How much does it cost to publish an app on the App Store and Play Store?

How much does it cost to publish an app on the App Store?

To publish an iOS app on the App Store, you need a membership in the Apple Developer Program. It costs $99 per year (as of October 2026, please verify with Apple) and must be renewed annually – if it lapses, the app is no longer available in the store. The membership gives you access to App Store Connect, TestFlight for beta testing and the certificates used to sign your app.

Companies register as an organization. For this, Apple requires a D-U-N-S number that uniquely identifies your company, as well as a person with signing authority. Apple offers a fee waiver for certain nonprofit organizations, educational institutions and government entities. Building the iOS version also requires Xcode, which only runs on a Mac – alternatively, cloud build services can be used.

Publishing an app on the Play Store: Android costs

For Android apps on the Google Play Store, you pay a one-time $25 for the developer account in the Play Console (as of October 2026, please verify with Google). There is no annual fee. When registering as an organization, Google also requires a D-U-N-S number and verifies identity and contact details before you can publish apps. Allow some lead time for this check.

Newly created personal developer accounts must complete a closed test with a minimum number of testers over a set period before publishing. For companies, an organization account is therefore almost always worthwhile. In addition, Google regularly requires apps to target a current Android API level – otherwise they are no longer available to new users on current devices.

Publish an app for free – is that possible?

Anyone searching for “publish app for free” or “publish iOS app for free” needs to make a distinction: you can offer your app to users for free – but publishing itself is tied to the paid developer account at both Apple and Google. Without the Apple Developer Program there is no route into the public App Store, apart from the fee waiver for eligible organizations.

A genuine alternative without store fees is a Progressive Web App. It runs in the browser, can be installed on the home screen, works offline depending on the implementation, and is updated without a review process. For internal tools, customer portals or a website as an app, that is often enough. There are limits with some device features and with discoverability, because users can't find the app in the store.

The real costs: development, store preparation and review

The developer accounts are the smallest item. Most of the cost is the app itself – concept, design, programming, backend and testing, depending on platform and feature scope. Then there is store preparation: app icon, screenshots in the required formats, description texts, keywords, the age rating questionnaire and the privacy disclosures that both stores request in a dedicated form.

Before every release, Apple and Google review the app. Typical reasons for rejection are features behind a login without a test account, unclear privacy disclosures, crashes, or apps that merely wrap a website without offering real added value. Every rejection costs time for fixes and resubmission. Experience with the guidelines pays off immediately here.

• App icon and screenshots for different device sizes
• Store texts, keywords and category
• Privacy policy as a publicly accessible web page
• Privacy disclosures in each store's form
• Age rating and test access for the review team

Commissions, obligations and ongoing costs after launch

If you sell the app or digital content through in-app purchases or subscriptions, Apple and Google keep a commission on the revenue. The rate depends on the program, on revenue and in part on the region, and it has been adjusted several times in recent years – check the current terms directly with the provider. Free apps and apps that sell physical goods or services are generally not subject to commission.

Ongoing costs mainly come from updates: new iOS and Android versions, changed store policies and security updates for libraries require regular adjustments. Add server and backend costs, the annual Apple fee and mandatory disclosures such as trader status under the Digital Services Act, which both stores request for the EU. So plan a fixed budget for operations.

Who should own the developer account?

An often overlooked point: the developer account should always be registered to your company, not to the agency or a freelancer. Only then do the app listing, ratings and user base belong to you permanently. Your service provider receives team access with appropriate permissions. If you change partners later, the app stays unchanged in your hands, and a laborious transfer between accounts is avoided.

For publishing you also need a privacy policy as a web page, a legal notice (Impressum) with reachable contact details (in Germany) and, for subscriptions, clear information on price, term and cancellation. If you develop your app with us, we take care of submission, the store listing and communication during review if you wish. This information on mandatory disclosures does not replace legal advice.