How much does it cost to publish an iOS app?

Search for this and many of the results come from agencies, and they mix up what it costs to build an app with what it costs to publish one.

Publishing one you built yourself costs much less. Here's every line, from Apple's own pages, checked on November 3, 2026.

What does it cost to put an iOS app on the App Store?

So for a free app built on a Mac you already own, the real cost is 99 USD a year. Everything else on the list is optional, free, or a share of money you've already made.

How much is the Apple Developer Program?

99 USD per membership year, for individuals and organizations alike. Apple adds tax at your local rate, and where it sells the membership in your currency, it shows that price during enrollment.

Four things the price page doesn't spell out:

• It renews every year. If it lapses, your apps are no longer available for download, though people who have them can keep using them.
• It isn't refundable. The license agreement says so.
• In India, enrollment goes through the Apple Developer app. Apple doesn't take it on the website there.
• Testing on your own device is free. A free Apple Account lets you register up to 3 devices, and the registration lasts 7 days at a time. You only pay once you want to publish.

Should you enroll as an individual or an organization?

The price is the same. What changes is whose name the App Store shows, and what you need first:

An organization also waits for Apple to verify it before it can pay. If you're one person and don't mind your name on the App Store, enroll as an individual. You'll start sooner, and you can decide about a company later.

Can you get the 99 USD fee waived?

Only as an organization. Apple waives it for nonprofits, accredited educational institutions and government entities that meet its conditions. Individuals, sole proprietors and single-person businesses don't qualify, and neither does anyone who sells digital goods in their apps.

Apple checks eligibility again at every renewal.

How much does Apple take from your sales?

Nothing, if your app is free with nothing to buy inside. Apple says 85% of apps are free and their developers pay nothing to Apple.

When you do sell, on the App Store's standard terms:

The Small Business Program is for developers who made up to 1 million USD in proceeds the year before, and for developers new to the App Store. It isn't automatic: the Account Holder has to enroll. Do it before your first sale, because the lower rate starts after Apple approves you. At indie scale the difference is real money: a year after launch, the median subscription app makes about $72 a month.

The EU and a few other storefronts have their own rates. In the EU, In-App Purchase is 26%, or 15% in the Small Business Program. Check that page if you sell there.

Do you need a Mac to publish an iOS app?

Yes. Xcode is free, and only for Mac, and it's how your app gets to App Store Connect.

The catch is how new the Mac has to be. Since April 28, 2026, apps must be built with Xcode 26 or later, and the current Xcode needs macOS Tahoe 26.6 or later. If your Mac can't run a recent macOS, that's the real cost of publishing, and it's bigger than Apple's fee.

What else do you need before you can submit?

Two web addresses, and both are required:

• A privacy policy. App Store Connect asks for a privacy policy URL for every iOS app.
• A support page. The support URL is required too, and it must lead to a way to contact you.

Neither has to cost anything. A page on a site you already have works. If you don't have one, GitHub Pages is free for public repositories.

Then the things people see: a 1024 by 1024 icon and screenshots in Apple's sizes. You can make both yourself for free, and check your listing before you submit. The pre-submission checklist has the rest.

What does launching cost on top?

As much as you choose. Most places to launch are free and cost time instead. The Launch Map lists 33, with each one's price checked on its own site.

Ads are the other option. Apple Ads charges per tap on its Advanced plan, and its Basic plan charges per install at a price you set, with a 100 USD credit for eligible developers.

I'd spend nothing on ads until you know which free places turn visitors into downloads. Campaign links tell you that for free.

What can you skip?

• The Enterprise Program. It's 299 USD a year and only for apps a company uses internally. You can't publish to the App Store with it.
• A company, for now. For publishing, you need one only to show a company name as the seller.
• Paid press release distribution. Writers who cover indie apps want a short email instead.
• Submission services. App Store Connect is the only way in, and it's included in your 99 USD.

If you also want Android: Google Play charges a US$25 one-time registration fee, against Apple's 99 USD every year.