test it in TestFlight. Then you build the store listing and submit for review.
The guide on how to publish an app on the App Store covers each of those steps. If Apple turns the app down, the App Store rejection guide explains what to do.
How Carvalho Karsten helps with your developer account
Carvalho Karsten sets up or organizes your Apple Developer account as part of its publishing service. That includes the D-U-N-S request, enrollment, roles, agreements and TestFlight groups.
The account stays in your name or your company’s name, and the team joins it with its own role. Send the stage where your enrollment is stuck, and Carvalho Karsten replies with the next steps.